Education Through Music

What Education Through Music does

Education Through Music (ETM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 that operates as the largest nonprofit provider of direct and comprehensive music education as a core academic subject in New York City public schools. ETM places music teachers directly into 50+ partner schools across Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, delivering weekly sequential PreK-12 music instruction to more than 40,000 students annually at no cost to families. Its target population is under-resourced school communities whose demographics are 95% students of color, 86% living below the poverty line, 17% English Language Learners, and 23% with special needs. ETM also operates affiliated 501(c)(3) programs in Los Angeles (ETM-LA, founded 2006, serving ~19,000 students across 43 schools) and Colorado (ETM-Colorado, founded 2019, serving ~2,000 students).

ETM's core product is the ETM Music Education Model: a culturally responsive, standards-aligned sequential curriculum delivered by ETM-employed teachers, supported by 100+ hours of annual professional development, dedicated instructional supervisors and mentors, and an annual pre-school-year ETM Academy intensive. Two adjacent product lines sit on top of this core: (1) the Music Teacher Workforce Development Program, a $5M multi-year-grant-funded pipeline launched in 2024 that recruits, mentors, certifies, and places early-career musicians in NYC public schools; and (2) Think Like a Musician, a 2025 global music education video series produced in partnership with TED-Ed and YouTube, accompanied by interactive web apps (Vocal Range Trainer, Drums Explorer, Riff Runner, Build-A-Band, Instrument Explorer). A three-year third-party outcome evaluation by Metis Associates (2021–2024) showed ETM schools outperforming demographically matched NYC public schools by 15–30 percentage points in ELA, 3–17 percentage points in Math, and 13–17 percentage points lower chronic absenteeism.

ETM is funded, not sold: it charges neither partner schools nor families. Revenue comes from a diversified mix of individual and major donor giving, an annual benefit gala (the "Making Minds Sing!" event, which raised over $1M in 2022 and record funds in May 2026 at 583 Park Avenue), corporate and foundation grants (Republic Records, JLL, Rosenthal Capital Group, Con Edison, Neuberger Berman, TikTok, UMG, Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Find Your Light Foundation, Martin Charitable Foundation, Kettering Family Foundation, Jean & Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Rea Charitable Trust, and others), and government arts funding from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts. Program reach is deepened by media partnerships (NBCUniversal Creative Impact Lab PSA, TED-Ed, YouTube) and earned coverage in AP, NY1, NBC New York, ABC7, Chalkbeat, Fortune, and BroadwayWorld.

Name

Education Through Music

Legal name

Education Through Music Inc.

Website

https://etmonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Education Through Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 that delivers comprehensive sequential music education as a core academic subject to over 40,000 underserved students across 50+ NYC public schools, with affiliated programs in Los Angeles and Colorado.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms (EDAMANAI), Early Childhood Music Education (Ages 0–7) (EDAMANAD), Music Theory, Ear Training & Musicianship (EDAMANAF), Online Teacher Education Universities (Licensure & M.Ed.) (EDAHALAG), Digital/Interactive Curriculum Content (Apps, Games, Multimedia Lessons) (EDACAJAK)

Keywords

• Music education services
• Nonprofit arts education
• K-12 music curriculum
• Music teacher training
• School music instruction

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual & Major Donor Donations: Individual donors and major philanthropists contribute to ETM's annual operations and gala fundraising. The annual gala is the primary funding engine, with record-breaking proceeds in 2026.
2. Corporate & Foundation Grants: Corporate sponsors, foundations, and government entities (NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NYSCA) provide programmatic and general operating funding. Notable sponsors include Republic Records, JLL, Rosenthal Capital Group, TikTok, UMG, and others at various sponsorship tiers.
3. Annual Benefit Gala: The annual gala (e.g., 'Making Minds Sing!') is a major fundraising event that brings together music industry leaders, philanthropists, and supporters to raise record funds for ETM's programs.
4. NBCUniversal Creative Impact Lab Partnership: ETM was selected by NBCUniversal's Creative Impact Lab for a co-branded PSA promoting Wicked: For Good, providing visibility and cross-promotional value with Universal Pictures and NBCUniversal networks.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Education Through Music partners with under-resourced public schools to deliver weekly, comprehensive PreK-12 music instruction as a core academic subject, placing ETM-employed music teachers directly inside schools. ETM also operates a Music Teacher Workforce Development Program to recruit and certify musicians, runs ETM Academy pre-year intensive teacher training, and produces the Think Like a Musician video series with TED-Ed/YouTube. All services are provided free of charge to schools and families, funded through donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Education Through Music is a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive music education program as a core subject in NYC schools. The main offerings include the ETM Music Education Model (a school partnership-based program delivering sequential music curriculum), the Think Like a Musician video series (a TED-Ed/YouTube collaboration with interactive apps), the Music Teacher Workforce Development Program, and ETM: The Podcast. ETM Academy provides intensive professional development training, and interactive music apps supplement the video curriculum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Think Like a Musician: A music education video series created in partnership with TED-Ed and YouTube, featuring artist interviews, animation, and interactive learning designed to bring high-quality music education resources to teachers around the world.
• Music Teacher Workforce Development Program
• ETM Academy

