Manhattan School of Music has a long tradition of offering community outreach concerts. In 1918, during its first season as a community school, students performed in a District Music Concert series in camps and hospitals during World War I. Each year since then, our students have presented community service concerts, in senior centers, hospitals, women's and children's centers and medical centers throughout New York’s five boroughs.

Today, Manhattan School of Music’s community engagement and arts-in-education program is comprehensive and multifaceted, using music through live performances to educate schoolchildren to provide motivation and inspiration to the elderly and sick, and to enhance the cultural experiences of the New York City public. Since 1993, these programs have offered Manhattan School of Music students the pedagogical instruction and invaluable performance experience which will enable them to become effective artist-educators and advocates. These programs are as follows:

Music Heals provides students with an opportunity to present inspirational and interactive performances to diverse audiences in hospitals, senior living residences, hospices, and other community centers in New York City, sharing the healing power of music as medicine. For many Manhattan School of Music students, the program provides not only a valuable performing experience, but also an opportunity to garner firsthand the powerful experience of live music-making. In many cases, performances are presented to underserved communities and to those who are unable to attend musical performances on their own.

Music Reaches provides a diverse array of performance opportunities for students in public venues throughout the New York City metropolitan area. Through the program, students are able to expand their performance techniques for diverse audiences in non-traditional concert settings.

Music Teaches prepares Manhattan School of Music students to be effective artist-educators through pedagogical instruction and practical teaching experience in New York City pre-K – 12 schools. The program provides semester-long classroom residency programs in orchestral music, opera, musical theater, and jazz. Manhattan School of Music students learn how to teach basic music literacy, to create an aesthetic context for music as an art form, and to integrate music into the curriculum by creating links to learning in other subject areas. Many Manhattan School of Music students are employed during the academic year to instruct instrumental lessons or choral classes at partner schools.