Excite Music

What Excite Music does

Excite Music is a Fargo, North Dakota-based non-profit organization operating as a project under Impact Foundation (and therefore not separately incorporated). Founded in 2019, the organization's stated mission is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn and experience music regardless of economic status. It serves children and teenagers (ages 3-18) from low-income families in the Fargo-Moorhead area who lack financial resources to afford private music instruction, with scholarship eligibility gated by income thresholds (e.g., household income under $55,000 for NDSU Music Academy scholarships) and age requirements.

The organization distributes scholarships through two institutional partners: Elevate Rock School, which provides rock-band style instruction in drums, bass, piano, guitar, singing, and a "Lil Peeps" program for younger children, with students performing in full production concerts twice yearly; and NDSU Music Academy, which offers private lessons taught by NDSU graduate and undergraduate music students at Peace Lutheran Church in Fargo across Spring, Summer, and Fall sessions. An ancillary Instrument Donation Program accepts in-kind contributions of musical instruments. In 2024, the organization awarded $12,652 in scholarships to 12 students.

Excite Music is funded exclusively through charitable donations, corporate sponsorships from local businesses (Cornerstone Dental, Country Financial, Goodwill, TAK Music Venue, Walmart.org), and proceeds from annual community benefit events such as the "Play It Forward" chili cook-off and live music fundraiser. It has 1-10 employees, led by founder Heather Burbine and director Lisa Niemiller, with Impact Foundation providing all back-office accounting and administration. Marketing is conducted through Facebook, an email newsletter, and community events; the organization has no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or AI capabilities.

Name

Excite Music

Legal name

Excite Music

Website

https://excitemusicfm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Excite Music is a Fargo-Moorhead non-profit that provides music lesson scholarships to underprivileged children ages 3-18, delivering instruction through partnerships with Elevate Rock School and NDSU Music Academy and funding via donations, sponsorships, and annual benefit events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Music Education Non-profit Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Music Lessons (Instrumental) (EDAMANAA), Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC), Early Childhood Music Education (Ages 0–7) (EDAMANAD)

Keywords

• Music education scholarships
• Youth music programs
• Music lesson funding
• Nonprofit music access
• Community music education

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Excite Music generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and community benefit events. The organization received $12,652 in donations in 2024 which were awarded as music lesson scholarships to 12 students. The 2025 'Play It Forward' benefit event includes sponsorship opportunities for businesses.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Local businesses sponsor Excite Music's mission and programs. Sponsors include Dr. Jessica at Cornerstone Dental, Dallas Lichtenberg at Country Financial, along with logos displayed for Goodwill, and other community partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Excite Music provides music lesson scholarships to underprivileged children ages 3-18 in the Fargo-Moorhead area, funding instruction at Elevate Rock School (drums, bass, piano, guitar, singing, Lil Peeps) and NDSU Music Academy (private lessons for grades 6-12). The organization is a project of Impact Foundation, awarding $12,652 to 12 students in 2024, and supplements its scholarship work with an annual Play It Forward benefit event and an instrument donation program.

Product overview

Excite Music is a non-profit scholarship organization (a project of Impact Foundation) that provides music education opportunities to young people in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Rather than a unified software product, the organization offers a portfolio of programs including music lesson scholarships to NDSU Music Academy and Elevate Rock School, an annual Play It Forward benefit event, and an instrument donation program. Students ages 3-18 can receive scholarships covering drums, bass, piano, guitar, and vocal lessons regardless of economic status.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elevate Rock School Scholarships Year-round scholarships covering all music lessons at Elevate Rock School for students ages 3-18, including instruction in drums, bass, piano, guitar, singing, and the Lil Peeps program. Students participate in full-production concerts twice per year. Applicants must have reliable transportation and proof of income.
• NDSU Music Academy Scholarships Scholarships for private music lessons at NDSU Music Academy for students in grades 6-12 with household income under $55,000. Lessons offered during Spring, Summer, or Fall sessions, taught by NDSU graduate and undergraduate student instructors in a non-competitive, encouraging environment. Lessons are held at Peace Lutheran Church (1011 12th Avenue N, Fargo, ND).
• Instrument Donation Program Program allowing community members to donate musical instruments to support music education for children receiving scholarships through Excite Music.
• Play It Forward Benefit Event Annual fundraising event featuring a chili cook-off, kids costume contest, live music performances by student bands from Elevate Rock School, and raffles. The 2025 Fall Edition is held at TAK Music Venue on October 19th, 3-6pm, with sponsorship opportunities available for businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• $12,652 awarded in scholarships to 12 students in 2024

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Impact FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExcite Music is a project of Impact Foundation. Impact Foundation oversees all accounting and administration of the Excite Music project, allowing its committed leaders to focus on people rather than paperwork. Excite Music is not separately incorporated.
• Elevate Rock SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElevate Rock School provides in-depth music instruction focusing on reading music, theory, and live performance. The Rock Band program offers lessons in drums, bass, piano, guitar, singing, and Lil Peeps. Excite Music provides scholarship funding for students to attend year-round. Students participate in full production concerts twice per year.
• NDSU Music AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDSU Music Academy is a non-degree organization providing high-quality music education in an encouraging, non-competitive environment. Instructors are NDSU graduate and undergraduate students pursuing degrees in music education, music performance, and conducting. Excite Music provides scholarships for private lessons for students in grades 6-12 with household income under $55,000.
• Dr. Jessica at Cornerstone DentalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDr. Jessica at Cornerstone Dental is listed as a donor and supporter of Excite Music's mission to make music accessible to all children in the Fargo-Moorhead community.
• Dallas Lichtenberg at Country FinancialminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDallas Lichtenberg at Country Financial is listed as a donor and supporter of Excite Music's mission to make music accessible to all children in the Fargo-Moorhead community.
• TAK Music VenueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTAK Music Venue is sponsoring the October 19th event from 3-6pm, hosting student performances and community engagement activities.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• El Sistema USA: Network of El Sistema-inspired programs across the U.S. providing intensive music instruction to children in underserved communities. Directly comparable in using music education as social intervention for at-risk youth.
• Education Through Music: Non-profit partnering with schools to provide music education as part of the regular curriculum in under-resourced communities. Comparable in addressing inequity in music education access for children.
• Play On, Philly!: El Sistema-inspired non-profit providing free, high-quality music instruction to children in Philadelphia who otherwise lack access. Directly comparable as a free music education program for underprivileged youth.
• The Harmony Project: Community-based non-profit providing free music instruction to students from low-income families. Directly comparable mission of using music education as a vehicle for youth opportunity in a defined metro area.
• Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation: Non-profit that supports music education through instrument donations and scholarships to schools nationwide. Directly comparable in funding music learning opportunities for underserved youth.
• Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock): National non-profit that provides free music instruction and instruments to underprivileged students in public schools. Directly comparable to Excite Music's mission of removing financial barriers to music education for children.
• VH1 Save The Music Foundation: Non-profit that donates musical instruments and resources to schools to ensure music access for all students. Operates in the same space of expanding music education access for youth who lack resources.

Emerging players

• Notes Education Foundation: Non-profit focused on supporting music education access in schools. Partial overlap with Excite Music's mission of funding music instruction for students who could not otherwise afford it.
• Sing for Hope: Non-profit that brings free arts programming—including music—to communities through artist volunteer engagement. Adjacent model with overlapping mission of expanding arts access for underserved populations.

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Hall Music Education Programs: Large institutional music education programs serving youth nationwide through concerts, workshops, and curricula. Overlaps with Excite Music's mission at a much broader scale and longer history.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ExciteMusicFargo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/excite-music

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 Excite Music