DMDL

Supplemental Education Servicesdmdlinc.com

DMDL is a privately held Chicago-based education services company that delivers supplemental academic instruction and fine arts programming to K-12 schools through its proprietary music-integrated PROPEL Curriculum, serving 60+ Chicago-area schools since 2001.

Company typePrivate
Founded2001
HeadquartersChicago, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What DMDL does

DMDL (Discover Music: Discover Life, Inc.) is a privately held Chicago-based education services company founded in 2001 that delivers supplemental academic instruction and fine arts programming to K-12 schools in the Chicago metropolitan area. The company sells directly to school administrators and principals through consultative field sales, serving approximately 60+ public, charter, Christian, Catholic, Lutheran, independent, and residential schools, including Title I-eligible private institutions. Its service portfolio spans tutoring, learning recovery, academic coaching, supplemental instruction, family engagement, professional development for educators, and a suite of fine arts offerings including in-school performances, field trip performances, artist residencies, and cultural heritage events.

The company's core differentiator is its proprietary PROPEL Curriculum, which uses a direct instructional approach to connect everyday life to music in order to teach literacy, math, perceptive listening, critical thinking, and creative participation. The methodology is grounded in Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory and Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy, and underpins most academic offerings. The curriculum was developed by founder and CEO Orbert Davis, an Emmy Award-winning composer and conductor of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, whose profile is central to the company's talent-driven identity. Programs are delivered on-site, virtually, or in hybrid formats, with content aligned to state, Common Core, and national fine arts standards.

DMDL operates a professional services revenue model with quote-based, negotiated contracts funded through school budgets, Title I ESSA allocations for eligible private schools, and direct institutional agreements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is FERPA-compliant, holds no patents or trademarks in the data, has no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors, and operates exclusively within the Chicago metropolitan area. It maintains a small employee base (11-50) and an IT support relationship with Arturo Solo LLC, with no documented M&A activity, geographic expansion, or recent leadership changes.

DMDL firmographics

Firmographics

Name: DMDL
Legal name: Discover Music: Discover Life, Inc.
Website: https://dmdlinc.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2001
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: DMDL is a privately held Chicago-based education services company that delivers supplemental academic instruction and fine arts programming to K-12 schools through its proprietary music-integrated PROPEL Curriculum, serving 60+ Chicago-area schools since 2001.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

DMDL industry classification

Industry

Product category: Supplemental Education Services
NAICS: Educational Support Services (61171), Fine Arts Schools (61161)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro industry: PRIMARYEDAMANAI
Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms
Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Music Education (Instrumental & Vocal)
SECONDARYEDAGAKAF
Learning Experience Design (LXD) & UX for Learning
Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Instructional Design & Content Development Services

Keywords

Supplemental education services
Fine arts programs
Music-integrated curriculum
Tutoring services
Title i services

Where DMDL is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Chicago
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

DMDL business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services

Revenue model

Academic Programs: Tutoring services and academic instruction provided to students in small-group and individualized settings. Includes literacy and math tutoring, learning recovery programs, and academic coaching to help students identify and develop skills necessary for success.
Title I Supplemental Services: ESSA Title I supplemental instructional services provided to private schools located in Chicago Public School District attendance area. Services include supplemental instruction, professional development, family engagement, and fine arts programs funded through Title I.
Professional Development: Workshops, seminars and training courses for teachers, staff and program providers to help them stay current with trends and learn fresh strategies for classroom challenges and curriculum development. Built on research-based models.
Family Engagement Programs: Trainings, materials and activities for parents covering child development, health and wellness, testing strategies, and social and emotional learning. Workshops designed to strengthen relationships between parents, teachers and principals.
Fine Arts Programs: In-school performances, field trip performances, artist-in-residency programs, and arts-in-education services. Programs include music history, cultural performances, drumline, dance, and visual arts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

DMDL product offering

Product offering

Core offering

DMDL (Discover Music: Discover Life) delivers supplemental academic instruction, academic coaching, and fine arts programming to K-12 students in the Chicago area through its proprietary PROPEL Curriculum, which integrates music with literacy and math instruction. The company provides tutoring, learning recovery, professional development for educators, family engagement services, and in-school/field-trip performances funded through school budgets and Title I allocations.

Product overview

DMDL (Discover Music: Discover Life) provides supplemental academic education and fine arts programs for K-12 students in the Chicago area since 2001. The company operates a multi-product portfolio centered around its proprietary PROPEL Curriculum—a music-based curriculum that connects literacy and math proficiency to music elements. Academic offerings include Tutoring, Learning Recovery, and Academic Coaching, while Fine Arts programming encompasses In-School Performances, Field Trip Performances, Artist-in-Residency Programs, and Arts-in-Education. DMDL also delivers Title I Services including Supplemental Instruction, Family Engagement, and Professional Development for educators. The PROPEL Curriculum serves as the core instructional methodology underpinning most programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

PROPEL: DMDL's interactive proprietary curriculum 'Propel: Making Connections–Literacy, Math & Music' is a skills-based instruction model designed for individual focused achievement using a direct instructional approach that connects everyday life to music.

Products and services

Propel: Making Connections – Literacy, Math & Music Curriculum

Companies that use DMDL

Customer profile

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

DMDL technology and API

Technology

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

DMDL partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

DMDL competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

DMDL compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance1 record

DMDL financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

DMDL leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

DMDL funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

DMDL M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about DMDL

What does DMDL do?

Is DMDL a public or private company?

DMDL is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was DMDL founded?

DMDL was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is DMDL based?

DMDL is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.

How does DMDL make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. Academic Programs are the primary driver. The others are title I Supplemental Services, professional Development, family Engagement Programs and fine Arts Programs.

Does DMDL have an API?

No public API is recorded for DMDL.

What industry is DMDL in?

DMDL's product category is Supplemental Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMANAI, Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAGAKAF, Learning Experience Design (LXD) & UX for Learning. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.