Youth Arts Alliance The Bijou Theatre is excited to announce the Youth Arts Alliance, a new education partnership with Knox County Schools. The goal of Youth Arts Alliance is to provide complimentary tickets for select performances to students in Knox County through the Partnership in Education (PIE) program and Music departments. Under the leadership of Scott Bacon and Richard Mitchell of Knox County Schools, a pilot program is being conducted this fall. In addition to students attending performances, the Bijou Theatre is developing an artist outreach program with schools. On September 24, while in Knoxville to perform two shows with Bela Fleck, the Flecktones—saxophonist Jeff Coffin, bassist Victor Wooten and the percussionist known as Futureman— spent an informal hour visiting and performing for Episcopal School of Knoxville middle school students as part of the artist outreach program. Demonstrating fusion jazz with improvisations on “Jingle Bells,” “The Pink Panther” and the G major scale, these professional musicians made two points over and over: master the fundamentals of music and be creative with your music. The Youth Arts Alliance is funded by corporate donors, private foundations, and individuals. For more information on how a business or individual can be a part of the Youth Arts Alliance, please contact Fiona McAnally at 865-523-2665.