Pearl Arts Music Academy to begin transformative mission, bringing music instruction to heart of downtown Fort Wayne
Pearl Arts is proud to announce the official launch of Pearl Arts Music Academy, a place where budding musicians from every Fort Wayne neighborhood can ignite a lifelong passion for music.
Instruction will be offered inside the state-of-the-art Pearl Street Arts Center, located in the eastern third of the old Perfection Bakery site across from The Pearl.
Pearl Arts is the vision of a small group of committed volunteers, including local philanthropists Chuck and Lisa Surack, to create a one-of-a-kind community hub for arts and entrepreneurship.
Applications are now open for prospective students and instructors, with private music lessons scheduled to begin September 16. Students young and old will find opportunities for both personalized and group instruction, choosing from a wide range of musical disciplines. Initial lesson offerings will focus on orchestral instruments, including piano, harp, percussion, violin, trumpet, and more. Scholarship and work study programs will be available for qualifying students.
The Music Academy includes 16 individual music lesson rooms, each equipped with professional-grade acoustic paneling, digital upright pianos, and a high-tech system to allow parents a viewport into their child’s lesson room.
Two large classrooms are also available. Group classes are set to begin the week of September 30 with a full slate of exciting options, including rhythm workshops, ukulele basics, music for children with disabilities, lessons on healing grief through music, and much more. Each class is age appropriate, with class options ranging from fun for four-year-old to activities for adults. Thanks to the generosity of the Surack Family Foundation, as well as other donors, these classes will be offered to the community for no charge this first season.
“My desire is to provide unfettered access to transformational arts, education, and management experiences,” said Surack. “The benefits will most certainly be life changing. We’re also excited to partner alongside many local organizations to help achieve this vision, including Fort Wayne Community Schools.”
Director of Education Scott Humphries will help lead the academy. In addition to a doctoral study in community music, he brings decades of experience in middle school and high school band directing, collegiate education, and conducting. He’s served as the principal conductor for the Fort Wayne Area Community Band since 2011. Humphries is excited to begin this new chapter at the Pearl Arts Music Academy.
“I am thrilled to be part of the foundational team for a project that will impact so many lives within the Fort Wayne community,” he said. “I grew up surrounded by music, but it was my high school band director who inspired me to make my passion my career. My hope for the academy is to similarly inspire students to strive to reach their full potential.”
Humphries said studies have shown music education improves abstract reasoning, attentiveness, and creativity. Students also often see improvement in listening and memory skills as well as coordination, motor skills, self-discipline, and self-esteem.
“Most importantly, it brings people together,” said Humphries. “By making music education so readily accessible, I can only imagine the transformative effect Pearl Arts might have on the Fort Wayne community.”
In addition to the Music Academy, the Pearl Street Arts Center will also house meeting space, public and performer amenities, and a 400-seat performance auditorium with the most high-powered acoustics system in the state.
The Pearl Street Arts Center will begin hosting performances on October 18-19, commencing with the Fort Wayne Ballet’s presentation of Don Quixote. The Pearl Street Arts Center will serve as a temporary performance space for the ballet throughout their 2024-2025 season as the Arts United Center undergoes renovations.
The Pearl Street Arts Center will host an invite-only grand opening ceremony featuring the Hip Hop Orchestra Experience on October 23. To conclude the grand opening week, Pearl Arts will host an open house from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on October 26. Count Basie Orchestra will perform a free, ticketed concert that same evening. The public is welcome to attend but should secure their free tickets early to guarantee a seat. More information about opening-week events, and many others, will be made available in the coming weeks.
For more information on Pearl Arts or the Pearl Arts Music Academy, visit PearlArts.org.
About Surack Family Foundation
Chuck and his wife Lisa have a passion for partnering with organizations to help develop confident and resilient young people, advocating for those with mental illness, investing in the community they call home, and supporting local music and arts programs. It was this passion that led them to start the Surack Family Foundation so they could make a greater impact in Northeast Indiana.