Jackson Symphony Orchestra Association

To optimize our concert opportunities, increase our CMS enrollment, and build a growing financial model to ensure that all people have access to quality live music education and enrichment.

1) Build-back and retain the JSO audience to pre-COVID-19 numbers while optimizing each of our offerings (Signature Series, Music on Tap, Pops Concerts, Nutcracker, Education Concerts, Bach’s Lunch, and Student Recitals) to achieve new levels of diverse participation.

2) Build-back, retain and then increase Community Music School enrollment while supporting access by maintaining our current rate of student tuition subsidization.

3) Build an organizational infrastructure and financial model that achieves significant growth in the numbers of people we serve by growing our endowment through planned giving and high-impact gifts.

To optimize our concert opportunities, increase our CMS enrollment, and build a growing financial model to ensure that all people have access to quality live music education and enrichment.

The JSO provides a number of free music experiences throughout Jackson County to ensure access for all and to give back to our community. Our Community Music School also offers many opportunities for need-based scholarships.

1) Include new venues, replace old musical instruments, and expand our concert offerings to include free concert opportunities for people throughout Jackson County.

2) Streamline our Community Music School record-keeping and registration processes, review and match our class offerings to match our community, foster relationships with local schools, and continue to offer many opportunities for scholarships.

3) Create systems to steward individual donors, highlight large gifts, and increase events for cultivating donor relations to give back to the community that supports us.

The JSO is able to partner with additional organizations in providing free outdoor summer concerts in a variety of locations. The JSO also partners with schools to provide free music enrichment, education and experiences. Through our Random Acts of Music program, musicians perform at senior living facilities and care centers.

1) Through corporate sponsorships we have been able to offer more concerts, buy a new timpani, and provide free outdoor summer concerts in a variety of locations.

2) We provide over $7,000 in scholarships each year to CMS students in addition to our financial and are able to travel to local schools to promote our program and it’s offerings.

3) We are able invite donors to rehearsals in our hall, promote stories of endowed gifts to our organization on our social media and at each concert.

The JSO's biggest accomplishment was in October of 2017 when 1,100 3rd and 4th-grade students across Jackson County participated in a free two week music education program. At the end of the two weeks the students were transported to the Potter Center at Jackson College when they had an interactive music enrichment program. Through this program five of their Michigan Music for Education Standards were completed. Based on the success of this program the JSO will offer it twice in October of 2018 to reach every 3rd and 4th grade student in Jackson County.