Betty Jo-Ann Perry, Indianapolis' Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Founder, has Died

Betty Jo-Ann Perry, a lifelong music educator who founded the Indianapolis-based Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (MYO) in 1995, has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The MYO, which is run through the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO), has impacted the lives of thousands of young people who would not otherwise have had access to music education.

Orphaned at an early age, Perry spent most of her childhood in foster homes around the Bronx. A scholarship to the Third Street Music School Settlement saw her take her first viola lessons, and she recalled being moved to tears the first time she was able to attend a youth orchestra rehearsal.

Perry and her husband Ed moved to Indianapolis in 1978. Upon attending an Indianapolis Symphony concert, Perry was perturbed by the lack of African-American engagement with the orchestra and decided to start a program that would provide music lessons for children from underprivileged areas. By 1995, the program had taught enough students to start the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, which was initially run through the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. In 2008, the orchestra was integrated into the ISO.

The MYO program has helped to create futures for hundreds of students over the course of its existence. More than 200 families participate in some capacity each year, and MYO students currently have a 100% high school graduation rate.

“I’m forever grateful to Ms. Perry that she trusted me enough to carry out her legacy,” said Krystle Ford, who is Perry's successor at the MYO. “MYO shaped me into the adult I am today and I can’t thank her enough for her love, encouragement and endless support. She will be missed terribly. I feel comfort knowing that she is proud of us and the work that continues to impact the lives of so many families.”

"Now I understand, on a deeper level, why I am so committed to youth and families and why I am heavily invested in providing opportunities for underserved youth," Perry told IndyArts after she received a Creative Renewal grant in 2013. "However, I also have learned why I insist that my program is racially, economically, and socially diverse. It is to bring communities together through the power of music.”

Our condolences to Perry's family, friends, and colleagues at this time.