Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at BKCM
BKCM’s goal is to expand the scope of our diversity, equity and inclusion practices organization-wide. BKCM strives to be as fair, equitable, accessible, welcoming and inclusive as possible. Our DEI work is strengthened when all voices in our community are heard and involved in shaping our shared future.
Whether it pertains to BKCM’s leadership, Board of Trustees, marketing, curriculum or individual program cultures and broader institutional culture, we approach this work with a great deal of intentionality. We understand that our process impacts every facet of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and helps to grow our collective understanding, challenge our assumptions and foster cultural evolution across our organization.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any thoughts or questions that you’d like to share.
Uton Onyejekwe
Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Our Programs in Action
90+
Outreach sites citywide
6,000
Students receiving music ed and music therapy at little or no cost
$715,000
in direct and indirect financial aid
$10-15
per hour cost of rehearsal time at BKCM
MUSIC PARTNERS
Established in 1988 to address the critical need for music education in NYC public schools, BKCM’s Music Partners program today brings weekly, intensive music education to more than 3,500 students across New York City through outreach partnerships at 36 schools, youth centers and senior centers – at little or no cost to students.
MUSIC THERAPY
BKCM is New York City’s largest provider of music therapy, an evidence-based clinical discipline where music is used to effect positive change and foster creative expression for people of all ages and abilities. Today, our music therapists work at more than 50 sites across the five boroughs, connecting 3,184 people with the power of music therapy.
THE STUDIO COLLECTIVE
Through the BKCM Studio Collective, our affordable rehearsal space rental program, more than 3,900 musicians and artists are able to rehearse at BKCM at deeply discounted rates of $10-15/hour. Our goal is to address the lack of affordable rehearsal space and make NYC more livable for emerging & professional musicians.
Individual Stories, Citywide Impact
Homelessness is especially hard on children. Making music helps.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
A recent Sunday New York Times article provides an in-depth look at our music therapists’ work with children at a shelter in Brooklyn – one of over 50 community-based organizations we partner with to provide music therapy across New York City. Read the full article.
At a Queens school, migrant kids gain melodies, and respite from traumas.
THE GOTHAMIST / WNYC
This radio segment and article explores BKCM’s partnership with I.S. 235 Academy for New Americans in Queens, where students who have recently come to NYC as refugees and migrants take guitar and percussion classes with our Music Partners teaching artists. Read or listen here.
Brooklyn Conservatory Announces Winners of Jazz Leaders Fellowships
BK READER
BKCM’s Jazz Leaders Fellowship connects Black women and Black non-binary jazz musicians with resources to further develop their craft and pursue projects that advance their careers, including a $12,500 unrestricted grant. This article celebrates the 2024-25 grant recipients. Read the full article.
Biannual Community Survey
In 2024, our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee completed its third biannual DEI Survey. This was our most extensive survey to date, capturing demographic information of our onsite students and clients as well as those at our 80+ offsite programs for the first time. As a result, this survey provided us with our first complete snapshot of BKCM’s student/client population citywide. To learn more about the many communities and neighborhoods that take part in our programs, scroll through the results to your right, or click the button below to read the report in full.
Cultural Events
Indian dance arts educator Aeilushi Mistry leads a bonfire ceremony at our annual Holi Celebration. This celebration of the start of spring involves playing with colored powders (gulal) and setting bonfires (Holika Dahan), live music and storytelling performances, as well as the traditional Hindu artmaking of Rangoli.
In February, we celebrated the Year of the Horse! Families from all backgrounds joined BKCM for our annual Lunar New Year Celebration, an afternoon of traditional and contemporary music, a performance of the lion dance, crafts and calligraphy.
Attendees jam alongside Music Therapy faculty at our first Inside Music Therapy event, which focused on educating our community about the clinical practice of Music Therapy.
Our newest cohort of JLF Fellows! The privately funded Jazz Leaders Fellowship provides Black women and Black non-binary jazz musicians with resources to further develop their craft and pursue projects that advance their careers.
At Harmonies Across Borders, Carnival performers helped us celebrate World Refugee Day with music from the rich cultural traditions that make up Brooklyn’s tapestry.
Our panel of culture makers at Resonance and Resilience, a discussion and audience Q&A exploring the intersection of art, activism, and resilience in today’s shifting cultural and political landscape.