Our History

Sparked by the influence of music in her life, international singer and songwriter Sarah McLachlan dreamed for a long time of opening a music school for inner city youth. Her dream first took shape with the creation of The Sarah McLachlan Foundation (SMF) in 1999, and in 2002, together with Arts Umbrella, Sarah launched a free after-school music program: The Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach – An Arts Umbrella Project (SMMO). Since this time, over 700 students have embraced the opportunity to explore piano, guitar, percussion, choir, voice, songwriting, student bands and sound lab with instruction from professional musician educators.

Our partnership with Arts Umbrella, who are specialists when it comes to arts education for young people, eventually gave us the wings we needed to fly solo and realize Sarah’s dream of opening a permanent music school. In 2010, we received a generous donation in the form of a building from the Wolverton Foundation. On September 16, 2011 we were awarded the keys to our new home, tailored to suit our musical needs, and began our journey as the Sarah McLachlan School of Music.

Founded on a belief in the enriching power of music and the importance of creative community, the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, as ever, strives to be a learning environment that inspires and fosters the confidence and success of every student.