The Music Machine

Anchorage Alaska's The Music Machine is a summer workshop in American Musical Theatre for children, ages 3 to 18. Our mission is to make the positive experience of active involvement in the performing arts available to all interested children.

 The program began as the brainchild of Janet Carr-Campbell and Darl Schaaff, both nationally recognized entertainers. The Music Machine was formed in 1982 and incorporated as a not for profit organization a few years later. Touching the lives of many, it has featured over 5,000 kids; and it has expanded to include The Dance Machine, for similar ages, and The Mini Music Machine, for ages 3-6.

 The Music Machine has received awards from the Alaska State Legislature, as well as the 2001 Chamber of Commerce Gold-pan Award for Premiere Service to Youth. We were honored in 2003 with the Mayor’s Youth Arts Award and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority award. And in 2011, our Artistic Director Janet Carr-Campbell was selected as a YWCA Woman of Achievement.

 The real success of The Music Machine is when a child spends a summer making friends, growing and developing into a young adult with confidence and self-esteem fostered by being part of a great team effort.