American orchestras have remained relatively homogenous throughout their existence. Today, people who identify as African American and Hispanic/Latinx account for only 2.8% of the musicians in large orchestras and 6.2% of the musicians in smaller orchestras, according to the most recent study from the League of American Orchestras. These numbers have not changed significantly over the previous decade. Thanks to a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Peabody is poised to become a leader in changing that.
To begin to lay the groundwork for change, the Peabody Preparatory is part of a unique regional partnership called the Baltimore-Washington Musical Pathways initiative, which also encompasses several organizations in Washington, D.C., including the DC Youth Orchestra Program, Levine Music, and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Symphony Orchestra. The BWMP partnership has received funding from the Mellon Foundation to transform the field of classical music, making Baltimore and Washington, D.C., two of five cities where the foundation is funding this work. (The three other cities are Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia.) Peabody’s grant will support musically gifted but underserved students who are part of the Preparatory’s Tuned-In program, which offers full scholarships to musically talented Baltimore City youth.
“The real focus of the grant is changing the face of American orchestras to be more reflective of society,” says Maria Mathieson, director of the Peabody Preparatory. “At the moment, it’s focusing on high school–aged students who are really showing potential and who need to jump to the next level to get into the conservatory programs and high-level music programs. And hopefully, they will eventually change what American orchestras look like.”
Founded in 2007, the Tuned-In program serves students in economically challenged areas of West and East Baltimore. It was formed alongside the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s OrchKids — a school-based program for children in pre-K through 10th grade — in response to the need for a secondary music program for students who have already had some music education, either through OrchKids or another program. Tuned-In provides private lessons, theory classes, and opportunities to be part of ensembles to 80 to 100 students each year, many of whom have gone on to attend music conservatories or higher-level music education programs.
Under the grant, Tuned-In will initially provide expanded services to 10 high school students to further set them up for success. A new program coordinator will provide a holistic support system for these students by curating their music education experience, assisting with academics, preparing them for auditions, and working with their families to help them understand the application and audition process for collegiate-level music programs. “The grant is going to enhance what we already do for high school students by offering a more holistic focus for those students who are potentially identified as being on that pre-conservatory track,” Mathieson says.
These students will also have the opportunity to participate in enriching group experiences with their peers who are part of the BWMP initiative in Washington, D.C. Although the programs in the two cities will essentially operate independently, students will come together twice a year — once in Baltimore and once in D.C. — for special events. The Baltimore experience will likely involve the opportunity to play alongside the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra or Peabody Conservatory students.
Mathieson says that providing more holistic services for this group of students could lead them to envision brighter futures. “It’s going to provide an enriching experience for students who maybe never thought that music would be a possibility,” Mathieson says. “Tuned-In really makes that a reality for them.”