Wisconsin School Music Association

What Wisconsin School Music Association does

The Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education in Waunakee, Wisconsin. WSMA serves Wisconsin K-12 public and private schools, music educators, and music students through a portfolio of structured music education programs. Its core offerings include a multi-tiered festival system — District and State Solo & Ensemble Festivals, Concert Festivals & Clinics, and Marching Band Championships — adjudicated under standardized criteria. Complementary programs include the State Honors Project (Middle Level and High School), the Composition Project, Exemplary Performance Recognition, the Wisconsin Award for Excellence in Teaching Music, and WSMA Accreditation for outstanding school music programs. The organization also publishes the Wisconsin School Musician Magazine and, in partnership with PBS Wisconsin Education, produces the Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin multimedia curriculum for grades 4-8.

WSMA's technology stack consists of the Engage membership portal (a CRM and festival management system), an e-commerce Awards Store at store.wsmamusic.org selling medals, plaques, certificates, and pins, and online festival registration platforms. The Awards Store ships nationwide and is supported by tiered shipping (free over $500). WSMA's operational footprint is anchored by a Field Representative Program — 51+ retired music educators active since 1994 — that supports statewide activities. Annual reach includes 100,000+ music students and 3,500+ educators and administrators, with 10,000+ participants, spectators, and directors attending the State Marching Band Championships. State Solo & Ensemble Festivals are hosted across nine University of Wisconsin campuses plus Carroll University.

WSMA operates as a membership-based association. Revenue is generated from annual school membership dues (subscription/recurring), transactional merchandise sales through the Awards Store, advertising and sponsorships across the magazine, newsletters, conference programs, and mailing list rentals, fees from professional development workshops and the Wisconsin State Music Conference, and donations. WSMA works in close partnership with two sister organizations — the Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA) and the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music (WFSM) — with which it shares office space at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education. Laurie Fellenz serves as Executive Director of both WSMA and WMEA.

Name

Wisconsin School Music Association

Legal name

Wisconsin School Music Association, Inc.

Website

https://wsmamusic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership association serving Wisconsin K-12 schools, music educators, and students through adjudicated festivals, state honors and marching band championships, professional development, accreditation, and a recognition merchandise e-commerce store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Waunakee

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. School Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from Wisconsin public and private schools that participate in WSMA programs. Schools must be enrolled to access the Festival Music List and participate in festivals.
2. Awards Store Sales: E-commerce sales of medals, certificates, plaques, and pins for District/State Solo & Ensemble Festivals, Concert Festivals, State Honors Music Project, and State Marching Band Championships.
3. Advertising & Sponsorships: Advertising opportunities in Wisconsin School Musician Magazine, electronic newsletters, State Marching Band Championships program, State Honors Music Project programs, and mailing list rentals to business partners and universities.
4. Professional Development: Fees from professional development workshops and the Wisconsin State Music Conference.
5. Donations: WSMA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization accepting donations to support programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WSMA is a non-profit membership association that organizes and administers statewide school music festivals, competitions, and recognition programs for Wisconsin K-12 schools. It provides school membership services, adjudicated festival frameworks (Solo & Ensemble, Concert Festivals, Marching Band Championships), student enrichment programs (State Honors Project, Composition Project), professional development for music educators, WSMA Accreditation for outstanding music programs, and operates an e-commerce Awards Store for festival medals, plaques, certificates, and pins.

