Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School, originally formed as the Conservatory Preparatory Department, was established in 1976 to offer Dalcroze music classes and music lessons for younger children. Today, offerings include dance classes and a dance company, visual art classes, theatre classes, both vocal and instrumental ensembles, private lessons in music and voice as well as professional development classes for music educators.

With the acquisition of Olmsted Performing Arts in January 2019, and the desire to expand and diversify its arts education programming for the larger community, Baldwin Wallace University welcomed those families seeking to continue their arts education. At that time, the Community Music School became the Community Arts School and embraced new faculty, new families, and expanded into a new off-campus satellite location at Helwig Whistle Stop.

The Community Arts School’s team of leadership and staff is comprised of many faculty and administrators from Baldwin Wallace. Their collective expertise and experience in arts education promise to provide an extraordinary program that serves community members of all ages. Expanded programs include dance, visual arts, and a children’s theatre program. This growth allows for the Community Arts School to serve over 4,000 households in the Northeast Ohio area.

The Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music has a long history of bringing school-age and adult learners to campus during the summer for focused music study through workshops, camps, and college prep training programs. This relationship enables conservatory students to work side-by-side with our faculty and staff in classes, ensembles, and in our administrative offices, giving the college students valuable work experience before graduation.

Our music programs are not just for younger students. Adults can enroll in our professional development workshops for certification, or in the renowned LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework, a body-based method of vocal pedagogy. LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework provides information about vocal teaching and research for teachers and speech pathologists, and attracts more than 400 educators and professionals from around the country and the globe.