Old Town School of Folk Music

What Old Town School of Folk Music does

Old Town School of Folk Music is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit founded in December 1957 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, delivering music, dance, theater, and visual arts education across two campuses (Lincoln Square, a 43,000 sq ft facility at 4544 N Lincoln Avenue, and Lincoln Park at 909 W Armitage Avenue) plus the operated Sherwood Community Music School in the South Loop. The organization offers more than 700 accredited group classes, private lessons, and workshops across music, dance, and visual arts for adults, children, and teens, taught by over 250 teaching artists seven days per week, 48 weeks per year, and supplemented by early-childhood Wiggleworms programs and online class options. Core products include classes, workshops, private lessons, concerts (Maurer Hall 450 seats, Szold Hall 250 seats), the Music Store for instrument sales/rentals/repairs, the annual Square Roots Festival (~85,000 attendees), and a Resource Center housing 17,000+ books, recordings, and archival materials.

Revenue is generated through diversified streams: tuition and class registration across thousands of weekly student seats, concert ticket sales (including free World Music Wednesdays), Music Store hardware sales/rentals, annual memberships, tax-deductible individual donations and planned giving, corporate/foundation sponsorships (premier partners include Paul M Angel Family Foundation, Crown Family, Steans Family Foundation, DCASE, Illinois Arts Council Agency), venue and space rentals, and grant funding from sources including MacArthur Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, Joyce Foundation, and the European Union. The organization also operates a café and bar at two campus locations and an Artist Engagement service that books teaching performers externally. Disclosed technology integrations are limited to MailChimp and Google Analytics; no proprietary technology stack is in evidence.

The institution reaches approximately 6,600 students weekly (2,700 children) plus 85,000 annual concert/festival attendees, employs roughly 85 administrative staff in addition to 250+ teaching artists, and operates with a board-led governance structure under Executive Director & CEO Troy Anderson (appointed November 2024). Faculty unionized in January 2019 with the Illinois Federation of Teachers and signed a historic collective bargaining agreement in June 2022. The organization's growth posture combines geographic expansion (Sherwood partnership), international programming (MacArthur, EU, Doris Duke grants), and community programming scale-up (DCASE Millennium Park residency, Square Roots Festival).

Name

Old Town School of Folk Music

Legal name

Old Town School of Folk Music

Website

https://oldtownschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Old Town School of Folk Music is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1957 that delivers music, dance, theater, and visual arts education to approximately 6,600 weekly students across two campuses and 250+ teaching artists, supplemented by concerts, the Square Roots Festival, a music store, and a Resource Center archive.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music and Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Music Education (Ages 0–7) (EDAMANAD), Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC), Music (Instruments, Voice, Music Theory) (EDAAAGAC), Instrument Rentals & Leasing (Band/Orchestra Programs) (CRALAEAG)

Keywords

• Folk music education
• Arts education programs
• Music and dance classes
• Community music school
• Live concert programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Class Registration: Revenue from group classes, private lessons, and workshops for adults, children, and teens across music, dance, and visual arts disciplines. Over 700 accredited class offerings.
2. Concert Ticket Sales: Revenue from performances by touring artists, local artists, staff and students. Weekly concert programming including World Music Wednesdays.
3. Music Store Sales: Instrument sales, rentals, and repairs through the Old Town School Music Store.
4. Membership and Donations: 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization supported by membership contributions, tax-deductible donations, planned giving, and corporate sponsorships.
5. Venue and Space Rental: Private events and space rentals for concerts and events at Maurer Hall and Szold Concert Hall.
6. Gift Certificates: Gift certificates for classes and store purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Old Town School of Folk Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers group classes, private lessons, and workshops in music, dance, theater, and visual arts to approximately 6,600 students per week across its Lincoln Square and Lincoln Park campuses in Chicago. It complements instruction with a public concert series, a retail Music Store, an archival Resource Center, the annual Square Roots Festival, venue rentals, and a Membership/Financial Aid program, all supported by tuition, ticket sales, donations, and grants.

