Bloomingdale School of Music

Bloomingdale School of Music (BSM) is a nonprofit community music school on the Upper West Side of New York City, in the neighborhood historically known as the Bloomingdale District. It is housed in a five-story, 102-year-old brownstone and was founded in 1964, by David D. Greer, organist and choirmaster of the West End Presbyterian Church. According to its website, BSM's mission is to "provide access to high-quality music education to anyone who seeks it, regardless of economic status, ability level, ethnicity, or religious affiliation."

The school is supported by income from tuition and fees, grants and individual donations, foundations and corporations, and the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. BSM is tax exempt under Internal Revenue Service Code 501(C)3, and donations to the school are tax exempt to the limits of the law.

BSM is governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Directors and is a registered charity in the State of New York. It contains 13 teaching studios, a reception room, offices and the David Greer Recital Hall.

Bloomingdale School of Music began in 1964 as a part-time school offering Saturday morning classes for as little as 50 cents to low-income community residents. Within two years, registration jumped from 75 to 200. Local residents showed such interest that founder David D. Greer was able to form a Board of Directors and bring together a skilled faculty. Together, they raised public and private funds to expand and, in 1971, purchased and renovated the brownstone located at 323 West 108th Street, currently the school's home. In 1980, the school purchased a rental building located at 325 West 108th Street and renovated the basement area for office space.

In 1973, BSM, which at the time was called Bloomingdale House of Music, became the first community music school to offer free weekly classes to public school children. The Orff Schulwerk program became a model for many subsequent programs.

Greer resigned in 1989 because of illness and was followed by Paul Fran. After Fran's untimely death in 1991, Lawrence Davis was appointed and served until his unexpected death in November 2013. An interim director, B.J. Adler, served until July 2014 when Erika Floreska became the School's new Executive Director.

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Wikipedia