Our History
The Past
In 1979, four Independence, MO music teachers saw a need to come together in order to offer additional benefits such as Music Theory and inter-studio activities to their students. Their initial idea grew steadily and six years later the Independence School District offered an unused elementary school for sale and the dream took flight.
In spite of early growing pains, Music/Arts continued to thrive and expanded its roster of instructors to include brass, winds, percussion, piano and classical guitar.
The outstanding reputation of its founders spread to the entire faculty, and Music/Arts Institute began to be recognized as a positive force in the lives of young musicians throughout the Kansas City Metro Area.
Ensemble offerings such as Children’s Choir and Ethnic Drum Ensemble solidified the already high perception of the quality of instruction offered, and the Institute took its place as the premier training facility for young musicians.
The Present
Celebrating three decades, MAI provides instruction to students from several states who travel weekly to study the classical curriculum MAI students are recognized as some of the outstanding students in the region and are regularly recruited by prestigious schools of music. Alumni now fill the ranks of opera companies, orchestras and bands throughout the United States and Europe.
Music/Arts Institute continues to guide performers, young and old alike, toward careers in music, and strives to develop the next generation of patrons of the arts. While we stress excellence in musical performance, we also don’t lose sight of the fact that many students will not make music a part of their career. To that end, we nurture a love of the arts and a broad sense of the beauty that is present in all things.
The Future
Our outstanding faculty fosters many skills in our students: self-discipline, inquisitiveness, a desire to improve, and the tools necessary to think critically and make informed decisions. We believe that all of these can be addressed through the advanced study of music and that music is unique in its ability to develop these traits necessary to success in life.
As programs such as visual arts and Music Theory take shape, Music/Arts will remain at the forefront of arts education and a vibrant organization that create “whole persons.”
But in order to do this, we continue to need your support!
Please look through this site and consider supporting the continued success of MAI through a generous donation.