Music in Motion

What Music in Motion does

Music in Motion is a privately held, family-owned e-commerce retailer founded in 1976 by piano teacher Mary Ann Stewart and headquartered in Plano, Texas. The company operates as a specialist distributor of music education materials — instruments, curriculum kits, manipulatives, books, and accessories — primarily serving K-12 music educators, individual music teachers, music therapists, early-childhood educators, and church music programs across the United States. Its catalog spans 1,759+ SKUs across 13 major categories, including 323+ products exclusive to the company.

The company's core proprietary asset is the Music-Go-Rounds line of silicone manipulatives — AlphaDots, rhythm pieces, solfege syllables, and note-name tiles — designed by the founder to teach rhythm, pitch, and notation through hands-on play. This is complemented by the Musicplay Curriculum (PreK–Grade 6) by Denise Gagne, offered both as printed kits and as a recurring Musicplay Online subscription ($200–$1,000 per year). Color-coded resources compatible with Boomwhackers and Kidsplay systems, plus bundled Teaching Kits (Student Kits, Teaching on a Cart), create an integrated classroom product ecosystem.

Revenue is generated through four streams: one-time sales of physical goods via the musicmotion.com storefront and phone orders, recurring Musicplay Online curriculum subscriptions, digital eBook downloads (via F-flat Books partnership), and gift cards. Institutional buyers — schools, districts, churches — purchase through direct purchase orders or via approved-vendor status with three purchasing cooperatives: BuyBoard, ESC6/EPIC6 Cooperative Purchasing, and The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS). With 11–50 employees and no disclosed external funding, the business operates as a niche, vertically focused education retailer with established brand longevity but limited public visibility on financial metrics.

Name

Music in Motion

Legal name

Music in Motion, Inc.

Website

https://www.musicmotion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Music in Motion is an online store of musical instruments and accessories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education Supplies

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational Music Products Retail (Method Books, Exam Prep, Classroom Instruments) (CRALAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA), Creative Arts, Music & Movement Content (EDAGACAG), Sheet Music & Music Books Retail (CRALAEAB)

Keywords

• Music education supplies
• Educational manipulatives
• Music curriculum
• Classroom instruments
• Music teaching resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Plano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Physical Goods): Direct sales of physical music education products including instruments, manipulatives, teaching kits, books, and accessories through e-commerce website. One-time purchase model with quantity discounts available.
2. Curriculum Subscriptions: Online subscription-based access to Musicplay curriculum content and digital resources, with tiered pricing based on school-wide or grade-level access.
3. eBook Downloads: Digital interactive eBook sales through F-flat Books partnership, including teaching guides and supplemental resources.
4. Gift Cards: Gift card sales in denominations from $25 to $500, redeemable for merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Music in Motion is a Texas-based e-commerce retailer founded in 1976 that sells music education supplies, including its exclusive Music-Go-Rounds Silicone Manipulatives, the Musicplay PreK–Grade 6 curriculum, color-coded instruments, Orff instruments, teaching kits, music therapy resources, and related accessories, to K-12 schools, music educators, churches, and music therapists. The catalog spans more than 1,750 products across 13 major categories, with introductory subscription curriculum access and institutional purchase-order capabilities.

