The Juilliard School said on Thursday that it has been promised a $5 million gift that will go a long way toward guaranteeing the survival of music lessons for poor minority school children. The money comes courtesy of a former journalist turned venture capitalist, Michael Moritz, and his wife Harriet Heyman, a writer.
Juilliard said it needed $7 million to fully endow its Music Advancement Program. The course provides 65 students between 8 and 14 with ear training, instrument lessons and theory classes on Saturdays, at low cost. The conservatory was poised to suspend the program in 2009, citing budget cuts and difficulty raising money for operations. News reports at the time about threats to the program prompted an initial round of contributions that kept it alive.