Product overview

Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing a portfolio of music education programs and services to Wisconsin schools. The organization operates a multi-tiered festival system encompassing District and State Solo & Ensemble Festivals, Concert Festivals & Clinics, and Marching Band Championships. Student enrichment programs include the State Honors Project (Middle Level and High School), Composition Project, and Exemplary Performance Recognition. Supporting services include the WSMA Awards Store (merchandise e-commerce), Wisconsin School Musician Magazine (digital publication), Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin (multimedia educational resource), Professional Development Workshops, and the Wisconsin Award for Excellence in Teaching Music. The organization is headquartered at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education in Waunakee, WI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solo & Ensemble Festivals District and state-level festivals where individual students and ensembles perform for adjudication and ratings in various categories and classes; offered to Wisconsin K-12 school music programs that hold WSMA membership.
• Concert Festivals & Clinics Group performance festivals for concert bands, choirs, and orchestras with ratings based on performance quality across multiple classes; available to Wisconsin K-12 school music programs as members.
• State Honors Project Programs for musically accomplished students including Middle Level and High School State Honors, providing opportunities to rehearse with accomplished conductors and perform at the Wisconsin State Music Conference.
• Marching Band Championships Annual state championships for marching bands including State Marching Band Championships pins and recognition; open to Wisconsin high school marching bands.
• Composition Project Student composition competition encouraging young musicians to apply their music education learning through original music compositions.
• WSMA Awards Store Online store selling medals, plaques, certificates, and pins for District/State Solo & Ensemble Festivals, Concert Festivals, State Honors Project, and Marching Band Championships; ships throughout the United States.
• Wisconsin School Musician Magazine Official digital publication of WSMA and WMEA for music educators, college students, and music education stakeholders, covering news and events in music education.
• Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin Multimedia collection for grades 4-8 general music programs featuring video interviews with Wisconsin musicians, performances, audio files, and educator engagement guides for culturally diverse music education.
• Professional Development Workshops Workshops and professional learning opportunities for music educators throughout the school year.
• Wisconsin Award for Excellence in Teaching Music Annual award recognizing, rewarding, and encouraging excellence in music teaching by Wisconsin's best professional educators, presented jointly by WSMA and WMEA.
• Exemplary Performance Recognition Project Project expanding recognition of outstanding student performers at WSMA State Solo & Ensemble Festival through adjudicator nominations and final selection.
• WSMA Accreditation Annual recognition of outstanding school music programs that meet WSMA accreditation standards; awarded to member schools across Wisconsin.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSMA and WMEA are sister organizations that jointly sponsor programs including the Wisconsin Award for Excellence in Teaching Music. Both organizations share office space at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education and collaborate on the Wisconsin State Music Conference. WMEA Capitol Concerts are held during Music in Our Schools Month.
• Wisconsin Foundation for School Music (WFSM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWFSM is a partner organization sharing headquarters at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education. WSMA and WFSM collaborate on the WSMA Engage CRM system and WSMA/WFSM booth coverage at events.
• Wisconsin Center for Music EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Wisconsin Center for Music Education hosts WSMA headquarters at 1005 Quinn Drive, Waunakee. The center offers offices, a resource center, and meeting/classroom space for WSMA, WMEA and WFSM. The center also houses plaques recognizing Wisconsin Award for Excellence in Teaching Music recipients.
• PBS Wisconsin EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational collaboration producing Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin, a multimedia collection for general music programs serving grades 4-8. Includes video interviews with Wisconsin musicians, performances, audio files, and educator engagement guides.
• University of Wisconsin System (Various Campuses)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState Solo & Ensemble Festivals are hosted at UW campuses including UW-Parkside, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Green Bay, UW-Eau Claire, UW-LaCrosse, UW-Oshkosh, and UW-Platteville. Also includes Carroll University for Arrowhead area schools.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA): Statewide Indiana association that organizes Solo & Ensemble, Concert, and Marching Band festivals and sets adjudication standards for member schools — directly analogous to WSMA's structure and programs.
• Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA): Illinois state music education association sponsoring festivals, contests, and professional development for K-12 music programs; closest functional peer to WSMA's statewide festival and member-services model.
• Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA): Ohio's statewide professional association for music educators, running adjudicated events, honor groups, and professional development — comparable membership-driven festival/recognition structure.
• Music for All: National non-profit focused on scholastic music ensembles and marching band events (formerly Bands of America), operating festivals and championships with similar adjudicated performance and recognition programs.
• Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA): Neighboring state association serving Minnesota K-12 music educators with festivals, honor groups, and professional development — directly comparable in scope and activities to WSMA.
• Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA): Michigan statewide association organizing adjudicated festivals for school bands and orchestras, including Solo & Ensemble and Concert Festivals — direct operational peer.

Broad incumbents

• Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL): Texas's statewide interscholastic competition body running music contests alongside athletics and academics at massive scale — analogous governance role, though broader in scope than WSMA.
• National Association for Music Education (NAfME): National umbrella organization for music educators that sets broader professional standards and resources consumed by WSMA's member educators; serves as the federal-level counterpart in WSMA's ecosystem.

Others

• Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA): Sister professional association co-led by the same Executive Director, sharing offices and jointly sponsoring programs — not a competitor but a deeply integrated ecosystem partner whose fortunes track WSMA's.
• PBS Wisconsin Education: Educational media partner that co-developed the Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin curriculum with WSMA; represents the enabling/adjacent partner that helps WSMA distribute content to schools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WSMAmusic
• Xx.com/WSMAmusic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisconsin-school-music-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Wisconsin School Music Association