Product overview

Music in Motion is a family-owned e-commerce retailer specializing in music education resources and manipulatives, founded in 1976 and based in Plano, Texas. The company's product portfolio centers on its exclusive Music-Go-Rounds Silicone Manipulatives (including AlphaDots, rhythm pieces, solfege syllables, and note name tiles) and the Musicplay Curriculum (a comprehensive PreK-Grade 6 program by Denise Gagne). The offering extends across a broad catalog of over 1,700 products organized into categories including Boomwhackers and Chroma-Notes color-coded instruments, teaching kits (Musicplay Curriculum, Online Learning, Student Kits, Teaching on a Cart), musical instruments (drums, handbells, recorders, ukuleles, Orff instruments, rhythm band), color-coded resources (bells, chimes, resonator bells), early childhood materials, music therapy resources, movement and dance products, notation software (NoteFlight Premium), awards and incentives, and interactive eBooks from F-flat Books. The company also offers teaching guides, music education grants resources, and gift cards, primarily serving music educators, schools, and institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music-Go-Rounds Silicone Manipulatives Exclusive line of silicone-based educational manipulatives designed by founder Mary Ann Stewart for teaching music concepts including rhythm, solfege, note names, dynamics, and scales. Includes AlphaDots, rhythm pieces, solfege syllables, and note name tiles. Easy-to-clean and durable for classroom use in group games, movement activities, whiteboard work, and learning centers. Products range from approximately $10 to over $600 depending on set type and size.
• Musicplay Curriculum Award-winning complete PreK-Grade 6 music curriculum by Denise Gagne, including singing, playing, listening, and creating activities with audio and visual aids. Available as printed grade-level kits ($150–$225 each, or complete K-5 curriculum at $1,625) and as an online subscription ($200–$1,000 per year depending on school-wide or grade-level access scope).
• Teaching Kits Curated collections of teaching tools including Musicplay Curriculum, Online Learning resources, Student Kits, and Teaching on a Cart solutions for various educational settings.
• Musical Instruments Wide range of instruments including Boomwhackers, drums, handbells, tone chimes, hand percussion, recorders, ukuleles, guitars, Orff instruments, rhythm band instruments, and found sounds for educational use.
• Color-Coded Resources Products designed with color-coding systems (Chroma-Note/Boomwhacker colors and Kidsplay colors) including bells, chimes, resonator bells, glockenspiels, manipulatives, and songbooks for coordinated music learning.
• Early Childhood Music Products Educational resources for young learners covering emotions, math, reading, art, colors, music appreciation, instruments, stories, songs, movement, games, puppets, and color-coded playing activities for PreK and early childhood education.
• F-flat Books Interactive eBooks Interactive digital books for music education including titles like 'Just Like the Moon', 'Joe Family From the Grand Staff', 'Music is Bananas', and curriculum resources with teaching guides. Priced $13–$44.99 per eBook with teaching guide bundles available. Sold through Music in Motion via partnership with F-flat Books publisher.
• Music Therapy Resources Specialized products for music therapy including rhythm instruments, sensory and visual support tools, adaptive tools, wind instruments, and color-coded instruments for therapeutic settings. Includes subcategories for rhythm instruments, sensory and visual support, adaptive tools, wind instruments, and color-coded instruments.
• Movement & Dance Resources Products for movement-based music education including dance and folk dance materials, movement resources and props, and music and movement activity kits.
• Notation Software Music notation and theory/ear training software including NoteFlight Premium online music notation software subscriptions.
• Awards & Incentives Recognition items including certificates, stickers, charts, pins, medals, ribbons, statuettes, and incentive products for student achievement.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in denominations from $25 to $500, redeemable online for any merchandise on musicmotion.com.
• Orff Instruments & Resources Orff-specific instruments including xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, and Orff teaching resources following the Orff Schulwerk music education approach.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BuyBoardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational purchasing cooperative serving schools and public entities. Music in Motion is an approved vendor, allowing BuyBoard members to purchase music education products through existing contract pricing.
• ESC6/EPIC6 Cooperative PurchasingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducation Service Center Region 6 cooperative purchasing program in Texas. Music in Motion is an approved vendor enabling EPIC6 member schools to procure through this cooperative.
• The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational purchasing cooperative for schools and government entities. Music in Motion is an approved vendor on TIPS contract, facilitating procurement for member organizations.
• Alfred MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMusic education publisher whose products are featured and sold through Music in Motion's website alongside their own exclusive products.
• SheetMusicDirectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline sheet music retailer partnership enabling Music in Motion to offer digital sheet music downloads through their platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• West Music: Family-owned K-12 music education retailer offering instruments, curriculum, manipulatives, and Orff resources to schools and educators, with very similar catalog breadth and institutional buyer base as Music in Motion.
• Music & Arts: Large specialty retailer of musical instruments and accessories serving schools, teachers, and individual musicians with rent-to-own programs and curriculum support, directly competing for the K-12 music buyer.
• J.W. Pepper: Long-established sheet music and music education retailer serving school choral, band, and orchestra programs with method books, sheet music, and classroom resources overlapping Music in Motion's teaching-resources category.
• Music Is Elementary: K-12 music education specialist selling instruments, Orff, manipulatives, and curriculum to elementary music teachers with a similar institutional sales motion.
• Peripole: Specialist in Orff instruments, boomwhackers, and elementary music education resources, competing head-to-head for the same classroom-music budget.

Broad incumbents

• Hal Leonard: Largest music publisher with deep sheet music, method books, and educational content catalog that competes for the same music teacher purchasing dollars, also offering direct retail.
• Alfred Music: Major music education publisher of method books and curriculum whose products Music in Motion resells; competes at the publisher level for teacher adoption and classroom budgets.
• Sweetwater: Large-scale musical instrument and pro audio retailer with broad instrument selection and strong logistics, competing for the same consumer and educational instrument purchases at scale.

Others

• Plank Road Publishing: Publisher of the Musicplay Curriculum that Music in Motion distributes; a content partner and upstream supplier whose commercial alignment directly shapes Music in Motion's curriculum offering.

Emerging players

• Wenger Corporation: Manufacturer of music education equipment, instrument storage, and classroom solutions selling to schools; adjacent to Music in Motion's institutional product set and competes for the same facility and equipment budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/musicinmotion
• Facebookfacebook.com/musicinmotion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/music-in-motion-inc.

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 Music in Motion