Dear BSM Families,
Welcome to the Fall 2020 semester! Thank you for joining us; we are so excited that you are part of our community.
I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Executive Director of the Bloomingdale School of Music. Being a lifelong artist myself, I can easily relate to the anticipation of starting lessons with a new teacher or the excitement of delving into new and interesting musical concepts for the year. Having spent my professional career in Arts Education, I know firsthand what an impact music can make in the lives of young people and adults alike. I’m excited to continue Bloomingdale’s mission of expanding access to music education, regardless of background, to the immediate community and beyond. Living in the BSM neighborhood for many years and now having a hand in working and serving the community in my own backyard is an added joy.
In this time of great change, not only for the BSM community, but for our city, our nation, and our world, our primary focus continues to be the musical development of our students. I can also already clearly see in my short time here that our staff and faculty have a deep commitment to being a source of support, consistency, learning, and delight for you – our students and families. For those of you who are returning, thank you for going on the journey with us this past year. We are so excited you have joined us for what’s shaping up to be a special year. If you are new, like me, welcome! We look forward to becoming a part of your lives.
This year may be beginning very differently from the past, but we see this as an opportunity for us to support each other by staying connected and inviting others into the BSM circle. Remote learning provides so many exciting opportunities to share your love of music with loved ones: Invite grandparents to join you for a lesson, attend one of our free virtual faculty concerts and share the experience by inviting an out-of-town friend to Zoom in, or let someone know if you see a class you know they’d love taking. At this moment, our connections are so key, even in this socially distanced world. We remain committed to being a reason to gather, connect, and share the joy of music.
Have a wonderful semester, and I look forward to getting to know so many of you in the weeks and months to come.
Best,
Erika Atkins
Executive Director