Sistema Tulsa

Name

Sistema Tulsa

Legal name

Boston Avenue United Methodist Church

Website

https://sistematulsa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Music Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Schools & Conservatory Prep (Pre-College) (EDAMANAE), Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE), Music Camps (Band, Choir, Instrument Intensive) (EDAMALAJ)

Keywords

• Community music education
• Youth orchestra programs
• Free music instruction
• El Sistema methodology
• Ensemble music training

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulsa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Sistema Tulsa accepts donations from individuals at various levels including Visionary Circle ($25,000+), Director's Circle ($5,000-$24,999), Sustainers ($1,000-$4,999), and Friends ($5-$999). Unrestricted gifts allow flexibility for greatest programmatic needs.
2. Foundation Grants: Multiple foundation donors including Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation, Arnall Family Foundation, Brannin Family Foundation, George Kaiser Family Foundation, Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, and others provide institutional funding.
3. Institutional Sponsorship: Boston Avenue United Methodist Church provides institutional sponsorship and hosts the program at no cost, covering facility expenses and administrative support as part of the church's mission.
4. Instrument Donations: Accepts donations of new or gently used musical instruments, with donors receiving acknowledgement letters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sistema Tulsa is a free, nonprofit community music education program that delivers ensemble-based instrumental and orchestral instruction to elementary, middle, and high school students in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Programs include the Elementary Programs (EP) fundamentals curriculum, the Community Youth Orchestra (CYO) at intermediate and advanced levels, satellite sites at partner elementary schools, co-teaching support in Tulsa Public Schools music classrooms, and an annual Summer Camp. All programming is tuition-free and grounded in the El Sistema philosophy of using ensemble music-making as a vehicle for youth development and social change.

Product overview

Sistema Tulsa is a free music education nonprofit offering a suite of ensemble-based programs inspired by the El Sistema movement. The core offerings include the Elementary Programs (EP) for foundational music learning, the Community Youth Orchestra (CYO) for intermediate and advanced middle/high school students, Summer Camp for intensive skill-building, Satellite Sites at partner elementary schools, and the Partner Schools Program featuring co-teaching with Tulsa Public Schools. All programs are tuition-free and focus on social development through orchestral music.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sistema Tulsa Community Youth Orchestra (STCYO): A symphonic program for middle and high school students representing many of the Tulsa Public Schools and students from across the Tulsa Region, featuring intermediate and advanced ensembles.
• Elementary Programs (EP)
• Sistema Satellites
• Summer Play (Summer Camp)

Products and services

• Elementary Programs (EP) Flagship tuition-free elementary music education program for K-5 students. First-year students follow a Fundamentals Curriculum (ukuleles, drums, singing, music reading, movement, Orff-based learning) preparing them to specialize in Strings, Woodwind, or Brass instruments in their second year. Sessions are held at the Main Hub on Tuesday/Thursday 4-5pm with electives running until 7pm.
• Community Youth Orchestra (CYO) Tuition-free symphonic program for middle and high school students featuring intermediate and advanced ensembles (Advanced Symphony Orchestra, Intermediate Symphony Orchestra, Beginner Orchestra). Students are placed via placement auditions and rehearse Monday/Wednesday/Thursday evenings at the Main Hub, with electives including piano lab, chamber music, jazz combo, musical theatre, chorus, and percussion.
• Summer Camp (Summer Play) Free week-long intensive music camp held annually for students in grades 3-12. Morning sessions target beginners to early intermediate students (Orff, ukulele, movement, singing, chorus, band, strings); afternoon sessions target late intermediate to advanced students (symphonic orchestra, chamber music, jazz combo).
• Satellite Sites Free after-school music education support programs based on the Sistema Tulsa Elementary Program model, operating at five partner schools: Wayman Tisdale Fine Arts Academy, Mayo Demonstration Academy, Owen Elementary, Grissom Elementary, and Mitchell Elementary. Students meet twice weekly at the school site and travel to the main hub twice per semester for performances.
• Partner Schools Program Partnership with Tulsa Public Schools in which Sistema Tulsa faculty co-teach alongside certified TPS educators in school orchestra or band programs at no cost to the district, providing up to 4 hours per week of in-school support including sectionals, small group lessons, and ensemble reinforcement at 10 partner schools (Booker T. Washington HS, Carver MS, East Central HS, Edison MS, Memorial MS, Monroe Demonstration School, McLain HS, Thoreau Demonstration Academy, Will Rogers MS/HS).

