In 2015, AMP was created from an idea by CVCT board member, Roman Whittaker, who pitched it to Goldenvoice for sponsorship. Always committed to supporting the youth of the Coachella Valley, Goldenvoice loved the concept and wanted to make it possible for students to attend at no cost to families. Thanks to their generous support and the hard work of the committee, AMP Camp was born and was offered tuition-free to all 36 students who were accepted into the 2015 program!
Many of the students who were accepted had never played in a band. That first week, the students were split into 4 bands and practiced daily along with other elective classes in music theory, songwriting, promotion and production. They received a broad view into the music industry.
Many of the stories from the students and their parents and loved ones were stories of how their confidence grew and they blossomed and matured. It was an overwhelming success from our supporters and the community at large. We are delighted to bring another year to the youth of the Coachella Valley.
AMP Camp 2015 was such a success that AMP secured three years of seed-funding from Goldenvoice, which allowed AMP to build the foundation for our current year-round programs that serve students from all over the Coachella Valley. AMP's Board of Directors continues to secure the necessary funding from local donors and grants to be able to offer Tuition Assistance to all families who need it to join AMP's programs.
As AMP grew, we began to offer a wider variety of programming to cater to our community's needs. Read about our current program offerings, like AMP Summer Camp, AMP Fall+Spring, our Private Lesson program, Instrument Zoo, preAMP, and Rockin' On!
AMP accepts:
Vocalists
Guitarists
Bass Guitarists
Keyboardists
Drummers
Percussion Players
Electronic Music Producers
Orchestral Instruments (on a case-by-case basis)
About AMP
Play with a band. Grow with a band.
The Academy of Musical Performance is a contemporary music education program whose goal is to enrich the lives of young musicians 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 engage young people in music making. AMP's Rock Band programs teach youth how to play in a band and facilitates 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, AMP Summer Camp, featuring the Valley's top musicians teaching, in small rock band format, Coachella Valley's young musicians in their performance and concert production skills through rehearsals, workshops, individual instruction, and live performances. AMP quickly expanded our programming to offer AMP Fall and Spring, continuing the rock band education and experience throughout the school year, along with building other programs such as preAMP and AMP’s Instrument Zoo.
AMP Summer, Spring, and Fall is open to students between ages 11—18 from the desert communities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Bermuda Dunes, Indio, Coachella, and Thermal.
In 2015, AMP was an idea by CVCT board member, Roman Whittaker, who pitched it to Goldenvoice for seed funding to get the program on it's feet. AMP was created by a committee of volunteers involved with Coachella Valley Community Trust. We have many additional community sponsors from around the valley. In addition, the AMP Board of Directors is dedicated to the fundraising process.
AMP's Mission Statement
The Academy of Musical Performance is a contemporary music education program whose goal is to enrich the lives of young musicians 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 LEADERSHIP
Co-founder, Board President & Volunteer CEO: Kate Spates
Executive Director & Music Educator: Will Sturgeon
Executive Assistant: Josiah Gonzalez
Secretary & Treasurer: Cherise Sonderman
Co-Founder & Board Chairperson: Roman Whittaker
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
