Music Settlement Opening Campus in Ohio City

When the Bop Stop was donated to the Music Settlement in 2014, the longtime arts education center gained a jazz performance venue and a presence on Cleveland’s West Side.

That was also the inspiration for a greater expansion on the West Side, according to Music Settlement President Geri Presti.

A new campus opens in August just down the street from the Bop Stop at the corner of W. 25 ^th Street and Detroit Avenue.

The Music Settlement has long been at home on the East Side in University Circle, sharing arts education with the community since 1912. The new space in Ohio City will provide similar programming as the University Circle campus, which includes preschool and other early-childhood offerings, music therapy and music instruction.

“We serve all ages from 3 weeks old to people in their 90s,” Presti said.

There will also be financial aid available for programs, and Presti said she wants to work with nearby Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) locations.

“We would really like to give opportunities to those children and students in CMHA properties, as well as the elderly,” she said.  

Located on the first floor of a mixed-use development with four floors of apartments, the Music Settlement owns its facility, which is around 19,000 square feet.

The new campus includes classrooms, a playground, music therapy studios, a dance studio, ensemble rooms, a multi-purpose room and administrative space.

The early-childhood school opens August 16 and music therapy and lessons begin in September.