Cleveland Music School Settlement

Founded in 1912 to provide music lessons to Clevelanders of limited means. In 1920 the Settlement became a member of the Cleveland Welfare Federation. In 1988 it included an Extension Program with several branches. Programs included Music Therapy, Special Education, a nursery, an advisory committee to aid other institutions, and a consortium with area universities.

The Cleveland Music School Settlement was the fulfillment of a dream for Almeda Adams, a blind vocal instructor of Cleveland, Ohio, who had become familiar with a music school in New York City that served people of limited means. In 1912, with the help of Adella Prentiss Hughes, she persuaded the Fortnightly Musical Club of Cleveland to donate $1,000 toward the establishment of such a school in Cleveland. The Settlement opened its doors on October 1, 1912, in the old Goodrich Settlement House at East 6th Street and St. Clair Avenue. Superintendent Linda Sampson and a faculty of five taught 150 students in piano, voice, and violin. During the first month, 260 lessons were given at 25 cents for individual lessons and 10 cents for class lessons, with children of fifteen nationalities participating.

By 1918, the school had outgrown Goodrich House and moved to the former David Z. Norton residence at 7033 Euclid Avenue. Five years later the Settlement moved to the former home of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Drury at 1927 East 97th Street, where a large recital hall was constructed. In 1938, the school moved to its current location at 11125 Magnolia Drive in the University Circle neighborhood where a forty-two room mansion was secured through the help of E. S. Burke, Jr. In 1948, with the support of Mr. and Mrs. Elroy J. Kulas, the home's stable was converted into a library and in 1955 the adjoining Charles Brooks residence was purchased. In 1967, two buildings immediately adjacent to the main building, the Margaret Rusk Griffiths Home, and the Robert and Lucile Hays Gries Home were also purchased. These buildings housed the Extension Program staff, the Music Therapy and Special Education staff, a nursery, and studios.

The entire faculty, which numbers over 200, does not all operate from these main branch buildings. The Harvard East Branch, The Koch School of Music, The Rainey Institute, and other agencies of the Settlement Extension Program, begun in 1952, allow over 5,000 students throughout the city to receive musical instruction in settlement programs. In addition, the school has acted in an advisory capacity to other institutions, notably the Cleveland Public Schools, and has become involved with other agencies to bring music to the community. One of these programs, the music therapy program, begun in 1966, was the first community-based music programs in the United States, and by 1976 a training program in music therapy had been established at the Settlement and a Consortium with area universities had begun.

The Settlement is open to all, regardless of age, and fees are scaled on the ability to pay. In 1920, the Settlement had become a member of the Welfare Federation of Cleveland. The Welfare Federation, while its donations in any given year were approximately only fifteen percent of the Settlement's budget, had become a steady source of support. The number of scholarships and endowment funds established for the Settlement has grown steadily and major musicians, beginning with opera star Emma Eames in 1914, have given benefit recitals to raise money for the school.

While the school's primary purpose has not been to produce professional musicians, nor does it grant degrees, it does instill a deep appreciation of music and provides an education that could form a basis for a musical career. Each year top students win scholarships to some of the nation's finest conservatories, colleges, and university, and several students have gone on to have distinguished careers.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Cleveland Music School Settlement