David Hochstein Memorial Music School Inc

Over 45 years, I have watched this school provide finance aided music lessons to thousands of students (average 3500 per year). All who wish to learn, at any age, are welcome to study all instruments, many classical and ethnic dance genres, music therapy, and particiapte in numerous ensembles. There is a tier of four orchestras. The impact on the community is impressive as it is probably the most diverse population of any institiution in this 9 county area.

Both my son and I have taken lessons at Hochstein, and my son was inspired to pursue his music career as a result of his ensemble experiences with a wonderful family of musicians, teachers, students, parents, and enthusiastic audiences. The school warmly supports students' ideas, stays in touch with school alumni, and provides amazing classes as well as professional training experiences in many performing fields. they are notable for their work with community adult students and in music therapy for persons of all different ages and abilities as well as pre-professional opportunities for aspiring young musicians.

Hochstein is a wonderful, caring school which contributes a lot to the inner city of Rochester. Many students benefit from their programs both onsite and intheir schools. Scholarships are very available and certainly help our inner city students. It provides a warm, friendly learning environment! Wonderful school!

I have been on the faculty of this wonderful institution for almost 22 yrs and there is no place better than Hochstein!!

Hochstein provides a great family environment where my musical children have found a home. They have increased their confidence in their musicianship and found supportive mentors who care about them as musicians and people. The whole organization provides quality experiences that supports the growth and development of kids.

Great music school and great teachers…especially great orchestra

I have been a part of the Hochstein"family" for forty years, as a piano student, employee, concert attendee, and volunteer. The school has the feeling of a "home," no "corporate" feel about it, very warm and nurturing. The teachers are excellent and willing to work with students at all levels from beginning to advanced. The mission of Hochstein is also reflected through its tuition assistance program which allows anyone who wishes to study music to enroll regardless of financial status. The building and land that house Hochstein are so interesting - once the site of the Underground Railroad, the Central Presbyterian Church in which the funerals of Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony were held. If there is such a thing as "positive energy," one feels this at Hochstein, a place where the values of freedom, justice, and equality, and love of music and the arts permeate its history.

Supportive and talented instructors. Many opportunities for performances.

The Live from Hochstein performances make a great lunch break!

The love and spirit extended to all who come into contact with Hochstein and it's wonderful faculty and staff is amazing. It is such a warm and welcoming environment that goes beyond the walls of the Plymouth Street building.
Whether you are an accomplished musician or a person eager to learn and be a part of an arts organization, there is a place for you.

Hochstein serves such a critical role in the Rochester community by providing access to quality music and dance education to ALL, regardless of their age, background, or education!

Many happy memories! When I was little, I studied piano, ballet, music theory, music history, and Orff at Hochstein. My siblings did as well, and my mother played the piano for ballet classes and studied singing herself. Hochstein has permanently enriched my life.

I am grandparent of a student of the Hochstein. My granddaughter learned guitar, piano and trombone at the school. She really loved playing in the orchestra. The building is beautiful and the concert halls are really special. The school will never turn away a student due to inability to pay.

I am a parent of a student at Hochstein. The school has been fantastic. Excellent instruction, nurturing environment and great programs up to and including a superb orchestral program. Open to all regardless of ability to pay.

wonderful people and experience for many years as a parent and as a part time accompanist for the student cello recitals.

Hochstein is a great resource for the community! It’s great that they offer access to the arts for everyone at every level. And I really enjoy their concerts!

I was a student of Hochstein for many years as a child and teenager - taking private instrument lessons, participating in their youth orchestra, and a variety of smaller ensembles (instrumental, vocal, and dance) throughout my youth. Now, my husband I are bringing our daughter for the Music FUNdamentals program so we can share our love of music - and Hochstein - with her!!

