
The City Club of Cleveland Podcast
The Power of Music Education for Our Youth and Communities
The future of Cleveland\'s thriving music and arts scene begins with our youth. For decades, studies have shown that high quality music instruction leads to a variety of benefits for young people: greater confidence, self expression, collaboration, leadership, and creativity-to name a few. Our communities benefit, too. Yet, the high costs of instruments and supplies make it challenging for many talented young people to explore their creative potential. And decades of nationwide disinvestment in K-12 music education only adds to the challenge.\r\n\r\nYet, here in Cleveland, we are home to several leading arts and cultural institutions that have truly changed the narrative and raised the bar for musical education for our city\'s young people. The Music Settlement and The Rainey Institute were both founded over 100 years ago to provide arts and culture education to Cleveland\'s immigrant and wage earning population. They have since grown into neighborhood anchors, together serving thousands of youth. Founded in 1995, the Contemporary Youth Orchestra allows students to study and perform new and contemporary music-introducing students to opportunities in the creative arts industries. Together, their work continues to increase access to music education, empower the next generation of artists, and strengthen Cleveland\'s cultural economy.

