A Cincinnati music scholarship created in memory of a teenager who believed every child should have access to music is getting a boost at the University of Cincinnati.
The UC Foundation has announced the creation of the Ben Carlson-Berne Endowed Fund for CCM Prep, backed by a $1.7 million estate gift from Ben’s parents, Phil Berne and Susan Carlson, and his cousin, David Berne. The endowment will allow the scholarship to continue providing musical enrichment to students with financial need.
According to a UC Foundation article outlining the program, the scholarship was created in 2004, two years after Ben died in a hiking accident at age 19. A lifelong lover of classical music, Ben began teaching children through the former Arts Consortium in downtown Cincinnati and helped find donated pianos for students who otherwise couldn’t practice at home.
About 400 students in Cincinnati Public Schools have benefited from the scholarship since its inception, according to the Foundation article.
The scholarship has recently moved under the umbrella of CCM Prep, the College-Conservatory of Music’s community education program. CCM Prep offers programs in music, dance and theater for people of all ages and abilities.
The Carlson-Berne Scholarship is need-based rather than talent-based, according to the Foundation article. Students can receive funding for private music lessons until they graduate high school, allowing the scholarship to follow them through their musical journey.
“It’s the perfect home for the scholarship,” Susan Carlson said in the Foundation article, explaining that CCM Prep aligns with the scholarship’s commitment to sharing classical music with youth with a demonstrated financial need.
Carrying Ben’s legacy forward
Maggie Perrino, assistant dean for CCM Prep and Community Engagement at CCM, said the endowment “will continue to put music in schools and provide private lessons to students as it has always done, in tandem with our other public-school programs.”
The Foundation article highlights Adolphus McCullum, a longtime scholarship recipient and rising senior at the School for Creative and Performing Arts. McCullum began private percussion lessons at age 7 and plans to study music and computer science in college before becoming a music teacher.
“I really think about Ben and how he thought music put good into the world,” Perrino said. “He wanted to give that to the world and his parents have really lived that mission for more than 20 years. They’ve taken all the love and passion they had for Ben and given it to everyone else’s kids.”
Ben’s parents told the UC Foundation that the endowment offers a way to keep the work their son began as a teenager going for generations of students.
“It’s a living legacy for Ben,” Carlson said.
Discover more from Movers & Makers
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.