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Kaufman Music Center/Special Music School

The Foundation supports the Special Music School (SMS), which was founded in 1996 as a unique partnership between Kaufman Music Center and the New York City Department of Education. The addition of a High School program in 2013 made SMS the first and only K-12 public school in the nation to offer pre-professional, performance-focused music studies and rigorous state/national standards aligned academic curriculum – all during the school day.

The curriculum at SMSHS emphasizes the development of the 21st-century musician, updating the traditional model of classical music education to prepare students for the multifaceted and diverse opportunities available to musicians today.

Learn more by visiting the Kaufman Music Center website.

Young musicians performing a classical piece at a concert, featuring strings and piano in a formal setting.
Group of five young musicians, smiling, holding a violin and trumpet in a bright, modern setting.
Graduating students in caps and gowns perform music on stage with saxophone, keyboard, guitar, and drums.
A jazz performance featuring a vocalist and band members with diverse instruments on stage in a concert hall.

A Spring in Your Step

Performers with a violin and double bass celebrate after a live musical performance in a glass-fronted venue, with an audience visible in the background.

Throughout the month of April, Kaufman Music Center’s truly innovative “Musical Storefronts” brings live music back to the streets of NYC. Pop-up concerts taking place in vacant retail spaces on the Upper West Side feature more than 100 of the city’s finest performers. There are soloists, duets and trios, opera singers, classical and chamber music players and Broadway stars. Musical Storefronts provides work to artists severely impacted by the cancellation of live performances in a format that takes into account all necessary health and safety measures for both artists and audiences. To limit crowd size and ensure social distancing, artists and programs will be announced at the storefront on the day of performances.

Learn more about Kaufman Music Center’s “Musical Storefronts.”