The Juilliard School of Performing Arts announced Thursday that it has received a $50 million donation that will fund more underrepresented students enrolling in the institute’s weekend music training program.
The sizable donation will go toward expanding recruitment for the conservatory’s Music Advance Program (MAP) including an increase in student enrollment by 70 to 100 students.
MAP is Juilliard’s pre-college program founded in the 1990s to provide training to promising young musicians in New York City. The program recruits students from “diverse backgrounds underrepresented in the classical music field” from New York City’s five boroughs and the tri-state area.
While the school has admitted just seven MAP candidates in its undergraduate program over the last decade, many students went on to join prestigious music schools, including the Berklee College of Music, Johns Hopkins University, and the New England Conservatory.
“This will be transformational,” Juilliard president Damian Woetzel told The New York Times. “It will broaden the pathway to the highest level of classical music education in such a significant way.”
What’s in it for Students
The MAP program costs $3,400 a year for four years. Currently, students receive full or partial scholarships from a variety of sources.
Besides taking care of financial aid, the multi-million-dollar funding will also help the school make additional investments in the program.
A share of the grant will go toward creating an instrument fund for enrolling students. The remaining funds will increase faculty and staff, improve the student-professor ratio, and create a program for music students who are still in their developmental years.
“Today, the proportion of Black and Hispanic musicians in professional orchestras is only 4 percent. MAP’s commitment to recruiting underrepresented minorities will help bring new spirit, as well as superb young musicians, to orchestras, concert halls and theaters everywhere,” the press release stated.