Music is the birthright of all people – BMS brings the highest quality musical instruction to a wide range of students
Mission & History
Our Mission
To make it possible for everyone, regardless of their background and resources, to be able to experience the joy of music and the artistic and intellectual benefits of musical performance.
Brooklyn Music School views music and performance as the birthright of all people—an essential way human beings connect with each other and explore their creativity. The study of music enhances academic learning and helps develop healthy habits and confidence that will serve students throughout their lives.
Our Vision
As part of our vision of reinventing the community music school for the 21st Century, BMS is dedicated to:
Making high quality performing arts instruction approachable and affordable to a wide range of students
Creating frequent performance opportunities for our students and cultural enrichment for our community
Representing a wide range of musical and cultural traditions that represent Brooklyn's diverse musical talent
Offering a warm and welcoming space for families and individuals to explore new talents and make lasting friendships
We provide access to the performing arts regardless of income, age, previous experience, or professional aspirations. Through this, we seek to help those whose artistic voices are least often heard.
Our History and Culture
Brooklyn Music School (BMS) is a community school for the performing arts, founded in 1910 as the Brooklyn Music School Settlement. The school was founded on the principal that performance and appreciation was an essential part of life, and who wished to spread music and performance to a broader audience of new Americans. Today, Brooklyn is a magnet for people from around the world, both musicians seeking new audiences and families seeking a better life. The organization continues to stay true to its heritage of building communities through the joy and appreciation of music. BMS owns and operates a historic four-story building in the Fort Greene neighborhood that contains twenty-four classrooms, three dance studios, and a professional 266-seat Spanish-style theatre founded in 1926. Brooklyn Music School is a long-standing member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts. In recent years, Fort Greene has become recognized as a cultural hub of Brooklyn and the home to some of the most innovative music and performances in New York City.
For some of our students, our programming provides the only exposure to music education that they will receive. For others, BMS serves as a launch pad to professional careers in music and performance, and many of our alumni have gone on to attend some of the most competitive conservatories in America and abroad.
Renowned mezzo soprano Risë Stevens began her career BMS and the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse was also the home of the Little Theatre Opera company in the 1920’s.
