This Black History Month, we are delighted to celebrate the power of a special partnership rooted in community, culture, and creativity. In the summer of 2024, Merit School of Music and Bryn Mawr Community Church came together to bring high-quality music education directly to families on the South Side through the new Merit – South Shore branch. Since our early pilot classes, the program has grown into a vibrant musical hub for neighborhood families. This month, we invited members of our Merit – South Shore community to share their reflections with us.
The inspiration for this partnership came from a shared belief in the transformative power of music – and from a passionate Merit advocate in the congregation. Jennifer Montague, a Merit Board Trustee and alum, remembers her time studying at Merit fondly, and she was a guiding force in developing this partnership by introducing Pastor JeVon Moore to the school. “She spoke highly of the program,” Pastor Moore shares. “Merit helped shape her, and I knew having a program like that would be great.”
Pastor Moore has seen the roadblocks preventing young people in his community from accessing music education. “Music is embedded in Black culture, but there are so many financial barriers, as well as all the planning and effort to get the instruments and lessons,” he says. “The church was able to lift some of those barriers and give young people opportunities to play.” His vision aligns precisely with Merit’s mission to lower barriers to access to high-quality music education, and this partnership creates space for young musicians to learn, grow, and find themselves through music education.
“The church provides a physical space to remind Black and brown children of the community that the people who came before them have done amazing things in music. There is a space for them."
For the families participating in our new classes in South Shore, having access to high-quality music education in their own neighborhood has been transformative. “Having this level of music education right here in our own community feels incredibly special,” says Jenica J., the parent of six-year-old violin student Amara. ”It’s more than just a class—it’s become part of our village.”
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