Merit School of Music

🎃 Trick or treat! 🍬 Little ghosts and ghoulies played some BOO-tiful tunes in Ms. Iris Wei's violin group class. 🎻 Wishing you a safe and happy Halloween! 👻

You're invited to our Dia de los Mu***os Sensory- and Family-Friendly Concert! Join Merit’s Wind Symphony for a free concert celebrating a Latin American tradition originating in Mexico, featuring music from Encanto and Coco. Audience members are invited to move, dance, make noise, or partake in any way which helps them to enjoy the music. Families and those with sensory processing sensitivities are welcome!

Space is limited, so be sure to save your spot at https://hubs.la/Q02W0Y0p0.

📆 Saturday 11/2
🕥 10:30-11am
📍 38 S Peoria St

✨ Play On 2024 is less than a week away! ⏳ As we eagerly await the concert, we sat down with this year's headliner, Merit alum Alexis Lombre, to chat about her musical journey, her experiences at Merit, and what she’s most excited about for Play On! Read all about it on our latest blog post: https://hubs.la/Q02VLRCF0

We hope you join us on October 30 for Play On at City Winery to hear Alexis, alum Mae Ya Carter Ryan, and Merit's Honors Jazz Combo in an exciting evening to celebrate and support high-quality music education in Chicago. Get your tickets ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q02VLMt30.

📆 October 30
🕖 7pm
📍City Winery

Congrats 🎉 to Merit faculty member Desirée Ruhstrat on her recent nomination for a Latin Grammy as part of Lincoln Trio! "Fantasies of Buenos Aires" is nominated for Best Classical Album. 👏👏👏

🔊 Listen to the album at https://hubs.la/Q02TyCCQ0.

✨ Calling all choir teachers! 🎶 We are currently seeking a Choir Director for a Merit Music in Communities site in Lakeview. Join our team and help us spread the joy of music to Chicago's youth!

➡️ Visit https://hubs.la/Q02T6hcB0 for more information and APPLY TODAY!

✨ This Thursday, you are invited to an open house at Merit South Shore, our new branch at Bryn Mawr Community Church! 🎵 Learn all about the violin and cello classes offered this fall, experience an Instrument Petting Zoo, and get sized for your instrument so you're ready for the first day of classes. 🎻

Learn more and let us know you're coming at https://hubs.la/Q02St4t70 Can't wait to see you there! 👋

📍 Bryn Mawr Community Church, 7000 S Jeffery Blvd
📆 Thursday 10/10
🕔 5-7pm

Two of our Alice S. Pfaelzer Conservatory violists who are also Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative fellows, Olivia and David, had an exciting opportunity to work with Antoine Tamestit last week! 🎻👏

In case you missed it! 📺 Merit's President & Executive Director Charlie Grode recently stopped by Good Day Chicago to talk all about the launch of the Merit Near North branch. Watch it here ➡️
https://hubs.la/Q02Rpfcw0

We’re so excited to welcome several new amazing teaching artists to our faculty this fall! Learn more about just a few of the fresh faces you’ll see at Merit West Loop, Merit Near North, and in our community sites this year on our blog! https://hubs.la/Q02Rpl8N0

Join us for a fun-filled fall 🍂 Musical Storytime 🎶 in Old Town on Saturday, October 5 at 10:30am! A talented duo of Merit performing artists will delight your little ones and promote early literacy development with music, movement, and laughter.

We can't wait to see you there! Let us know you're coming ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q02R7pvS0

🗓️ Saturday 10/5
🕙 10:30 am
📍 Church of the Three Crosses @ 333 W Wisconsin St., Chicago, IL 60614

With a heavy heart, we say farewell to Howard Gottlieb, a beloved friend and fierce advocate of Merit School of Music.

Howard’s unwavering generosity and dedication to Merit and our students transformed countless lives and left an indelible mark on our community. A gifted violinist, Howard was a strong supporter of the arts at the local and national level, driven by his steadfast belief in the importance of equitable access to music for all. He served as a Trustee and later Life Trustee at Merit. We had the privilege of honoring him twice: with the Alice S. Pfaelzer Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts in 2012 and the Lifetime of Service Award in 2018. It’s thanks to Howard that we have a beautiful recital hall where thousands of students have experienced the joy of making music together.

Howard’s passion for Merit and his generosity were beyond compare, and we couldn’t have asked for a more devoted champion than him. His memory is a lasting blessing for Merit. And as the music made by our students rings through the Anne and Howard Gottlieb Hall, we hear his legacy, loud and clear.

This fall, we're thrilled to continue our partnership with Bryn Mawr Community Church to offer music classes in the South Shore community! Join us for beginning violin and cello classes, as well as continuing violin classes. 🎻 Learn more and sign up today at https://hubs.la/Q02R5NYR0.

