[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 92 (Monday, June 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1054-E1055]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE NEIGHBORHOOD MUSIC SCHOOL AS THEY CELEBRATE THEIR 
                         CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2012

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today to 
join the many who have gathered in celebration of the 100th anniversary 
of the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, Connecticut. This is a 
remarkable milestone for this wonderful institution of learning.

[[Page E1055]]

  The Neighborhood Music School is not your ordinary school. Its 3,000 
students hail from communities across Connecticut and range from 6 
months to over 80 years of age. The Neighborhood Music School offers a 
myriad of programs in music and dance that are open to children and 
adults regardless of age, economic status, or experience. The arts, in 
all of its many mediums, are both a celebration of culture and 
tradition as well as a means of personal expression. The Neighborhood 
Music School has opened the doors of opportunity to thousands 
throughout its century-long history and has become a beloved community 
treasure.
  The Neighborhood Music School has a particularly interesting history. 
When it first opened in 1911, on Wooster Street in New Haven, it was 
established in conjunction with St. Paul's Church as a settlement house 
and social services organization for local immigrants known as the 
Neighborhood House. However, in its first four years Neighborhood House 
saw such a demand for music programs it was decided that a separate 
entity, the Neighborhood House Music School was created and placed 
under the leadership of its first director, Susan Hart Dyer, a 
violinist and graduate of the Yale School of Music.
  Faculty came from the Yale School of Music and the New Haven Symphony 
Orchestra. The school grew rapidly and even during the most difficult 
economic times of the Great Depression, the demand for the programs 
remained high. In 1945, Neighborhood House Music School officially 
became an independent entity called Neighborhood Music School and 
during the next decade a change in admission policies broadened the 
school's reach and enrollment reached new heights. It was in 1968, 
after a 4-year long building fund campaign, that the Neighborhood Music 
School opened its new home on Audubon Street, in what is now the heart 
of New Haven's thriving arts community.
  Today, in its 30,000 square foot facility, Neighborhood Music School 
is home to thirty-three studios, practice rooms, a recital hall, and a 
library, showcasing the extraordinary talents of thousands of children 
and adults every year. In fact, just a few years ago, eighteen students 
from the Neighborhood Music School participated in the White House 
Community Classroom Music Series program with First Lady Michelle 
Obama. It was an extraordinary opportunity for them and a testament to 
the incredible opportunities this organization provides.
  The Neighborhood Music School is an extraordinary organization--a 
place where anyone can explore their passion for music and dance. I am 
proud to join our community in congratulating them on their 100th 
anniversary and wish them all the best for many more years of success.

                          ____________________