Summertime social media feeds are often filled with bright and energetic images of live music—whether it’s a popular national band at a packed stadium or a local act rocking one of Cleveland’s storied music venues and summer events.

Yet, barriers to the arts still exist for populations lacking money or transportation—potentially creating a perception that music is simply not for them.

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC), one of the largest public funders for arts and culture in the country, funded several area music-focused nonprofits that wanted to bring sustenance to Northeast Ohio’s “music deserts.”

Renovare members Rebecca Shasberger, right, on cello, Clara Prinston, rear center on viola, vocalist LaToya Kent, sitting, and Lalia Mangione, left, on violin.This summer, live music fans swayed to the sweet sounds flowing from front porches, echoing through cultural gardens, and even resounding in grocery store parking lots.

Bringing music to underserved areas has a profound impact that goes beyond simple entertainment, says CAC executive director Jill Paulsen.

“We want Cuyahoga County residents to have lots of different ways to engage in arts and culture,” she says. “Not everyone has time to go to concert hall or museum, so when we have organizations that bring arts to people, we are excited to support them.”

Paulsen says she is impressed with the creative ways musicians shared their tunes with the public and expanded their audiences this summer.

“Imagine walking into the grocery store, or walking down your block, and being welcomed by the sounds of live music,” she says. “People have a chance to hear something new, and organizations can find new supporters.”

FreshWater looked at four local music organizations that hit the perfect note this summer with their programming.

Nourishing our neighborhoods
Roots of American Music, which uses live music to educate, inspire, and comfort people in places that have gone silent, received a $21,447 CAC grant last year to build on its mission of “nourishing neighborhoods with the transformative power of music.”

The Matt Zukes Duo performing during a Roots of American Music lunchtime concert at to Fatima Family Center.For Roots of American Music, this means bringing vibrant rhythms to schools, senior communities, and adult day organizations. The nonprofit's roster of professional musicians also lent their skills this summer to Fatima Family Center in Hough as well as the Dave's Market in MidTown.

Inside Dave's, artists performed traditional American music, a vast lineage that includes blues, gospel, and other interconnected genres. Acts played near the bakery, livening the store with a kicky yet gentle background beat, says Bettyjeane Quimby, education program director for the nonprofit.

“This is a population that’s looking for music,” says Quimby. “There are so many genres of traditional American music. We’ll ask the community what they want.”

By Quimby’s definition, a “music desert” is a community where such attractions are hard to find. As a clarinet player for the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Quimby knows well the importance of music for social and emotional well-being.

“Music is a universal language—it brings together communities that are struggling with hardships,” Quimby says. “It could be in Hough or at a grocery store, but it livens people’s day and gets them involved.”

Honoring the audience
Music can be a therapeutic respite from the daily stress and grind of life. Renovare Music uses its $13,800 CAC grant to put this notion into action through performances in prisons, homeless shelters, and other unconventional settings. In fact, about 75% of the nonprofit chamber ensemble’s programs take place in these spaces.

A summer concert for mothers in Buckeye-Woodhill was a vivid example of the organization's mission, which sometimes includes participants and officials collaborating on a song.

Renovare members Rebecca Shasberger, right, on cello, Clara Prinston, rear center on viola, vocalist LaToya Kent, sitting, and Lalia Mangione, left, on violin.“It’s not a common part of life for these folks,” says Renovare founder Rebecca Shasberger, a classically trained cellist and singer. “It’s restorative for them to sing along to ‘Lean on Me,’ or process a hard experience through writing a song with us.

“‘Catharsis’ is a good word for it,” continues Shasberger, “in terms of being a catalyst and sharing stories through music.”

Renovare brings its hopeful message to prison inmates in the Grafton, Mansfield, and Lorain Correctional Institutions. Providing services to underrepresented groups in challenging spaces can even help change the public's perception of those places, notes Shasberger.

“It’s about exposing inequity and injustice and being a catalyst where you can have this impactful experience,” she says. “Being in a new place to hear music can make you think differently on who [the] people in that place are.”