You're invited! 🎶 Join us at our annual Play On benefit concert for an incredible night of music featuring pianist, vocalist, composer and Merit alum, Alexis Lombre. 🌟 Merit's Honors Jazz Combo and alum Mae Ya Carter Ryan will open the show. Mark your calendars 📅 for 7pm on Wednesday, October 30 at City Winery!

🎟️ Tickets start at just $25, so get yours today at https://hubs.la/Q02R9tVg0! 🎟️ Spread the word and invite your friends & fellow music enthusiasts to join us in removing barriers to high-quality music education for Chicago's youth together. 🎵

Our 2024-25 school year has officially begun! 🎉 In our newest blog post, Dean & Vice President for Educational Affairs Kurtis Gildow gives a sneak peak of all the exciting changes, opportunities, and events to look forward to this year at Merit. Check it out ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q02QFHVp0.

Be sure to tune in Saturday at 11am to hear the Purple Hippopotami! 💜🎶

The Purple Hippopotami and Trioscuro | WFMT We feature two chamber trios, one of flutes and a traditional piano trio, with students from Merit School of Music and the Music Institute of Chicago Academy.

This fall, we're thrilled to share the joy of music with Comunidad de Alegre! This community-based strings program is open to families in Pilsen and the surrounding neighborhoods, with options for kids ages 5-14. Students can learn viola, cello, or bass alongside their peers - perfect for beginners!

Our Comunidad de Alegre program blends the renowned Suzuki method with vibrant music from Latinx cultures and beyond, reflecting the beautiful diversity of Chicago.

Hurry! Beginning violin classes are FULL. Grab your spot in beginning cello, viola, or bass today. Learn more and sign up today at https://hubs.la/Q02PS0Wx0.

¡Este otoño, estamos encantados de compartir la alegría de la música con Comunidad de Alegre! Este programa de cuerdas comunitario está abierto a las familias de Pilsen y los vecindarios circundantes, con opciones para niños de 5 a 14 años. Los estudiantes pueden aprender a tocar el violín, la viola, el violonchelo o el bajo junto con sus compañeros, ¡lo que es ideal para principiantes!

Nuestro programa Comunidad de Alegre combina el reconocido método Suzuki con música vibrante de las culturas latinas y muchas otras, lo cual refleja la maravillosa diversidad de Chicago.

Date prisa, las classes de comienzo de violin, estan llenas, aparte su lugar para las classes de comienzo de violoncello, viola y bajo. Obtenga más información y regístrese hoy en https://hubs.la/Q02PS0Wx0.

We are proud to partner with the Foundation for Hearing and Speech Resources to share the joy and benefits of music education with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. 🎶

Music classes present an opportunity where students can experience great growth; going from shy to confident, lonely to part of a group. The softest-spoken are heard. We see children who were afraid to participate becoming the leader of the song, march, and band! Music class helps kids become creative, confident, life-long learners!

Give the gift of music by enrolling your dhh child in lessons through the MTME Scholarship Program, which offers one year of tuition-free instruction.

Fall enrollment is now open at: https://www.fhsr.org/.../music-classes-instrument.../


Encore Music Academy Merit School of Music Old Town School of Folk Music Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College Music Makers of Western Springs School of Rock Oak Park
School of Rock Glenbrook Glenview Community Church Nursery School (GCCNS) Tiny Toes Music

Hurry! ⏳✨ We still have a few more slots open for this weekend's FREE 🎹 Instrument Exploration 🎻 workshops. Let your music-loving child try out a variety of age-appropriate instruments with the guidance of Merit faculty and current students. Register at the event to save 15% on fall Early Childhood classes and group classes!

Save your spot at https://hubs.la/Q02NVv8Y0. See you there! 👋

📆 Saturday, September 7
🕚 10am (session is full) & 11:30am
📍38 S Peoria St.

There's nothing like an impromptu Merit meetup! 🤩

When strings faculty member Christian Smith was recently invited to play banjo as a guest artist with a student orchestra at Northwestern University, he didn't realize he would be performing alongside a former student. He was happy to catch up with alum Kierson Dee Rickmon, a student he directed in our Encore Orchestra years ago. Kierson studied at Merit for the first 18 years of her life, participating in countless classes and ensembles before she graduated from the Alice S. Pfaelzer Conservatory in 2022. She continues to play cello at Northwestern, where she is majoring in biology and anthropology. We love seeing our alums continue to thrive after their time at Merit! ♥️🎶

Earlier this month, six Merit students joined other young Chicagoland musicians in a side-by-side rehearsal with the National Children's Symphony of Venezuela at Ravinia. Under the baton of the world-renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel, these young artists embarked on a musical journey that bridged continents and cultures. Read all about it in our newest blog post ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q02MMV0z0.

✨ Fall registration is live! 😎

Browse our fall class offerings and register today. Save $55* on group classes and Early Childhood classes when you register by July 31! 🤗

Register now ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q01XYl750

*Restrictions apply