This $15 million expansion plan will enable the Institute to build a state-of-the-art facility with dedicated dance, acting, band and visual arts studios, two piano labs, four practice rooms and a professional recording studio.

The event featured dynamic performances by Institute students and faculty, a delicious meal and open bar, and a word from our Institute graduates!

We thank our sponsors BCB Bank, McLaughlin and Stern, Perigon Wealth, and especially our long-time partner, Valley Bank for playing a leadership role.

Memorial

Janelle Adrienna Isaacs Scholarship Fund

In memory of Janelle Adrieanna Isaacs, and to honor her life and music, her family has established an annual scholarship in her name to carry on her legacy in caring for children – especially those with special needs – her love of the arts, and particularly her love of The Institute of Music for Children. This Fund will provide about $5,000 of scholarship support annually for Institute students.

Janelle spent 10 years serving children and their families through her profession as a speech-language therapist in the Union County School District, and as a Youth Leader and trusted Teacher at The Institute. Her impact, felt and seen by many, outnumbered her years with us on Earth.

The Janelle Adrianna Isaacs Scholarship Fund will ensure that no child is ever turned away due to financial hardship. Here’s the impact this Scholarship Fund can have each year:

-          Five scholarships for the six-week Summer Arts Institute or

-          Five Afterschool scholarships for emerging young singers (two group classes for 24 weeks) or

-          Six scholarships for private lessons for special needs students

While she rests from a job well done, we will take up the torch she left burning in our hearts, and light many others so that her memory continues to shine. Your gift will help Janelle’s legacy live on in the hearts and creative spirits of countless young people.

Janelle Isaacs Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Harrison Joseph Edwards Memorial

Born and raised in Milton, Massachusetts, Harry graduated magna cum laude from Suffolk University. During his eight-year career at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, he rose from college intern to Senior Analyst on their Marketing Effectiveness team. Through steadfast diligence, a positive and solutions-oriented mindset, and the fortitude to tackle nearly impossible time constraints, Harry earned the trust and high-regard of his colleagues literally across the globe. A highlight of his work that brought the greatest inner-rewards was hearing the stories from people who had benefited from his company’s oncology medications.

He was passionate about music and connecting with friends. He studied saxophone in middle and high school, and with an amazing ear and acumen, taught himself the guitar and keyboard. Harry loved to collaborate with friends (including his cousin, our very own Mr. Fro!), writing, rapping and producing original music. Few things in Harry’s life beat his joyful adventures with friends when attending outdoor festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo.

Harry’s vibrant personality, fast wit & clever humor, fun-loving nature, passion for music, and loyalty to friends and family will never be forgotten. He will be dearly missed.

The Harrison Joseph Edwards Memorial was created to express the passion, creativity, and dedication that Harry gained through his love for music, and offer it our students who might otherwise might not have financial access to the quality music education provided at the Institute of Music for Children.

2019 Donors

Charlotte L. Alger                                            Carolyn I. Klein

Benjamin Auspitz                                            Steven & Megan Laforest

Susanne Blassingille                                        Jessamine Lee

JoAnn Bregnard                                               Elizabeth McQuaid

Robert Edward & Karen Brennan                 Julie & Tony Nuzzo

T.A. Bresnahan                                                 Jaiime Oikle

Nancy & Albert Chisholm                             Maureen Oikle & William B Ryan

Sean Conlan                                                     Andrew Plonskier

Lori Frohwirth                                                 Daniela & Michael Rader

Spencer Frohwirth                                          Edward Russavage

Ellen Goodgold                                               Maureen Rielly Ross

Shelley Goodgold                                           Vanessa Sophir

Gerald Hrycyszn                                             Sandra Steiker

Jeffrey Hsi                                                        Latarsha Stewart

Lisa Joseph                                                      Karen Wolf

Catherine Kilcullen                                        Michael Zdrojewski

Harmony Wall