by Ron Oshima
“Join us on this remarkable journey as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our treasured Community Partnership Programs (CPPs),” invites Linda Edelstein, CEO of Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO). “They exemplify our commitment to become more representative of the community we live in and work in,” she adds. MYSO’s ensemble format for all of its offerings goes beyond teaching music. It fosters development of teamwork, leadership, empathy, and resilience—all essential skills for future success.
MYSO’s CPPs offer music education in a variety of musical genres, from strings to band instruments, jazz, steel pans, and even bucket-drumming. The CPPs seek to include students from the city of Milwaukee, students of color and those who lack access to music education because of financial and other barriers. MYSO provides financial assistance for membership fees, instruments, and private lessons to ensure no student is denied access due to financial challenges.
Progressions, our inaugural CPP launched in 2003, is an intensive string training program for third and fourth graders, serving youth who live, or attend school, in Milwaukee.
Before Progressions, initiatives like the Private Lesson Program (PLP) at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO), also supported by MYSO board members, laid the groundwork for serving underrepresented students. Many students from the PLP who received free music lessons from MSO musicians naturally advanced into MYSO, and a few of them have gone on to significant music careers. The commitment to serving those who lack equitable access predated Progressions, rooted in MYSO’s ethos and community engagement efforts.
Tony Lucas, MYSO’s longest serving volunteer of 30 years, was heavily involved with a pre-PLP initiative long before coming to MYSO. As a volunteer, he spent countless hours ferrying one of the most successful PLP musicians, Tarrah Reynolds, to and from lessons for years. She ultimately became a MYSO Senior Symphony concertmaster, an MSO competition winner, and studied at Juilliard.
The selection of Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood as our new home in 2001 symbolized our commitment to the city of Milwaukee, offering easier access for the population we sought to reach.
Occupied in 2005, the renovated state-of-the-art Milwaukee Youth Arts Center (MYAC) provided optimal rehearsal spaces, enhancing students’ learning experiences. Acoustical design was a top priority. “The musicians could now clearly hear themselves better, whether it was intonation, dynamics, articulations, or hearing their sounds come together, and they learned so much faster,” said Steve Rindt, a former music director. “It made it so much easier and enjoyable to teach the kids in the new space.”
Opportunities to serve communities of color was paramount for MYSO. Partnering with Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and engaging advocates with music backgrounds in the community demonstrated our sincere commitment to accessibility for all.
Fran Richman, former MYSO executive director (1988–2012) said, “we were fortunate to have Ella Washington, an MPS music specialist, on our board when we started all of this. Ella was prominent in the music community, especially through her choral direction at Calvary Baptist Church. She was devoted to Progressions and wanted them held to the same high standards. She played a vital role in holding our feet to the fire.”
Carter Simmons, then director of artistic education, invited Shelby Keith Dixon, Senior Symphony associate conductor, to become the Progressions administrator and help design the initial Progressions program in 2003. Carter said, “Fran guided the organization into forming what would become the Community Partnership Programs, starting with Progressions.” Successive Progressions administrators since 2005 included Stephane Deimer, Jenny Kozoroz, Janet Jensen, and Tiffany Chang, our current Progressions director.
During the first year of Progressions, MYSO recruited students from eight MPS schools. Barry Applewhite, then a MYSO board vice president and MPS music curriculum specialist, was key in identifying those schools and potential student prospects. MYSO’s CPPs now work with nearly 50 schools in the city of Milwaukee, including MPS, charter, and private schools.
Carter, now MYSO’s artistic and music director, added, “so we taught kids who had no musical experience, but a willingness to learn how to play. We provided instruments, we found the right staff, the right community members, and the right teachers who had an affinity and a love for kids, who had some idea of the challenges, and were willing to open their hearts, minds, and skill sets to whoever came in the door.”
Establishing Progressions was foundational to making sure MYSO would serve the community in meaningful ways and create opportunities in its upper-level ensembles as those students advance. Musical instrument proficiency doesn’t happen overnight. It requires time, money for private lessons, access to rehearsal spaces, skilled teachers, and a well-designed program. As Tiffany said, “that’s just how it goes. It’s not instant, right? You plant a seed, and it might take a long time, but it does grow.”
CPP expansion quickly followed. “Cliff Gribble, the jazz instructor at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, came to us and said he would love to start a jazz program in MYSO,” said Fran. So, he did in 2004. Katie Byrd, a percussionist on the administrative staff, was eager to start a steel pan program at MYSO, modeled on her experience at Miami University (Ohio). She told Fran she would take ownership of it and make it fly. Classes started in 2007. “The kids just loved her, and she was wildly popular,” said Fran. Katie also hired Tim Rush, our current steel band director.
In a span of only five years, MYSO’s CPPs, including Progressions, Jazz Studies, String Orchestra Central, and the Calypso steel band, were up and running. These ensembles became focal points for recruiting students of color who could identify with other musical forms. The Latino Arts Strings Program partnership began in 2006. Fast forwarding ahead, MYSO introduced more programs: Prelude Orchestra, to provide a step between Progressions and String Orchestra Central, Soca (a beginning steel band), and most recently, in 2022, Prelude Wind Ensemble (beginning band instruments). Supporting programs, like the MYSO Scholars Program in Waukesha which served Hispanic communities, furthered our commitment to create equitable access to music study.
Looking back on her six years in MYSO’s steel band program, Mariah Olson (‘22) reflected on her biggest takeaway—courage. “I was a completely different person when I first joined MYSO. I was very shy. Playing in a steel band had a really big impact on who I became, even more than school or a lot of other activities.”
Long time volunteer Tony Lucas witnessed the transformative impact of music education firsthand in his work with Progressions families. He said, “MYSO is a good funnel to bring kids from different backgrounds together to pursue musical excellence. And I think they all come out better for it.”
As we celebrate the CPPs’ 20th anniversary, MYSO has made tremendous strides in embracing our community while pursuing excellence in ensemble music education. Reminiscing, Fran wistfully said, “You know, there are a lot of people who have been so important to MYSO, some still alive and some who are spirits looking down upon the organization today, very happy with what it’s become”—a beacon of opportunity and empowerment for young musicians.
Help us fulfill our commitment to bring music opportunities to ALL young musicians by donating today at myso.org.