Products and services

• ETM Music Education Model Comprehensive school partnership program in which ETM places its own music teachers inside partner NYC public schools to deliver weekly, sequential PreK-12 music instruction as a core academic subject; designed for principals and administrators of under-resourced schools.
• Music Teacher Workforce Development Program Program that recruits, trains, mentors, and supports early-career musicians and uncertified teaching artists through NYC DOE music teacher certification, including tuition reimbursement, mentorship, and 100+ hours of annual professional development.
• Think Like a Musician Music education video series produced with TED-Ed and YouTube featuring artist interviews, animation, interactive learning, and companion interactive apps (Vocal Range Trainer, Drums Explorer, Riff Runner, Build-A-Band, Instrument Explorer); designed for teachers and students globally.
• ETM Academy Intensive multi-day pre-school-year professional development training for ETM music teachers covering classroom management, lesson planning, assessment, and curriculum integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• ETM schools outperformed non-ETM comparison schools by 15-30 percentage points in ELA across all three years (2021-2024)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• NBCUniversalflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 November 2025ETM was selected by NBCUniversal's Creative Impact Lab to partner on a Public Service Announcement promoting Universal Pictures' film Wicked: For Good. The PSA, produced by PhillyCAM, aired across Comcast NBCUniversal networks and digital platforms, celebrating the transformative power of music education. This partnership provided ETM with major media exposure.
• PhillyCAMminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 November 2025PhillyCAM, a Philadelphia-based community media organization, produced the NBCUniversal Creative Impact Lab PSA in collaboration with ETM and NBCUniversal, filming ETM students at partner school P.S. 103 in the Bronx.
• TED-Ed and YouTubecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2025ETM partnered with TED-Ed and YouTube to create 'Think Like a Musician,' a free global music education video series. The series features artist interviews, animation, interactive learning, and ETM-developed lesson plans, rubrics, and presentation slides. This partnership extends ETM's reach to teachers worldwide and aligns ETM with the world's largest online learning platforms.
• Republic Records: Kids & FamilycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRepublic Records: Kids & Family partnered with ETM to bring Miles Music Kid to ETM partner schools in the Bronx, including a donation of 1,000 ukuleles to support music-making. This partnership also included a special school visit by Miles Music Kid.
• Guitar CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGuitar Center partnered with Republic Records: Kids & Family and ETM to donate 1,000 ukuleles to ETM partner schools in the Bronx, enabling students to engage in music-making.
• NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA)coreOthersETM's programs are supported by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
• New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)coreOthersETM's programs are made possible by NYSCA with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
• Metis AssociatescoreOthersMetis Associates conducted a rigorous three-year (2021–2024) external evaluation of ETM's programming across academic performance, attendance, and school climate, comparing ETM schools to matched NYC public schools.
• ETM-Los Angeles (ETM-LA)coreOthersETM-LA is the first independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit to bring the ETM model to Los Angeles youth, launched in 2006. It began with 2 schools reaching 800 students and has grown to a planned 43 schools reaching approximately 19,000 students. ETM-LA was honored at Los Angeles City Hall in 2008.
• ETM-ColoradocoreOthersETM-Colorado launched in 2019 as ETM's newest affiliate, providing high-quality music education programming for nearly 2,000 students in Colorado schools.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• VH1 Save The Music Foundation: Nonprofit that partners with school districts to build sustainable music programs through instrument grants, curriculum resources, and teacher support. Comparable to ETM's model of partnering with under-resourced schools to deliver comprehensive music education.
• Little Kids Rock: National nonprofit that provides free music instruction and instruments to students in under-resourced public schools. Closely comparable mission and target population to ETM, with a similar model of partnering with public schools to deliver music education to underserved students.
• Harmony Project: LA-based nonprofit providing free music instruction to youth from low-income communities. Highly comparable to ETM-LA in mission, target population, and intensive multi-year program model, with documented academic and social outcomes.
• Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation: Nonprofit that donates musical instruments and supports music programs in under-resourced schools nationwide. Comparable mission to ETM, though more focused on instrument access than direct music instruction as a core subject.
• Berklee City Music: Network of nonprofit organizations providing music education to underserved youth, anchored by Berklee College of Music. Comparable to ETM in delivering intensive, year-round music instruction to under-resourced students, though with stronger Berklee-branded performance pathways.

Emerging players

• Sphinx Organization: National nonprofit focused on diversity and inclusion in classical music, including educational programming for underrepresented youth. Comparable to ETM in serving underserved music students but with a narrower focus on Black and Latinx string players and classical-music pathways.

Broad incumbents

• National Association for Music Education (NAfME): The largest national association for music educators, of which ETM is a Policy Roundtable member. Comparable only as an industry/ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor; NAfME shapes policy and standards across the music-education field in which ETM operates.
• Carnegie Hall's Musical Connections Program: Carnegie Hall's programs deliver music education and engagement to underserved NYC communities, including school partnerships. Overlaps with ETM's NYC footprint and mission but is part of a much broader institutional portfolio rather than a school-district-focused specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbK5jb4R3vqB4eJ4Z3vY8_Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/EducationThroughMusicNYC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/education-through-music
• Instagraminstagram.com/etmonline
• Xx.com/etmonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Education Through Music