What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 9pm Tuesday 9am - 9pm Wednesday 9am - 9pm Thursday 9am - 9pm Friday 9am - 7:30pm Saturday 9am - 12:30pm

Joy of Music Program

Nearby non profit organizations

Latin American Business Organization
33 Highland Street

Joy of Music - Worcester's Community Music School was founded in 1986 as a program of music & movement classes for preschoolers by Wendy Webster Ardizzone, the school's current director. Her purpose was to help young children develop a life-long relationship with music by giving them a joyful and solid musical foundation on which to build in a warm and non-competitive learning environment. This

philosophy is still at the heart of the school, which has built an outstanding faculty of 40 musicians, all dedicated to the art of teaching. They are as enthusiastic about getting beginners off to a great start as they are about helping advanced students who plan to become professional musicians prepare for conservatory auditions. A testament to our faculty's work is the number of students who study at JOMP through high school and continue to make music an important part of their lives, no matter what they choose to do professionally. Adults find that Joy of Music's warm and supportive atmosphere makes the school an ideal place to study, whether they are a beginner or already an accomplished musician. In June 2000 JOMP was seriously affected by the fire at First Unitarian Church in Worcester, where it had been a tenant for 16 years. For the next 18 months the school faced the tremendous challenge of continuing operations while spread out in three churches. In December 2000, thanks to generous community support, Joy of Music purchased and renovated its own building, a former nursing home. The completion of our new Joseph & Jordan Shapiro Concert Hall in January 2016 makes it possible for us to welcome larger audiences to our faculty concerts and student recitals. Heartfelt thanks to the foundations and hundreds of individual donors who made the creation of this aesthetically beautiful and acoustically marvelous performance space possible! JOMP alumni majoring in music go on to study at some of the nation's finest music schools, including Eastman, Curtis, Hartt, and the Oberlin, New England, San Francisco and Boston Conservatories of Music, to name a few. Many JOMP alumni not majoring in music continue their music as members of college orchestras, jazz ensembles and choruses across the country.

05/29/2026

Looks like we might not see “a drop of golden sun” for a while after today, so you may want to save this reel! The kids in Little Voices are sure to bring a smile to your face even on a rainy day 😊

More like this in our May e-newsletter that just dropped - tap on the link in our bio to view 📰

05/28/2026

☔ JOMPfest is moving indoors! Join us THIS SATURDAY for a cozy afternoon of family-friendly music and activities, including:

🎻 Live music from Deux Amis + Marty Ayotte
🎸 Instrument exploration
🎨 Crafts & box violins
🧸 Sensory play
🎵 Music Bingo & movement
🧁 Bake sale treats

➡️ Stay for a jazz jam with JOMP faculty members at 5 PM and our 6 PM ensemble showcase featuring JOMP students in concert!

📍 1 Gorham Street, Worcester

05/18/2026

🎻 We’re excited to welcome Deux Amis to JOMPfest on May 30!

Featuring multi-instrumentalists (and life partners!) Sam Politz and retired JOMP faculty member Betsy Bronstein, joined by Marty Ayotte, Deux Amis performs folk and jazz traditions from around the world including New Orleans, Cajun, Irish/Celtic, and Klezmer music.

With accordion, fiddle, and hand percussion, their joyful and welcoming performances will be part of JOMPfest’s family-friendly afternoon activities from 2–5 pm. Then stay for our 6 pm concert featuring JOMP student jazz and string ensembles, chamber groups, and more 💛

We can’t wait to celebrate music and community with you!

05/13/2026

From their holiday concert in December to working with Midori in March, this year’s JYO musicians have grown not just as performers, but as friends.

Last week’s spring concert here at home was a celebration of that community: laid-back swing from our high school jazz combo, beautiful ensemble playing from the orchestra, and a virtuosic performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto by concertmaster .

We also celebrated our 10 graduating seniors 🥹 with a sunflower cake and plenty of JYO family spirit - including a few younger family members who joined the fun, too ➡️

So proud of these students and the memories and music they’ve created together this season. Shoutout to JOMP faculty members , , , and especially for guiding them through it all ❤️