Product overview

Old Town School of Folk Music is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of music, dance, theater, and visual arts education programs. The core offerings include over 700 accredited group classes and private lessons across multiple disciplines for adults, children, and teens, complemented by a robust concerts program featuring touring artists, local performers, and free World Music Wednesdays. The school operates a Music Store for instrument sales and rentals, maintains a Resource Center with an extensive library and institutional archive, and hosts the annual Square Roots Festival attracting approximately 85,000 attendees. Additional services include early childhood Wiggleworms programs, the Songnotes songbook companion, Archives Podcast, Artist Engagement for event bookings, Bar and Café facilities, and membership/financial aid programs. The institution operates two Chicago campuses (Lincoln Square and Lincoln Park) and employs over 250 teaching artists serving approximately 6,600 students weekly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Square Roots Festival: Annual neighborhood festival organized by the Old Town School of Folk Music, held in Lincoln Square. Some 85,000 people attend the festival annually.

Products and services

• Classes & Programs
• Private Lessons
• Workshops
• Concerts
• Square Roots Festival
• Music Store
• Resource Center
• Songnotes: A Companion to the Old Town School Songbook
• Wiggleworms
• Artist Engagement / Hire Our Artists
• Bar and Café
• Membership
• Financial Aid
• Venues and Space Rentals

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

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

• ReverbminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 November 2020Partnership with Reverb for One Mic Reverb Shop supporting youth music education. Paul McCartney, John Legend, Mavis Staples and others partnered with Reverb to support youth music education.
• Columbia College ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 August 2019Strategic partnership announced August 2019 for Old Town School to operate Sherwood Community Music School, increasing arts opportunities for the South Loop community. This expands Old Town School's educational reach beyond its traditional Lincoln Square and Lincoln Park locations.
• StoryCorpsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with national oral history organization to record and preserve first-person accounts of the School's 60-year history. Resource Center partnered with StoryCorps Chicago in 2017 for oral history project featured in the Archives Podcast.
• Gallagher WayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for programming including Wiggleworms from Old Town School at Gallagher Way venue near Wrigley Field.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Settlement Music School: Philadelphia-based community music school offering group classes, private lessons, and early childhood programs to ~9,000 students weekly. Operates six locations and is one of the largest community music schools in the U.S., directly comparable in mission, programming breadth, and nonprofit structure.
• Community Music Center of San Francisco: San Francisco nonprofit community music school offering private lessons, group classes, and world-music programming across all ages. Comparable to Old Town School in offering accessible folk/world music instruction with financial aid and a teaching-artist-driven model.
• Hochstein School of Music & Dance: Rochester, NY community music and dance school providing private and group instruction plus performance opportunities, founded in 1920. Direct comparable in being a long-running nonprofit community music/dance school with broad programming for children and adults.
• Center for Traditional Music and Dance: NYC nonprofit focused on presenting and teaching traditional/folk music from immigrant and community traditions. Closely mirrors Old Town School's role as a community-rooted folk music education institution with world-music programming.

Broad incumbents

• Berklee College of Music: Largest independent music college in the world, based in Boston. A broad incumbent in music education whose market overlaps with serious adult learners who might otherwise choose Old Town School's advanced folk/roots classes.
• New England Conservatory: Boston-based conservatory offering classical, jazz, and contemporary music instruction and concerts. Comparable as a high-end music education brand with performance venue (Jordan Hall) and concert programming similar to Maurer/Szold Halls.

Regional players

• Ravinia Festival: Chicagoland summer music festival that presents concerts, music education programs (including Ravinia Steans Music Institute), and community engagement. Comparable as a Chicago-area music organization combining ticketed concerts, education, and community programming.

Others

• Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: Nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution that documents and distributes folk and traditional music. Compares through shared mission around folk/traditional music preservation, and could be a content/archival collaboration partner.

Emerging players

• Sustainable Music School (formerly Music Together): International early-childhood music education franchise offering parent-child music classes. Directly comparable to Old Town School's Wiggleworms program as a competing model for early-childhood music education delivery.
• Fender Play: Fender's online subscription-based guitar, bass, and ukulele lesson platform. Represents the digital competition Old Town School faces for adult beginner learners who might otherwise enroll in-person.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubesoundcloud.com/oldtownschool
• Xx.com/oldtownschool
• Facebookfacebook.com/oldtownschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Old Town School of Folk Music