A note from our exec...

As many of you may have heard, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) made the decision to end the Joint Music Program (JMP), a creative and intellectual partnership which had been in place since 1968. This came as an unwelcome surprise to our student body, which was notified of these developments just three weeks before the 26-27 academic year began.

The short notice aside, changes in costs and degree requirements mean that it is becoming more and more unlikely that students from one institution will find themselves in the same classrooms and spaces as students from the other institution. Partaking in shared classes like music theory, eurythmics, and music history was something which we had, before this year, always cherished as simply a part of life as a music student at CWRU. The loss of the JMP and the separation of these classes means that we have lost a meaningful point of connection between our communities.

M.U.S.I.C., along with CIM's Student Government Association (SGA), has historically co-hosted a variety of performance and social events as a way for students from both schools to get to know each other and to bond over their shared passion for music. In light of the changes between CWRU and CIM, we wish to reassure our members that we remain committed, more so than ever, to continuing and strengthening this tradition of collaboration which has brought so many of us together.

However the split has left us with uncertainties: CWRU university-allocated funds are restricted to expenses (venues, staff, food, etc.) which benefit students who have paid into the CWRU Student Activities Fee, which CIM no longer covers for its students. This is not the case for fundraised or donated money, which can be used for events like ours which involve both CWRU and CIM students.

Thus, your donation ensures that we can continue to host these joint events. Together we can continue what the Joint Music Program had once fostered!