The San Luis Obispo County Office of Education’s (SLOCOE) Arts Outreach Program is continuing its mission to expand arts access for students countywide—this time by partnering with Opera San Luis Obispo to bring the beloved musical tale Peter and the Wolf to life. Performances were held November 7 at Vineyard Elementary School, November 10 at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts, and November 12 at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center, reaching thousands of students from districts across the region.
A Program Rooted in Enrichment, Access, and Equity
SLOCOE’s Arts Outreach Program is designed to enrich student learning by offering meaningful arts experiences that may not always be available in the classroom. Research continues to confirm what educators have long observed: engagement with the arts promotes neuroplasticity, well-being, emotional regulation, and deepened learning. Through rotating educators in musical, visual, and movement arts, the program helps students discover new skills—and sometimes uncover lifelong passions.
“Intellectually well-rounded, compassionate, creative, open-minded students will eventually become the adults that steward our world,” said Talia Phillips-Ortega, Arts Outreach Advisor. “Everyone should have the right to artistic enrichment. The arts are so necessary, and my goal with this program is to create opportunities for that kind of engagement and enrichment.”
Opera SLO’s Peter and the Wolf: Music, Storytelling, and Imagination
OperaSLO’s staging of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf blends orchestral music, narration, and theatricality to ignite young imaginations. Each character is represented by a different instrument, helping students learn to identify orchestral timbres and musical themes through storytelling.
Maestro Brian Asher Alhadeff emphasized the significance of this approach: “The cat is the clarinet, the wolves are the horns, the grandfather is the bassoon… the instrument stands up, and all the kids get to see who it is and how they play it.”
This dynamic, interactive format helps students connect emotionally to the music and fosters listening skills, visualization, and appreciation for the arts. For many, it serves as a gateway to deeper engagement with instrumental music and performance.
A Partnership Committed to Student Access
These performances represent a strong partnership between Opera SLO and SLOCOE—one grounded in the shared belief that arts education is a right, not a privilege.
“One of the great ways that we’re able to have this work out is through our partnership with the County Office of Education,” said Maestro Alhadeff. “They believe that having arts in front of kids and having kids experience classical music is more of a right than a privilege.”
Talia Phillips-Ortega echoed this sentiment: “Why wouldn’t we want a community of empathetic and intelligent children becoming empathetic and intelligent adults? The County Office of Education is actively trying to promote spaces where the arts are available to the community… We’re trying to make it as accessible as possible to every student in the county.”
Student Excitement and Community Impact
At Vineyard Elementary, students were eager to share their enthusiasm:
- Thea, 3rd grade: “I thought it was super duper cool because we could actually hear them in real life instead of just listening on the radio.”
- Bryce, 3rd grade: “I thought it was pretty cool because we got to hear music while getting told the story.”
- Percy, student: “I liked the wolf the most… the part where he ate the duck. It was just kind of funny.”
Teachers and staff noted the educational value as well. Mrs. Powell, Performing Arts Technician at Vineyard Elementary, reflected on the importance of connecting instruments to story: “When I was a music teacher… we would cover Peter and the Wolf and all the different instrument families and how they related to the tone and the mood of the character.”
Leadership Support Helps Bring the Arts to Life
Local leaders also stepped into the spotlight—literally. At one performance, Templeton Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Bond served as narrator, a gesture Maestro Alhadeff described as deeply meaningful.
“It means so much to the musicians to see that education is really supporting this,” he said. “But it means the world to the students.”
Dr. Bond, who previously founded a visual and performing arts academy in Ventura County, emphasized Templeton’s commitment to arts education: “We have music all the way down to our lower elementary schools. This is a great way to expose kids to the arts and to the classics and orchestra.”
A Lasting Impact—and More to Come
For Phillips-Ortega, the performances carry personal significance. “I grew up in San Luis Obispo County and saw Peter and the Wolf as a child. It prompted my love of music, my engagement in our local band programs, and contributed to my role with the County Office today supporting the arts.”
Opera SLO and SLOCOE plan to continue offering multiple performances annually at venues across the county. “This program will be available in years perpetual,” Phillips-Ortega said. “If you weren’t able to make it out this year, we will see you next year at the Clark Center, the PAC, and North County venues.”
Keeping the Arts at the Heart of Education
SLOCOE’s Arts Outreach Program remains committed to ensuring that every student—regardless of school, district, or background—has the chance to experience high-quality arts education. Through partnerships with community organizations like Opera SLO, the program continues to broaden access, nurture creativity, and build a foundation for lifelong engagement with the arts.
For students across San Luis Obispo County, Peter and the Wolf was more than a performance—it was an invitation into a world of imagination, music, and discovery.