I have taken banjo lessons and other classes at the Hochstein School and I love to drop in for the occasional concert, both free ones and ticketed ones. It is the greatest place and they do so much in the community too. The concert hall is so incredibly awesome, it has great sound and is so inviting. Musicians sound better on that stage than anywhere else in Rochester

We enrolled our daughter in their infant music FUNdamentals class. She loves the music, instruments and is encouraged to enjoy the class anyway she wants to.

Hochstein is a marvelous school offering music and dance for all ages!

Hochstein is a fantastic part of our community. I've had family members and friends teach and take lessons there, and I've attended many performances in their wonderful facilities. The outreach they do to the underserved parts of our community are critical to spreading music and arts.

Hochstein is a remarkable place for people of all ages and economic status to learn music and dance. It has the widest range of opportunities from individual instruction to large orchestras and choirs. The instructors are very dedicated to their students, and the quality of the instructors is routinely cited as the main strength of Hochstein. In addition, Hochstein is very involved in the community with many educational and governmental partners, to make music education available to under served people in the Rochester area. I am very proud to have been associated with Hochstein for many years.

Hochstein is a pillar in the Rochester community and provides the love of music to all that are associated!

I have volunteered at and donated to Hochstein for the past 11 years. There is a focus and dedication on the students. Sometimes they teach a student a new skill, sometimes they change lives. It might be a child being exposed for the first time or a senior with Alzheimer's coming back out of their shell. The mission of providing high level of instruction without regard to financial means is unique and uniquely needed in our city.

Since its founding, the School has been committed to providing access to its excellent programs; tuition assistance awards averaging $280,000 annually permit all to participate, regardless of their means. Each year, thousands of audience members attend concerts and recitals in the School’s Performance Hall, the hall that witnessed historic events including the funeral service of Frederick Douglass and the memorial service of Susan B. Anthony.
Over 100 experienced and accomplished professional arts educators/performers serve on the Hochstein faculty, supported by a team of 22 administrative staff (12 full-time, 10 part-time) - all committed to ensuring that this extraordinary organization realizes its goal of transforming lives through the arts.
A hallmark of the School is to provide both excellence and access to a wide variety of arts experiences – for students from 6 months to 90+.
● Individual lessons are offered to students from all orchestral instruments, piano, voice, and guitar.
● Music FUNdamentals classes offer joyful learning experiences in music and movement for young children.
● The Dance Program has exceptional offerings in Ballet as well as opportunities to learn Modern, Tap, African, Latin-Caribbean, and Spanish-Flamenco styles.
● The Ensemble Program, drawing from the rich history of the Hochstein String Quartet in the 1920s, has grown into the comprehensive program in existence today: five orchestras, three wind symphonies/bands, three choral ensembles, jazz combos, rock bands, and myriad chamber and instrument-specific ensembles. These ensembles have attracted students from a multi-county region across western New York.
● Workshops for learning and making music with various folk instruments such as ukulele, banjo, bagpipes, and harmonica, as well as an array of summer camps are offered each year.
● Myriad individual and group performance opportunities are available for students of all ages in the School’s excellent performance facilities as well as in the community.
● In addition, Hochstein’s Expressive Arts program: Music, Art, and Dance Therapy provides individual and group offerings to address physical, emotional, cognitive, communication, and social needs for children, youth, adults, and seniors with disabilities. Through partnerships with over 25 agencies across the community, the Expressive Arts program serves over 1,400 people each year.
● Hochstein’s singers, musicians, and ensembles are strongly represented in local, regional, and state-wide festivals and competitions, such as Area- and Conference All-State.
● The Hochstein School was the first non-degree-granting institution to be granted accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music and has maintained accredited status continuously ever since.
● The musicians of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra chose Hochstein as the recipient of their Outstanding Music Educator Award in 2020 in the category of Special Award, in honor of the School's centennial, recognizing Hochstein for its extensive contributions and long-term impact on the field of music education.

