$10M gift to Music School of Delaware aims to give families in need a boost

Jan. 11—The Music School of Delaware has 10 million reasons to be excited after receiving a hefty gift from a Wilmington woman.

The $10 million donation, the largest in Music School history, is meant to make classes more affordable to underserved families, the school announced Tuesday morning.

The gift was donated by former Wilmington resident Mary Ellen Northrop to establish the Mary Ellen Northrop Endowed Fund for Music Education.

Christina von Duyke, a violin instructor at the Music School, said the opportunity for families to receive this financial boost is music to her ears.

"I think this endowment, at least for me, as a teacher is just wow. What a gift," von Duyke, 39, of Wilmington said. "I can't think of anything that will make a teacher happier than knowing that students of all backgrounds can take private lessons and have the opportunity to do something that makes them feel alive."

von Duyke first attended the Music School when she was 3 years old and she, too, benefited from a scholarship that helped her to take lessons there.

The violin instructor has 11 siblings. And while all of her sibs didn't take lessons with her at the school, some of them did.

von Duyke understands first-hand how life-changing financial assistance can be, she said, because having access to music classes at a young age put her on a path to earning a master's degree in violin performance at the University of Delaware, under the training of Xiang Gao.

"My parents sacrificed in order for us to be able to go there," the violin instructor said. "In addition to having that wonderful scholarship, I think if the scholarship hadn't been there, it wouldn't have been an option for them to make that choice."

Larry Hamermesh, board treasurer for the Music School, said in order for a student to qualify for the Mary Ellen Northrop endowment, a family's income must be less than $150,000. Assistance is limited to a maximum of two years per student.

Northrop was a music lover and Wilmington transplant who was born in Westfield, New York, on Feb. 23, 1943. But she grew up in Ripley, New York, where her family managed a large fruit, grape and dairy operation, per her obituary.

She earned her bachelor of arts degree, cum laude, from Syracuse University in 1965, and received her master of library science degree from Rutgers University in 1966.

Northrop was a reference librarian at the University of Iowa and Douglass College of Rutgers University, and a supervisor of the Technical Services Department at Plainfield (New Jersey) Public Library.

She also was a budget analyst at the Erie, Pennsylvania, plant of General Electric Company and a financial analyst and income tax analyst at DuPont Company.

Kate Ransom, CEO of the Music School, said Northrop studied clarinet at the Music School in her younger days and she enjoyed singing in choirs throughout her life.

"Ms. Northrop was an only child, never married, inherited substantial wealth, was highly educated, lived modestly and was attentive to managing her financial assets throughout her life," Ransom said.

The Music School was one of a number of organizations Northrop remembered in her estate planning. Prior to her death, she didn't divulge to anyone at the Music School the amount or scope of the endowment.

She was never an annual donor to the school, Ransom said, but she approached the school staff in 2013 to inquire, generally, about setting up a scholarship fund.

"She selected the Music School as a recipient without direct meetings or in-person interactions — all of our correspondence with her (which was extensive) was via mail, email, and phone," Ransom said.

Northrop passed away on June 29, 2021, at her home in Wilmington. She was 78.

The Music School, with branches in Wilmington and Milford, offers a broad range of instruction, including vocal and instrumental lessons, early childhood music for the youngest learners, music therapy and music classes.

There are also music ensembles like the Delaware Youth Symphony Orchestra, two women's choruses, two jazz vocal ensembles, and the relatively new MELODY program (Music Enriching the Lives of Delaware Youth) and other music instruction.

The Music School plans to award scholarships to students that young people can use beginning in the fall, Hamermesh said.

In order to be awarded a grant, families must submit applications to demonstrate and confirm eligibility according to the trust guidelines.

Application forms will be available by the spring for interested students and their families.

Ransom is hopeful the funds will help to impact the lives of young music lovers.

"We are so grateful to Mary Ellen Northrop for leaving a legacy that will make a profound difference in the lives of young musicians in Delaware."

For more information, visit musicschoolofdelaware.org or (302) 762-1132

Andre Lamar is the features/lifestyle reporter. If you have an interesting story idea, email Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com.

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