Program outreach takes place through community connections, or via the occasional cold call or email. The benefits are clear and tangible—Shasberger has seen people in tears at Renovate shows. She also points to an inmate at a women’s prison who got off anti-depressants after starting to learn the viola.

Though specific dates for upcoming shows are being finalized, fall events include performances for the friends and families of area inmates. Bringing professional talent to these venues is an ultimate sign of respect for the listener, argues Shasberger.

“Good music honors the audience,” she says. “You see their value, their worth, and you want to honor them.”

The great outdoors
Lakewood Alive is a community-centered nonprofit with a focus on small business, placemaking, and housing. Large-scale events are another powerful way to build welcoming neighborhoods, says executive director Ian Andrews, illustrating the philosophy at the heart of the summer Front Porch Concert Series Lakewood Alive produces with the help of a $4,700 CAC grant.

The free outdoor concert series runs throughout June and July at the entrance of Lakewood Public Library, with the Madison Park Pavilion hosting the season’s final two shows. Andrews says the performances are a means to vitalize venues where live music isn’t the norm.

Lakewood Alive's Front Porch Concert Series featured free concerts in front Lakewood Public Library and at the Madison Park Pavilion—enlivening venues where live music isn’t the norm.“We find it so fun that we’re hosting outdoor music in front of the library, which is this quiet, buttoned-up place,” he laughs. “It brings a cool dynamic that’s unique to Lakewood.”

The music series has evolved to encompass Lakewood’s Birdtown neighborhood, the southeastern enclave bounded by factories. Andrews says he sees this growth as proof of the Front Porch Concert Series’ success in bringing music to surprising locations.

A variety of genres marked this year’s series, with folk, polka, and Brazilian jazz artists like Chloe and the Steel Springs, The Chardon Polka Band, Moisés Borges, and Apostle Jones weaving their musical magic for Lakewood residents and guests from surrounding neighborhoods.

“You can’t make everyone happy, but the appeal was for a broad spectrum of ages and demographics,” says Andrews. “Lakewood is so diverse in every sense, and we wanted the series to be a draw from across the Near West Side.”

Live music can feel restricted for people uninterested in the bar scene, or for families lacking the funds to buy concert tickets, argues Andrews, who adds that holding a show in public venue, like a library, makes it much simpler to overcome these barriers.

“It’s such an accessible way to provide music to a community,” says Andrews. “Just bring a lawn chair and enjoy a Friday night outside.”

‘The soundtrack of life’
For 17 summers this year, the Larchmere PorchFest has filled Cleveland’s Larchmere neighborhood with the sounds of local musicians. Original acts play from the porches and lawns of residents—a seasonal staple that this year featured 32 bands. The yearly tradition is made possible thanks to a $3,760 CAC grant for the 2025 program.

This summer’s dual headliners were the funk-infused Da Land Brass Band and Americana group Maura Rogers and The Bellows. Bands played from porches and lawns, with residents volunteering to transform their homes into a one-night-only concert site.

Larchmere PorchFestVaried performances are perfect for the eclectic district located one block north of Shaker Square, says Larchmere PorchFest president Dawn Arrington.

“We have to keep in mind porch sizes—we even had someone play on an apartment balcony,” she recalls. “The goal is to provide a platform for local artists and get an audience.”

Homeowners offer their residences for free, with CAC dollars mostly covering post-event clean-up. Although putting 30 bands on 30 porches every summer is a challenge, the energy injected into the neighborhood is well worth the hassle, Arrington says.

“You’re seeing people dancing in the streets who may not have the funds, access to transportation, or even have problems with their own personal mobility,” she says. “Music is the soundtrack of life.”

The beat goes on
Even as the summer season begins to wind down, Cleveland's streets are still buzzing with exciting arts and music events. Check out some of the upcoming events:
Tuesday, Aug. 26: Sara Smile Music Quartet at Dave’s Market
Thursday, Aug. 28: M.U.S.i.C. at the Van Aken District
Saturday, Sept. 6: Rooms To Let: CLE art installation
Friday Sept. 19 through Sunday, Sept. 21: Heights Music Hop festival