“Settlement schools” are adjuncts of organizations founded to provide education in various disciplines to the needy.

In the United States, the two largest and most influential settlement houses were Chicago's Hull House (founded by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr in 1889) and the Henry Street Settlement in New York (founded by Lillian Wald in 1893).

During the 1911-12 season, David Mannes, a European-American violinist, and other supporters founded "The Music School Settlement for Colored People".

[1] It was to enable "for the first time in the history of the nation the opportunity for talented black youngsters to obtain excellent musical training at nominal fees.

[4] The Music School Settlement for Colored People is a small chapter in the much larger history of African-American education in the early 20th century.