Third Street Music School Settlement provides high-quality music and dance education through on-site, public school and community programs, as well as an arts-infused preschool, to New Yorkers of all ages, regardless of background, artistic ability or economic circumstance. Third Street's programs are taught by exceptional faculty in an environment that nurtures individual achievement and creativity, affording students the opportunity to reach their full artistic potential while developing a life-long love of the arts.

Third Street’s vision is a city where all people can access high-quality music and dance education r

Source: Nonprofit submitted responses

Goal One: Elevate our commitment to Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JEDI) to ensure our community is welcoming, supportive, and nurturing for students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds.

Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).

Goal Two: Transform the Third Street Partners program to amplify our impact in public schools, public housing, and community centers. Maximize the number of students and communities served.

Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.

Goal Three: Expand our ensemble programs, including through fully incorporating the InterSchool Orchestras of NY.

Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.

Describe an investment in leadership

At Third Street investing in leadership development for our faculty and staff is crucial. Last year we supported the tuition of a course for a Third Street Preschool teacher—Crystal Bock—as she pursues a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education at Hunter College. Hunter College’s Early Childhood Education program prepares future graduates to create caring, enriching educational experiences for children from birth to age eight. By investing in Ms. Bock, who is an integral part of Third Street Preschool, we will support the continuous development of Third Street’s exceptional music and arts instruction, which enriches the lives of thousands of children each year. In addition, Hunter College’s educational philosophy aligns with Third Street Preschool’s approach, sharing the core belief that all children, regardless of their ability, culture, or socioeconomic background, have the inherent capacity to learn in environments that foster creative thinking.

This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:

• Strategic Partnerships

• Raising Awareness

• Community Building

What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?

We partner with arts and education organizations throughout New York City to increase access to arts education for all New Yorkers. We collaborate with a wide range of other organizations, from public schools to fellow arts education organizations to other community-based organization such as University Settlement. We engage in continuous and intentional outreach through partner organizations and through our own marketing materials, distributed in multiple languages, to ensure that we reach community members and connect people with arts education.

When Third Street closed its doors on March 13, 2020, we rapidly transitioned to remote instruction and embarked on an unexpected, difficult, and yet highly promising journey into 21st-century music-making. While prioritizing safe in-person education for our preschool students, we shifted all other instruction to virtual platforms. We quickly pivoted to providing virtual instruction for our students, developed new classes and events to foster engagement and community, and ensured that under-resourced students could continue to access arts education during this challenging time. We provided financial aid to more students than ever before to meet a growing need, and expanded our partnership with public schools and community centers to reach more students who would otherwise be unable to access arts education. Through the power of virtual learning, we looked beyond our existing classes to keep our community connected through free performances, concerts, and community events. A new partnership with PBS/WNET and the New York City Department of Education even allowed us to create public television content that supplemented remote and blended learning for tens of thousands of New York City students. While the pandemic challenged us in unprecedented ways over the past year and a half, the commitment of our students and community empowered us to embrace technology and innovate new ways to bring music and dance to our community. We strengthened our commitment to equitable access to arts education and expanded our programs to reach more students than ever before.