Students ages 5 to 18 can now apply for Saturday music classes and Monday performing ensembles through the Community Arts Program, a Coral Gables nonprofit that draws young musicians from more than 59 Miami-Dade County schools to the historic Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ on De Soto Boulevard.
Applications are open for the 2026-27 season, according to Miami's Community Newspapers, with some classes that may fill quickly. CAP Records provides Conservatory for the Arts students an opportunity to record their work.
Saturday classes
CAP Saturday Music Classes run Saturdays, Sept. 19, 2026, through April 24, 2027, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 3010 De Soto Blvd., directly across from the Biltmore Hotel. A parent and student orientation, upon application approval, is set for Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. An end-of-year recital follows Sunday, April 25, 2027.
More than 43 teaching artists provide one-on-one instruction on any instrument, including voice, along with music theory, aural training, composition and solo performance practice. The program sends weekly feedback to parents and students. Tuition and scholarship details are listed within the online application.
Monday ensembles
The CAP Jazz Ensemble PLUS rehearses Mondays from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Aug. 24, 2026, through May 3, 2027. A companion Harmony Class meets Saturdays from 10:30 to 11:25 a.m., Sept. 19, 2026, through April 17, 2027. The family concert wraps the season Sunday, May 9, 2027.
The jazz ensemble is open to students in grades 8 through 12 who play saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, vibes, bass or drums. Applicants must study their instrument weekly with a private teacher. Tuition is $450 per year, nonrefundable and due upon acceptance; scholarship information is available in the application.
Creative Strings ensembles also rehearse Mondays; details are in the online application.
CAP was a finalist three times in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Competition.
Background
Executive and artistic director Mark Hart founded the program, which also stages a summer concert series that has drawn more than 70,000 concertgoers since 1985. In a 2026 press release for that series, Hart called watching students flourish in the after-school program his “greatest reward.”
The Knight Foundation awarded CAP $100,000 for the Miami Jazz Institute, and the Coral Gables Community Foundation gave CAP a 2025 grant for its “Music Education: The Art of Inclusion” initiative.
How to apply
Applications and information are available at CommunityArtsProgram.org or by calling 305-448-7421, ext. 120.
CAP dates
- Jazz Ensemble PLUS rehearsals began Monday, Aug. 24, 2026.
- Parent and student orientation is Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
- Saturday classes begin Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026.
