In a testament to a neighborhood dedication and generations’ of hard work, the Brooklyn Music School celebrated its 100th anniversary this past December. The school’s mission throughout: to grant access to the performing arts to anyone.
In a testament to a neighborhood dedication and generations’ of hard work, the Brooklyn Music School celebrated its 100th anniversary this past December. The school’s mission throughout: to grant access to the performing arts to anyone.
The Brooklyn Music School has maintained a policy of open enrollment, meaning anyone can register at any time during class sessions. The school says that more than 200 students every year enroll at the school for music and dance classes. It was founded in 1912 with the explicit goal of helping “the poor, the blind . . . the handicapped.” By 2009, the school faced mounting difficulties with debt, which it responded to by expanding after-school classes and developing a summer institute that included morning classes and afternoon educational trips. The school’s executive director, Frank Alvarado, also instituted a new program called “Arts Reaching Youth,” designed to instruct children in singing and dance at low tuitions. He says the program has helped the school’s enrollment grow from 100 students per year to over 250 per year, as he’s seen over the last three years.
The music school also rents its 1924 playhouse to theater schools like the Brooklyn Children’s Theater in efforts to raise funds for a projected building restoration.
