Academy of Musical Performance

The Academy of Musical Performance (AMP) is a contemporary music education program whose goal is to enrich the lives of young musicians age 10-18 living in the Coachella Valley by fostering productivity and social responsibility through creativity, communication and collaboration in the development and enhancement of musical performance and concert production skills through participation in a "rock band" style educational setting.

AMP offers multiple forward-thinking music programs to students between ages 8-18 to engage young people in music making. AMP's Rock Band programs teach youth how to play in a band and facilitate performances throughout the community, keeping kids engaged in positive community-based activities. AMP's Private Lesson program offers affordable and accessible lessons for beginners to advanced musicians. preAMP offers group lessons on ukulele to children, and our Instrument Loan program allows anyone to affordably explore an instrument.



AMP is known for its outstanding summer program where kids can learn the art of performance in a small rock band format. Our young musicians hone their skills by participating in master classes, songwriting sessions, band rehearsals, and live performance classes all while creating, communicating, and collaborating through the beauty of music! It is our goal to make sure all of our students achieve all of their musical aspirations. Due to high demand, AMP added an after-school program in 2016, AMP Fall & AMP Spring, to continue the rock band education and experience throughout the school year. AMP students have now played at major venues and events such as the Stagecoach Music Festival, Acrisure Arena, Pappy and Harriet's, Tachevah, the McCallum Theatre, PBS' Celebration of Music, the 111 Music Festival, the Tamale Festival, the Date Shed, the Hard Rock, the Hood, Big Rock Pub, the Tour de Palm Springs, and many more.



Why & how was AMP created?
In 2015, AMP was an idea by Coachella Valley Community Trust (CVCT) board member, Roman Whittaker, who noticed our schools were lacking music instruction. He pitched it to Goldenvoice who had been supporting the youth of the valley with CVCT. Goldenvoice committed to three years of seed funding to launch the program.



After the inaugural AMP Summer Camp in 2015, opportunities to expand AMP's educational programming began pouring in with community support and family demand. Since 2015, AMP has created eight unique programs and curriculums to offer new opportunities for local children and families and helped to foster a respectful and responsible community of musical youth in the Coachella Valley. The effects of AMP's visionary programming are coming to fruition as AMP students have been accepted with full and partial scholarships to the nation's top music universities, while others have kept their talents in the community, creating open and accepting music scenes for their extended networks.

Testimonials

"Our son has been in the AMP program for three years now and he loves it. As parents, we love it as well. We feel very blessed to have such an awesome music program available to the young kids in our area. Our son has not only grown musically but also has learned very important skills that he will carry forward with him in life. The program teaches the kids how to bring out the leader in themselves, how to create while having fun, how to work through challenges that may come up working with so many different personalities, how to take themselves seriously as musicians. The first time we saw our son perform on stage through this program, it blew us away. We knew he was good, but we had never seen him perform live with a group. For us, it was one of those unforgettable moments. We can't say enough about the staff, all the instructors, and the Director of the program, Will. They have put together a fantastic program. We have recommended AMP to many of Daniel's friends, and a few have already joined. We are looking forward to the next session." - Daniel Duardo