Neighborhood Music School Teacher's Bequest Provides Lasting Support for the Institution 

This year (2011) marks the 100th anniversary of the Neighborhood Music School (NMS) for inspiring students of all ages through the art of music, drama and dance. And while it’s hard to imagine a Greater New Haven landscape without the school, there was a time in the 1940s when the school’s future was uncertain. One report called for its dissolution unless means could be found to carry out specific recommendations and organizational changes.
Fortunately, devoted music lovers like Katharine Dana English fought to preserve the valuable institution. Mrs. English’s relationship to NMS began just out of college when she took a teaching job at the school in the early 1920s. The cellist would later serve 5 years as the organization’s president.
Together with a host of other supporters, Mrs. English created a strong foundation which today supports the largest independent nonprofit community arts school in Connecticut and one of the 10 largest community arts schools in the nation.
In keeping with her actions in life, Mrs. English showed her support for NMS even after her death in 1986 when she established a designated fund by bequest. The Katharine Dana English Fund now generates thousands of dollars annually to NMS—providing financial aid and scholarships to
its students.

Katharine was born in Far Rockaway, Long Island, NY on July 20, 1896. Her father, Arnold Dana, was involved in preserving the head of Sleeping Giant and helped make it part of the state park system. After attending Miss Porter's School in Farmington (CT), Katharine attended and graduated from Smith College (MA) in 1919. She married New Haven philanthropist Philip Henry English in 1921. In 1974, a dormitory at Quinnipiac College was re-dedicated and named  Dana-English Hall in recognition for Katharine and Philip's support. Katharine was a past president of the Board of Directors of NMS and the New Haven Colony Historical Society. She was also a Director of the YWCA. 

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