Academy Of Music For The Blind

What Academy Of Music For The Blind does

Academy of Music for the Blind (AMB) is a private California-based 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit founded in 1996 by David and Gayle Pinto, providing year-round music and performing arts education to blind and visually impaired youth. AMB operates three delivery channels: a Saturday program at Calvary Baptist Church in Whittier, California serving students from Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Valley counties; weekday private lessons at faculty studios; and an online program serving blind youth across the United States outside the Greater Los Angeles area. The curriculum spans piano, percussion, guitar, wind instruments, voice, dance, drama, literary and music Braille, composition, and computer recording, with a High School Credit Program that allows students to earn academic credit for coursework.

The organization's underlying instructional approach is built on adaptive teaching methods tailored specifically for blind students, including Braille music notation literacy taught by faculty with formal music degrees — many from Berklee College of Music, CalArts, and USC. AMB describes itself as the only year-round comprehensive music and performing arts education provider for blind youth in the United States, a positioning it has held for approximately 20 years per its own materials.

AMB's revenue model is exclusively donation-based, with no tuition fees publicly disclosed. Revenue streams include individual tax-deductible donations, annual fundraising events (e.g., the Fall Concert Fundraiser 'Songs in The Key of Light' at a $20 suggested ticket donation), corporate sponsorships (event and scholarship), foundation grants (Pasadena Community Foundation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Find Your Light Foundation, Lions Club, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, Grace Ellen Spearman Foundation, Aidan's Red Envelope Foundation), in-kind instrument donations, and Amazon Smile affiliate revenue. GTM is community-led: volunteers aged 15+ serve as sighted guides, supplemented by word-of-mouth referrals, partnerships with disability organizations, and earned media (CBS 60 Minutes, Los Angeles Times, KPFK). Notable artist supporters include Ray Charles and Josh Groban, and the organization's Acabella vocal group has performed publicly at venues including the Bonaventure Hotel and Chicago's 167 Green (via ORA/Blind Canvas partnership).

Name

Academy Of Music For The Blind

Legal name

Academy of Music for the Blind

Website

https://ouramb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Academy of Music for the Blind is a California-based nonprofit, founded in 1996, providing year-round music and performing arts education to blind and visually impaired youth via in-person Saturday classes in Whittier, weekday private lessons, and a nationwide online program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education for the Blind

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Fine Arts Schools (61161), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Music Lessons (Instrumental) (EDAMANAA), Music Theory, Ear Training & Musicianship (EDAMANAF), Music Production & Composition (Songwriting, Recording, DJing) (EDAMAAAF), Music Schools & Conservatory Prep (Pre-College) (EDAMANAE), Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI)

Keywords

• Music education services
• Blind youth programs
• Adaptive music instruction
• Performing arts education
• Braille music literacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Monrovia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting blind youth music education. Donors can contribute online or contact the organization directly.
2. Event Fundraising: Annual and seasonal fundraiser events such as the Fall Concert Fundraiser 'Songs in The Key of Light' with suggested donation of $20 per ticket. All donations are tax deductible and fund scholarships for AMB students.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate gifts including event sponsorship and scholarship sponsorship opportunities. Corporations can organize fundraisers, have students perform at events, or sponsor specific students.
4. Foundation Grants: Support from foundations including Pasadena Community Foundation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Find Your Light Foundation (Josh Groban's), Grace Ellen Spearman Foundation, Lions Club, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, and Aidan's Red Envelope Foundation.
5. Instrument Donations: Accepts donated musical instruments for tax-deductible write-offs. Refurbished instruments are awarded to students based on need.
6. Amazon Smile: Small percentage of purchases donated to AMB when customers select Academy of Music for the Blind as their charity on smile.amazon.com.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Academy of Music for the Blind (AMB) delivers year-round music and performing arts education programs for blind and visually impaired youth. Core offerings include a Saturday Program held at Calvary Baptist Church in Whittier, CA, weekday Private Classes at AMB teacher studios, an Online Program for remote students, and a High School Credit Program. The curriculum spans piano, percussion, guitar, wind instruments, voice, dance, drama, literary and music Braille, composition, and computer recording.

