The Zilber Family Foundation Continues to Generously Support Reagan Music!

The Zilber Family Foundation has worked alongside the Reagan staff to provide opportunities for our students for the past five years.  Their continued support is not only greatly appreciated, but it keeps our program thriving.  Thank you to the Zilber Family Foundation and Susan Lloyd for your help making our music department great!

ZILBER FAMILY FOUNDATION AWARDS $25,000 TO REAGAN IB HIGH SCHOOL
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
Community Partnerships, Student Performance Opportunities Instrumental In Program Success

MILWAUKEE – The Board of Directors of the Joseph and Vera Zilber Family Foundation has awarded a five-year, $25,000 grant to continue its support of Reagan International Baccalaureate (IB) High School’s music program. The award comes just before Reagan’s January performance of the musical “Guys and Dolls.”  

A Zilber grant made from 2008 to 2013 helped establish international baccalaureate vocal and instrumental music programs at Reagan, 4965 S. 20^th St., along with scores of musical productions, competitions and extra-curricular activities. Since 2008, the music program has grown from only a dozen students to approximately 500.

“Vera Zilber took great care to make music a central part of her family’s life,” said Susan Lloyd, executive director of the Zilber Family Foundation. “Providing fine arts education and channels for creative expression levels the playing field for students who may not otherwise have such an opportunity.”

The Vera J. Zilber Music Department at Reagan delivers a rigorous college-level curriculum for young people interested in performing, composing and studying music. Reagan is the only school in Wisconsin to teach a full four-year International Baccalaureate music curriculum. IB music students develop solo performance, composition and musical analysis skills and may be eligible for college course credits.  Extracurricular activities open to all students include drum line, DJ club, solo and ensemble clubs, piano club, pit orchestra club, jazz band, musical theater and Radio Reagan. 

The Zilber grant will continue to support these programs, along with community partnerships with the Florentine Opera and Milwaukee Symphony and student performance opportunities locally and nationally.

Reagan music department leaders will also begin collaborating with North Division High School—located in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood—to share best practices and strategies for building a successful music program in an urban district.

“Our music program unites teens from diverse backgrounds around the universal language of music,” said Erica Breitbarth, music department chair, choir director and IB music teacher at Reagan. “We look forward to sharing our experience with others in the community and providing our students with both academic and hands-on musical opportunities to develop their artistic expression.”

Reagan will present a preview of this artistic expression in its production of the musical “Guys and Dolls,” with performances Friday Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. All performances will take place at the Reagan IB Auditorium, 4965 S. 20^th St. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors.

About the Zilber Family Foundation: Formed in 1961, the Joseph and Vera Zilber Family Foundation, Inc. is a private independent grantmaking institution dedicated to enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, and neighborhoods, with a primary emphasis on the City of Milwaukee. In recent years, the Zilber Family Foundation has pledged $30 million to Marquette University to fund scholarships and other programs; $10 million to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to establish a School of Public Health; and $50 million over 10 years to improve the Milwaukee neighborhoods of Lindsay Heights, Clarke Square, and the Layton Boulevard West neighborhoods of Silver City, Burnham Park and Layton Park.