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Bonnie Larson has made a transformational impact on the Detroit arts community over the years. Now, her passion for music has led to creating an endowed fund, and Detroit’s children will reap the benefits.

The Bonnie A. Larson Aspiring Musicians Endowment provides scholarships and program support for students attending classes and summer programs at the Michigan State University Community Music School in Detroit, an outreach division of the MSU College of Music.

“Bonnie is an amazing philanthropist and community volunteer, and over the years she has held many leadership roles in some of Southeast Michigan’s iconic arts organizations like the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and more,” said James Forger, dean of the MSU College of Music. “Her generosity in creating the new Larson Aspiring Musician’s Endowment will help generations of Detroit children reap significant benefits from specialized sequential music instruction.

Larson’s other arts leadership roles include the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Cranbrook Art Museum. She is a member of the Meridian International Board in Washington, D.C., and she serves on the boards of the Detroit Zoo, Kids Kicking Cancer, and the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan. An MSU alumna, she has been active with the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, serving as a founding member and past chair of its International Advisory Board, and she established a scholarship endowment for student-athletes in men’s basketball at MSU. She joined the College of Music National Leadership Council in September 2021.

In addition, Larson has supported collaboration between the College of Music and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Her connection to Detroit and to music is no surprise when considering her family history.

“My mother's great grandfather came to Detroit with his brothers and founded the famed Grinnell Brothers music store,” she explained. “They sold many types of musical instruments, but they were best known for designing and manufacturing pianos. Grinnell Brothers became the world’s largest piano distributor by the mid-1950s. The family also knew how important music was to the population in Detroit and made instruments, lessons, and concerts available to everyone regardless of race or financial means.”

With positive role models like that, Larson understands the value of music education, especially as it applies to children.

“Music is important in our lives, and especially in children in terms of their development,” she said. “Learning music can improve reading, coordination, language, emotional regulation, and social skills, and it can do all those things while adding joy in someone's life. Music can enrich the lives of children in these programs, and it motivates them when they know that others support their efforts.”

Indeed, since the establishment of the MSU Community Music School in Detroit in 2009, personal donations, grants from organizations, and the development of community partners have played a significant role in removing barriers to access specialized sequential music education and music therapy for Detroit’s most vulnerable citizens, including children, the elderly, and individuals with special needs.

For economic reasons, many Detroit students would not be able to participate in music study without significant subsidy. Moreover, those subsidies can have long-lasting benefits.

“So far, 45 students participating in programs at the MSU Community Music School in Detroit have matriculated to Michigan State, which is fantastic,” Larson said. “Twenty-five percent of those kids are first-generation college students. That's life-changing for the whole family.”

For Larson, supporting programs like the Community Music School – Detroit is important for our future.

“It is significant that so many people care so much about this program,” Larson said. “During difficult times, you can turn to music for emotional strength, and I hope that the Larson Aspiring Musician’s Endowment will help children in that way – they will know that people care about their musical interest and support them.”

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If you would like to learn more about supporting the MSU Community Music School in Detroit, contact College of Music Senior Director of Advancement Ann-Marie Lindley at (517) 432-4889 or alindley@msu.edu.