Product overview

The Academy of Music for the Blind (AMB) is a non-profit educational organization offering a portfolio of music and performing arts programs for blind youth. The core offering consists of the Saturday Program held at Calvary Baptist Church in Whittier, California, supplemented by Private Classes, an Online Program for students outside the Greater Los Angeles area, and a High School Credit Program. The curriculum spans piano, percussion, guitar, wind instruments, voice, dance, drama, literary and music Braille, composition, and computer recording. AMB also organizes Events and Performances including fundraisers and community showcases, and maintains an E-News Subscription service for supporter communications. The organization has operated since 1996 and describes itself as the only year-round comprehensive music education program specifically for blind youth in the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Acabella: AMB's acapella group that has been featured in the Los Angeles Times

Products and services

• Saturday Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 28 years of continuous operation providing year-round music education
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, minor and major.

• ORA/Blind CanvassupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2024ORA/Blind Canvas presented AMB's ACABELLA group for a live performance at 167 Green in Chicago, in addition to presenting a short documentary on AMB's history and work with the blind.
• Tracey and Allan Riddle CateringsupportingOthersTracey and Allan Riddle selflessly cater AMB events as an in-kind donation.
• Marie DigbyminorOthersSinger/songwriter Marie Digby supports AMB students with her artistry and time.
• Ray CharlesmajorOthersLegendary musician Ray Charles has visited and worked with AMB students as part of the program's Artist Friends initiative.
• Josh GrobanmajorOthersInternationally renowned singer Josh Groban supports AMB through his Find Your Light Foundation and has visited with students.
• Tina GuosupportingOthersInternational cellist Tina Guo has appeared on the K-AMB Live Podcast and supports AMB as an artist friend.
• KPFK 90.7 FMsupportingOthersKPFK's Access Unlimited program features interviews with AMB's co-founder and Executive Director David Pinto about the organization's work with the blind community.
• Cantor Fine ArtsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMB students recorded a completely original composition in collaboration with Cantor Fine Art.
• Blind CanvassupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlind Canvas collaborated with AMB to tell the stories of its students and the effect on the community. ORA/Blind Canvas presented AMB's ACABELLA group for a live performance in Chicago.
• CBS 60 MinutesmajorOthersCBS' 60 Minutes featured AMB, following the story of one of its remarkable students and alumni, Rex Lewis Clack.
• Los Angeles TimessupportingOthersLos Angeles Times featured AMB's acapella group Acabella in a write-up about the organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• From the Top: Nonprofit that supports and showcases classically trained young musicians through performances and scholarships; adjacent because AMB student performers and alumni (e.g., Rex Lewis Clack) have crossed into similar national performance platforms, sharing talent pipelines and visibility mechanisms.
• American Printing House for the Blind: Nonprofit producing Braille and accessible learning materials for blind individuals; adjacent because AMB's curriculum depends on music Braille content of this kind, though APH is a supplier/enabler rather than a direct educator.

Direct peers

• Little Kids Rock: Nonprofit providing music education and instruments to under-resourced schools; comparable as a youth-focused music-education nonprofit competing for similar philanthropic and corporate partnership dollars.
• Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation: Nonprofit that supports music education and instruments for underserved youth, including students with special needs; comparable as a music-education nonprofit reliant on donations, foundation grants, and instrument donations targeting youth access to music.
• Education Through Music: Nonprofit that partners with schools to deliver music instruction to disadvantaged youth; comparable model of donor- and grant-funded supplemental music education, though targeting general school-age populations rather than a specific disability niche.
• VH1 Save The Music Foundation: National nonprofit that funds music education programs in schools; comparable as a donor-funded music-education nonprofit pursuing similar foundation, corporate, and individual donor pools, though at much larger scale and broader audience.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins School for the Blind: Established nonprofit serving blind and visually impaired students with educational services including music and performing arts; comparable target population and supplemental education mission, though Perkins is a broader K-12 school rather than a music-focused program.
• National Federation of the Blind: Large advocacy and service organization for blind Americans; comparable because it shares AMB's blind-youth beneficiary population and engages donors on services supporting blind individuals, though its mission is advocacy-led rather than arts instruction.
• Lighthouse Guild: Larger nonprofit serving blind and visually impaired populations with health, education, and music programs (including the Filomen D. Legato Center for Music and the Blind); comparable because it overlaps AMB's target population and music-education mission, though operating at far greater scale and scope.

Emerging players

• Songbud: Smaller nonprofit focused on inclusive music education for children with disabilities; comparable as an emerging mission-aligned music-education nonprofit serving youth with special needs, though operating at smaller scale and broader disability scope than AMB.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/our_amb
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AcademyMusicForBlind
• Facebookfacebook.com/@ouramb
• Instagraminstagram.com/ouramb
• TikToktiktok.com/@ouramb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-of-music-for-the-blind

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Academy Of Music For The Blind