Our Story

Musical Minds Academy began with two musicians who met at Berklee College of Music, both there on merit scholarships, and both carrying the same conviction: that music should reach the students least likely to get it.

Teaching private lessons and after-school programs in districts across the state, they kept running into the same problem. Enrichment providers would hire talented musicians and send them into schools with little preparation. Specifically, some instructors had real artistic depth and no classroom skills. Others could manage a class but had little to teach.
 
Musical Minds Academy was built to close that gap.

What Closing the Gap Looks Like.

Closing the gap takes more than better hiring. It means owning the whole program: who teaches, how they are prepared and supported, what gets taught, what shows up in the room, and what families see at the end

Children and teacher engaged in a creative painting session in a classroom setting.
Our Own Teaching Artists

Every teaching artist is a W-2 employee of Musical Minds Academy, not a contractor. That lets us train them, mentor them, cover their absences, and hold every class to the same standard.

A Written Curriculum for Every Class

Each lesson is planned, sequenced, and tied to the California Arts Standards, so a district knows what is being taught and a student builds real skills over a term.

Young boy enthusiastically playing drums in front of a bright yellow wall, showcasing his musical talent.
We Bring Everything

We source and bring the materials and equipment every class needs. Nothing for your team to track down.

A Showcase the Whole Family Sees

Every class ends in a performance, screening, or exhibition that families attend. Along the way, families hear from us in English and Spanish.

More Than Music

We started with music. Districts asked for more, and today our classes span music, movement, and arts, each taught by artists who work in that discipline.

Who Teaches for Us

All of our teaching artists are meticulously vetted to ensure they are first and foremost effective teachers. Our recruitment efforts specifically place an emphasis on classroom control, tactical knowledge of SEL implementation, music and arts educational experience, and a track record of successful outcomes with the students they’ve led previously. We hire deliberately from every background within communities our partner schools serve, so the artist at the front of the room often grew up where the students did. Senior Instructors, each an experienced teaching artist, actively supervise small groups of instructors, visit their classes, and coach them through the year.

What We Believe

The arts build whole children

Creating something, performing it, and doing both alongside classmates builds confidence, communication, and the social and emotional skills that carry into every other subject.

Access should not depend on a zip code

California created Proposition 28 so every student can experience the arts, and ELOP so learning doesn’t end at the bell. We help districts put that funding to work on their own campuses.

Districts deserve a partner, not a vendor

Fast communication, fully managed programs, same-day substitute coverage, and the records a district needs for its own reporting. No gaps for school staff to fill.

Let’s Build an Enrichment Program Students Love


Leave your email and we’ll reach out, or call us at (818) 806-8020. We’ll talk through your campus and grade levels, the schedule and space you have to work with, and which funding source your district plans to use. Then we build the program with your team.