The Sherwood Conservatory of Music, a community music school located three blocks from Columbia’s Music Center, has merged with the college. The merger will expand facilities and enable both institutions to maximize efficiencies in administrative and academic areas.

The conservatory operated as a college of music education during most of its history, but phased out its collegiate programs in 1986, shifting its focus toward being a community-focused institution specializing in meeting the music education needs of Chicago’s urban population.

Sherwood is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and offers a comprehensive program of music education for amateur musicians of all ages, as well as the opportunity for professional musicians and music educators to continue their educations. Three-quarters of Sherwood’s students are primary and secondary school age, and 60 percent of the student body consists of Asian, Latino and African American students.