Music Haven empowers and connects young people through exceptional tuition-free music education, mentoring, and performance by their resident musicians in the heart of New Haven, giving all kids a chance to play.

At Music Haven, young musicians study with and are mentored by members of our resident ensemble, the Haven String Quartet, or one of the other full-time conservatory-trained professional Resident Musicians, from when they are in first, second, or third grade until they graduate from high school. At the heart of their model is the relationship between teacher and student, and the relationships between the young musicians, themselves—they learn not only from the members of the string quartet, but also from the foundations of chamber music: listening to each other, working as a team, communicating through music, and dedication and focus in service of creating something beautiful together. Through music, they build community, develop resilience and self confidence, and experience collective struggle and success.

With the Haven String Quartet at the heart of a rich and ever-expanding variety of educational programming, workshop offerings, and performances throughout the region, each of their students and his or her family is part of a vibrant community of musicians, in which he or she has the opportunity to play and learn alongside the world-class professionals who are their teachers and mentors.

Students come by school bus each afternoon from more than 20 different schools throughout the city to their 6700 sf programming space. They have access to practice and rehearsal rooms, classrooms for music theory, improvisation, and music history classes, a homework/study lounge, a performance space, and teaching studios in which they are each taught and mentored—one-on-one—by a member of our resident professional string quartet, the Haven String Quartet. They study with and are mentored by the same resident musician over many years, from when they first come to us in 1st or 2nd grade through high school graduation. The deep, long-term relationships we develop with our students and their families make it possible for us to make a lot more than music. Learn more at www.musichavenct.org.