Brooklyn Music School Sets Gala For Next Month

To help expand current programs and to generate additional scholarship support, Brooklyn Music School (BMS), the historic performing arts institution located at 126 St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, will hold its annual fundraising gala on May 23, 2023, from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Rule of Thirds, 171 Banker Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. A silent auction will be held and entertainment will feature performances by current and former students and special guests.

This year, BMS celebrates 114 years of providing communities with accessible, globally influenced performing arts programming to students of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds, abilities, and professional aspirations. The theme of this year's gala, "Accessing the Arts," builds on the organization's mission of "Arts for All," highlighting the importance of accessibility in the performing arts space. BMS presently provides high-quality performing arts instruction to 800 students on-site, an additional 1,500 through its outreach program all around the city, and to roughly 8,000 indirect audiences each year.

The venue for the gala, Rule of Thirds, is a stunning industrial-style restaurant and event space featuring Japanese fare in an intimate setting with tall ceilings and a stylistically modern dining room.

Special guests will include guitarist Nels Cline (from Wilco), turntablist DJ Logic, trumpeter/producer Maurice Brown, drummer Don McKenzie and singer/songwriter Cassandra Jenkins. There will also be performances by BMS's departments of Musical Theater & Dance, Jazz and Rock, and the BMS Student Mentors Band.

A silent auction will feature art, theater tickets, concert experiences, and more.

Brooklyn Music School is a community school for the performing arts offering both in-person and online programming. There are programs in music, dance, musical theater, and music therapy for students from early childhood to senior citizens. The four-story building in Fort Greene, neighboring BAM at 126 St. Felix Street, is historically preserved both inside and out. Its architectural records were lost in a flood, but it is known that a row of townhouses was merged into the present facility in the early 1920s. Until then, the school had been a piano studio. The four-story complex contains 24 classrooms, two dance studios and a 266-seat Spanish-style proscenium theater. There is an inimitable artistic atmosphere resonating from its antique walls, which are imbued with a century of historic performances by notable alumni. Its block is part of the downtown Brooklyn Cultural District.

The school is a long-standing member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts. Founded in 1909 and chartered in 1912, the organization is presently going through a rebirth. A new and energized administration, led by Executive Director Brian Adamczyk, is carving out plans for its next century of programming. Its goal is to make it possible for everyone, regardless of their background and resources, to experience the joy of music and the artistic and intellectual benefits of the performing arts.

Founded in 1909 as the Brooklyn Music School Settlement by a group of immigrants who believed that music was an essential part of life, BMS still adheres to its founding tenet that access to music and the performing arts are as essential as food, shelter, and community connections and should be available to everyone. It also seeks to help those whose artistic voices are least often heard, with a significant portion of enrollees coming from historically underserved communities.

Proceeds from the gala will primarily be used to create additional financial aid. Several scholarship programs, which had been financed by earned income (tuition) to date, will become funded. Notable among these is the Mentor Program, which would become funded for the first time. In this program, students in grades 9-12 are equipped with career-ready skills for positions both in and out of the arts. They receive instruction from professional musicians and artists via private lessons and ensembles, learn leadership skills by mentoring younger BMS students, and perform at various events. Only 10-12 Mentors are accepted each semester. Once accepted, these students receive a 100% scholarship which covers one private lesson and one 60-minute ensemble participation per week for the duration of their time in the program.

Gala proceeds will also be used to expand various other programs including:

• Arts Reaching Youth, an after-school program that is conducted in partnership with several public schools and community organizations. It provides homework assistance, healthy snacks, and performing arts enrichment and doubly functions as an alternative to childcare for working parents.
• BMS Outreach, which currently provides free or low-cost classes, workshops, and cultural performances to over 40 partner organizations throughout NYC.
• Early Childhood Classes for developing cognitive and fine motor skills, spatial awareness, socialization, and critical thinking through music and dance.
• Adult Programming, including individual, partner, and group music instruction on most instruments and voice plus chamber music and ensemble activities.
• Music Therapy, promoting healing, connectivity, expression, and personal growth through adaptive learning.
• Private lessons, group classes, and ensembles

Proceeds will also be used for facility upgrades and ADA accommodations.

Gala tickets are $177.91 (gen. adm.), $215.26 (VIP) and $535.38 (Sponsor) and can be reserved/purchased at https://www.brooklynmusicschool.org/gala-2023.

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