Quantifiable outcome

• Program has grown from 25 inaugural students in 2015 to serving youth across multiple programs and 10+ partner schools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tulsa Public Schools (TPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Tulsa Public Schools is a key partner providing access to students through 10 partner schools and 5 satellite sites. TPS music teachers collaborate with Sistema Tulsa faculty in a co-teaching model. TPS provides transportation via school bus for satellite students to attend main hub events twice per semester. The TPS Fine Arts Content Manager facilitates school participation in the Partner Schools Program.
• Boston Avenue United Methodist Church (BAUMC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Boston Avenue United Methodist Church is the parent organization and host of Sistema Tulsa. The church provides facility space at 1301 S. Boston Avenue, institutional sponsorship, administrative infrastructure, and is the 501(c)(3) umbrella organization holding funds for the program. The program originated from the church's commitment to music education and social mission.
• El Sistema USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSistema Tulsa is affiliated with the national El Sistema USA organization and the international El Sistema movement founded in Venezuela. This affiliation provides the philosophical framework and educational methodology for the program. The director is connected to the national El Sistema movement.
• El Sistema MovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational music education movement founded in Venezuela that inspires Sistema Tulsa's approach to ensemble-based music education as a tool for youth development and social change.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Play On, Philly!: El Sistema-inspired program providing free music education to Philadelphia students with intensive after-school instruction. Comparable in pedagogy, target population, and free-tuition model.
• People's Music School: Chicago-based nonprofit providing free, high-quality music education to underserved youth. Comparable in tuition-free model, youth-development mission, and ensemble/private-instruction programming.
• Atlanta Music Project: El Sistema USA-affiliated nonprofit providing free, ensemble-based music education to underserved youth in Atlanta. Closest structural analog to Sistema Tulsa in mission, pedagogy, and donor-funded nonprofit model.
• Harmony Project: El Sistema-inspired nonprofit providing free music education to underserved youth across multiple Los Angeles sites. Closely comparable in tuition-free model, satellite expansion, and youth-development framing.
• Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA): LA Phil's El Sistema-inspired initiative delivering free ensemble music instruction to LA-area youth through multiple sites. Comparable in serving underserved students, multi-site structure, and institutional partnership model.
• Kids' Orchestra: El Sistema-inspired program in Baton Rouge providing free after-school music instruction to elementary students. Comparable in scale, mission, and reliance on community partnerships and foundation funding.
• Baltimore Symphony OrchKids: El Sistema-inspired program providing free music education to Baltimore City Public Schools students. Directly comparable hub-and-satellite, in-school co-teaching, and ensemble-based model serving youth in an urban public-school system.

Broad incumbents

• Community Music Center of Boston: Long-standing community music school offering ensemble and private instruction across genres. Comparable in tuition-supported community music education but serves a wider demographic and charges fees.
• New England Conservatory Preparatory School: Pre-college music program associated with a major conservatory, offering ensemble and instrumental instruction to youth. Overlaps with Sistema Tulsa's pre-college pathway for advanced students but operates as a fee-based preparatory school.
• Interlochen Center for the Arts: Established multi-program arts education institution offering intensive music instruction to youth. Broader and more selective than Sistema Tulsa, but overlaps significantly in youth orchestral training and ensemble pedagogy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sistema-tulsa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Sistema Tulsa