Exterior of the Cleveland Institute of Music.
“When the pandemic struck last spring … the Cleveland Institute of Music was in the midst of transformation, overhauling itself leading up to and beyond its 100th anniversary,” writes Zachary Lewis in Thursday’s (4/22) Plain Dealer (Cleveland). “These days, though, it’s also a very different place than it used be…. The most prominent difference … is the new residence building, completed last year … with lounges, rehearsal rooms, and high-tech practice studios…. Early in CIM president and chief executive Paul Hogle’s tenure, CIM sought and achieved accreditation, a difficult process…. Hogle … aims to better equip students for the real world…. CIM students already or will soon have access to training in related areas of finance, law, marketing, psychology and management, all in addition to private lessons, ensembles, and other musical courses.… CIM has whittled down the student body by over 115, to about 325…. This smaller student body allows the school to offer more financial aid…. Another critical path to distinction entails boosting diversity…. Black and Latinx students now comprise 15 percent of the student body, Hogle said…. Next on the agenda: increasing diversity among the faculty and in the music they teach and perform.”
