Education Through Music (ETM) Bay Area is a nonprofit organization which hires full-time certified music teachers to provide comprehensive, in-school music education to over 2,300 low-income children in Richmond and Oakland who would otherwise have no formal music education. Our music classes are completely integrated into the school day and curriculum, complementing other academic activities. ETM-Bay Area provides every child at these schools with at least one music class a week for the entire school year. Our longest-tenured teachers have provided individual students with music education every week for the past seven years from kindergarten through sixth grade.

Partner School Program ETM’s primary activity is forming long-term partnerships with Bay Area schools to help principals establish and sustain school-wide music education programs that reach every student.

Music education makes a difference. Each year, ETM helps thousands of children to learn skills, gain self-esteem and become excited about school. But for the long term, we are helping our partner schools establish strategic plans to hire their own music teachers and sustain music education beyond the existence of ETM.

External evaluation of ETM's programs has found positive impacts on children's achievement and youth development and on teaching practices.  We rely on ongoing internal assessment to improve our programs and to communicate with our principals and teachers, so that we can ensure children receive the quality education they deserve.