I had played violin for 9 years when I was younger, but hadn't really played for over 26 years. I decided I wanted to try lessons again to get myself back playing - it was hard to do on my own. So I called the Hochstein school and they matched me up with an amazing teacher who got me back playing - she was really able to help me get back to playing close to the level I had previously been at in less than a year. It's been an amazing experience. I was also able to join an adult chamber orchestra and have been playing with a group again.
I also love the fact that Hochstein provides scholarships for those who cannot afford it to help all kinds of people access music education. Plus being able to attend some amazing free concerts, including by the amazing faculty makes this school an asset to the community. I would highly recommend them to anyone both for their own education, and for a place that makes music and art accessible.

We signed my 14 month old daughter up for Music Fundamentals over the summer (8 week class) and she/I thoroughly enjoyed it! Barb was an amazing instructor that really has a gift for teaching children and helping them to understand music in their own way. We highly recommend Hochstein and can’t sing their praises enough!

The Hochstein School is an anchor in downtown Rochester, NY. As Hochstein approaches its Centennial in 2020, now is a good time to reflect on the incredible value the school has given to the city for almost 100 years. Hochstein serves the most diverse and vibrant community of students imaginable. From the 6-month-old babies swaying to music with their parents; to the city YMCA pre-schoolers coming for classes every week and joyfully performing for their parents at the end of the year; to the Expressive Arts students, for whom Music, Dance and Art may be their only way to transcend disabilities; to multiple orchestras and chamber groups filled with students who may dream about careers in music, or just enjoy performing; to dancers moving to ballet, hip-hop, and everything in between; to seniors who want to learn to make music in a welcoming environment - Hochstein truly has something for everyone. And over half of these diverse students receive financial help made possible by donors.

When I think of Hochstein, the image that immediately comes to mind are smiles. Because Hochstein opens their doors to everyone, regardless of ability to pay, it is the great equalizer for the Rochester Community. I can’t think of a more worthy organization to support with my time and dollars.

At the School one day I was supervising the removal of some carpet. One of the employees of the firm doing the work casually expressed an interest in the School and what was type of music talent he needed to demonstrate to enroll. I told him his interest was all that was necessary and told him to make an appointment with someone on the staff who could discuss his options. The only prerequisite for attendance was a desire to learn. Lessons would be at an appropriate level for the individual.
I have served on the Board of Trustees for more than 15 years and it has been my favorite board experience.

Pride and joy in supporting Hochstein over the past 40 years! Please join me in the experience.

I've been involved in supporting Hochstein School for 37 years, as a donor, a volunteer board member, and a parent. One of my sons studied violin and guitar lessons at Hochstein, the other performed in the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra. They're both grown now, and they both still play their instruments. But Hochstein is NOT just a place that offers music or dance lessons to all regardless of their ability to pay; it offers a diverse, creative community within the broader Rochester community in which people of all ages and circumstances, sharing little in common but a love for music and dance, become more accomplished musicians and dancers-- together. Hochstein students don't just interact with their teachers in a quiet studio, they make music and create dance with other students and teachers, in ensembles of all kinds. They perform all over the Rochester community for the pleasure of others. In this vibrant, creative school community, people come to know and appreciate the talents of other students that they wouldn't otherwise be likely to meet, and this helps create a stronger and better community of Rochester. Music matters a lot to most of us, but Hochstein knows that the act of "making music" can matter even more in the life of the individual. Hochstein students (over 3,000 of them a year) are enriching their own lives in coming here, but they're also enriching the life of our community through what they accomplish here. All to say, to support the Hochstein School is to nurture human creativity, deepen understanding and appreciation between people, and in so doing, strengthen the social fabric of our community.

We first learned of the programs at Hochstein when we were invited to attend the annual gala event. We were so impressed by the student performances that we quickly realized we needed to get our youngest daughter involved in the Little Singers program. Already a piano player and a child who regularly communicates through song, she loves practicing with Ms. Adams each Saturday. So impressed were her grandparents that Hochstein classes have become an annual birthday gift . She is also excited to start her first Ukulele class this Fall. Hochstein is a wonderful asset to our community. We are fortunate to be a part of it!