Prep Programs

Two girls play clarinets with the CCM Youth Wind Ensemble

CCM Prep offers a wide variety of programs in music, dance and theatre arts for people of all ages and abilities — including classes for adults, young children, teens and pre-professional students preparing for a future in the performing arts.

At both CCM’s Uptown Campus and through select partnerships across Greater Cincinnati, we provide excellent, enjoyable and accessible arts opportunities that educate and inspire the whole student and serve as a catalyst for transforming and empowering our communities.

Visit CCM Prep's online registration website for a complete list of class offerings.

Browse CCM Prep's program offerings to find the perfect arts opportunities for you and your family, from early childhood through adult. 

If you have any questions please feel free to call the CCM Prep office at 513-556-2595 or email ccmprep@uc.edu.

CCM Prep in the Community

The University of Cincinnati’s Next Lives Here strategic direction informs how CCM Prep connects with our community. With a strong emphasis on the CPS Strong Pathway, CCM Prep is working with the Cincinnati Public Schools’ Arts Curriculum office to support students in their schools and neighborhoods.

Music participation and education have immense potential for building a stronger community. They teach crucial life skills such as perseverance, self-efficacy, responsibility, accountability, attention to detail and communication: all skills that are transferable to any other school subject or profession. All students deserve the opportunity to develop their creative interests and develop essential skills.

CCM Prep is grateful to our generous supporters: ArtsWave, Ingalls Foundation, The Louise Taft Semple Foundation and Preston Brown Foundation.


CCM/CPS Summer Jazz Academy

The CCM/CPS Summer Jazz Academy was the first collaborative effort between CCM Prep and CP-. The Jazz Academy offers an outstanding experience to study jazz performance with professional musicians and other students in a friendly and encouraging environment. The week long experience provides daily classes including jazz ensembles, jazz history, jazz theory, jazz improvisation as well as jazz arranging and college audition preparation for high school students. The faculty boasts leading jazz performers and jazz educators from CCM, CPS and the Greater Cincinnati region. The week concludes with a performance by all student groups. The program is offered free of charge to CPS students and for a highly discounted tuition for regional students.


CCM Prep/CPS Strings Partnership

The relationship between CCM Prep and CPS developed because of the success of the CCM/CPS Jazz Academy. Because of this, CCM Prep was approached by Cincinnati Public Schools to facilitate a new kind of music partnership at Hays-Porter Elementary. District leaders saw the potential for students to thrive, both academically and socially/emotionally, through learning to play music in an ensemble. Isidore Rudnick, CPS Arts Curriculum Manager, saw the potential for an instrumental music program focused on strings at Hays-Porter. This program is the first of its kind at Hays-Porter Elementary. In the initial year, all third-grade students received group lessons in their music classes.

This project provides professional instrumental music teaching artists and much-needed institutional resources to CPS and Hays-Porter Elementary and works alongside CPS Strong’s mission of making high-quality and meaningful academic and extra-curricular experiences possible.

The success of the first year led to expansion of the program to all Hays-Porter fourth graders and the addition of Woodford Academy fifth and sixth graders in the 2023-24 school year.


CCM Prep Dance and Theatre Arts Partnership

With the success of the CCM/CPS Strings partnerships, CCM Prep envisioned a new expanded direction for school partnership that would bring access to dance and theatre arts education to school communities. Again, collaborating with Cincinnati Public Schools with support from the Preston Brown Foundation, students at Roll Hill School and College Hill Fundamental Academy have weekly after-school experiences with professional teaching artists in dance and musical theatre. The focus of the programming includes introducing these performing arts experiences as a powerful outlet, able to change the trajectory of the students’ lives and build self-esteem through creative expression.


CPS Strong

Our city is only as strong as our public school system. CPS Strong is working to establish an institution-wide model to engage and empower Cincinnati Public School students. By aligning programs and services to ensure readiness, create access and foster success, we can achieve educational transformation and positively impact the future of our university and our city. Learn more about CPS Strong.


Lives United/Vidas Unidas: Music, Arts and Community

Lives United/Vidas Unidas (LU/VU) is a community music and arts initiative that provides cost-free programming to enhance the vibrancy of Mt. Auburn and its surrounding neighborhoods, connect underserved populations to enriching arts opportunities, and provide an excellent performance venue for young musicians in Cincinnati.

LU/VU is headquartered at Church of Our Saviour / La Iglesia de Nuestro Salvador, 65 East Hollister Street, where it serves people from all walks of life, but especially the Hispanic community. In addition to the church community, LU/VU engages in active partnership with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Prep Division, and regularly collaborates with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Nouveau program, Cincinnati Public Schools Jazz Academy, and William Howard Taft Elementary School.

The organization’s core programming includes weekly Community Piano Lessons held on Sundays at the church and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Taft Elementary School. A Concert Series featuring local musicians and ensembles. occurs roughly once a month. The organization also provides free reservations of the performance space at the church to any local musicians or artists who would like to use it.

For more information, please contact Anne Cushing-Reid at CCM or the LU/VU Program Director at Church of Our Saviour/La Iglesia de Nuestro Salvador.


ArtsWave

ArtsWave, a nonprofit serving the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Region, is the engine for the arts. Strong funding for the arts has allowed Cincinnati’s arts and culture scene to become a national draw and regional asset, creating a wave of economic and community benefits. Each year, ArtsWave supports the work of over 150 arts organizations, school outreach programs, festivals, community centers, neighborhoods, and various collaborations through impact-based grants. You can support efforts like these by making a gift to ArtsWave at artswave.org/give.


CCM Prep is proud to be fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Association of Schools of Theatre and the National Association of the Schools of Dance

We are a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education, the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, the Greater Cincinnati Alliance for Arts Education, the Cincinnati Music & Wellness Coalition, and the Suzuki Association of America. CCM Prep is a founding member of the Music Development Program.

CCM Prep is grateful to the following grant funders for their support of our CPS Strong strategic initiatives:

  • ArtsWave
  • Ingalls Foundation
  • Louise Taft Semple Foundation
  • Preston Brown Foundation

News and Events

1

Explore CCM Prep's dance, music and theatre arts programs for...

May 20, 2024

Students of all ages and abilities with an interest in the performing arts can explore their creativity in Prep programs at UC's College-Conservatory of Music. CCM Prep offers a wide variety of classes in dance, music and theatre arts — including classes for adults, young children teens and pre-professional students preparing for a future in the performing arts.

2

Donate instruments at LINKS drive on May 10-11

May 6, 2024

Through the Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids (LINKS) program, you can donate your used band or orchestra instrument to a young musician who cannot afford to rent or purchase their own. The LINKS instrument donation drive is at 10 a.m.-4 p.m. this Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11 2024, at any Willis Music or Buddy Rogers Music location. A project of CCMpower in partnership with Willis Music and Buddy Roger’s Music, LINKS began in 1994 as the brainchild of CCM alumnus Bill Harvey (BM Music Education, 1971). The owner of Buddy Roger’s Music, Harvey wanted to fill the need for students whose parents were unable to buy, rent or borrow an instrument. The solution was to create a “recycling program” for musical instruments.

3

CCM Dance Series presents "Little Mermaid" April 12-14

April 4, 2024

UC College-Conservatory Music presents "Little Mermaid" on April 12-14, 2024 in Corbett Auditorium. Directed by Shauna Steele, the performance features music by David Arkenstone. Tickets on sale now through the CCM Box Office.

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