The
People's Music School 
931 W. Eastwood
ChicagoIL60640
773-784-7032773-784-7134
Program: People's Music SchoolYear Started: 1976 Focus: Music Youth Served: 200 Ages: 5-12 Budget: $160,000 Inspired by the free music education she received as a child in the Dominican Republic, Dr. Rita Simo, a former concert pianist, started The People's Music School in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Two hundred students per term, ranging in age from 5 to 76, though mostly between 5 and 12, come to The School for free weekly private music lessons and weekly music theory classes. Students' development is tracked by the instructor, with an evaluation conducted at the end of each semester. The School also offers master classes, a variety of ensembles and performance opportunities. In exchange, students volunteer at The School, performing clerical, cleaning or other types of work for 2 hours every other month. "What we are doing is letting students discover their self-worth through their love of music," Simo states. |