Draft:Music Workshop

• Comment: In accordance with the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use, I disclose that I have been paid by my employer for my contributions to this article. Amypedia123 (talk) 23:02, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

Music Workshop is a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon that provides free, culturally responsive music education curriculum to teachers and schools. Founded in 2012, it operates through an online portal where educators can access interactive video-based, teacher-led lesson plans and other classroom-ready resources at no cost.^[1][2][3]

Background and founding

Music Workshop was founded in 2012 by Amy Richter, a Portland native and former marketing manager.^[1] Richter, who had studied music and psychology at Whittier College and was diagnosed with dyslexia, credited music education with supporting her own academic and personal development.^[4] After observing the elimination of music programs at her children's schools, she founded Music Workshop to address the gap.^[2] Before moving to an online portal, the organization began by distributing DVD-based programming to schools in the Beaverton and Portland area, with early coverage by The Oregonian in 2013 and 2014 bringing wider attention to the program.^[5][6]

Programs and curriculum

Music Workshop's standards-aligned free curriculum covers music history and appreciation topics including musical genres, instruments, world cultures, and careers in music, and is designed to be taught by any educator regardless of musical background, expertise, equipment, or location.^[1][2][3] Lessons typically include video instruction, listening exercises, movement activities, and discussion components, and are accompanied by student worksheets and other teacher support materials.^[2][7]

The curriculum and other teaching resources emphasize culturally responsive teaching and represent a broad range of global musical traditions, developed in consultation with musicians, scholars, educators, and cultural specialists.^[2][8]

Music Workshop also hosts Soundwaves, a free community concert series held at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton, Oregon, with concerts recorded and made available through the online portal as classroom lessons.^[9][10] Additionally, the organization offers professional development courses for educators across subjects on topics including music for well-being and classroom management.^[11][12]

Growth and reach

By 2019, Music Workshop had been used in approximately 1,450 schools across 23 countries.^[1] As of 2026, the organization reported reaching more than eight million students through over 19,000 schools in all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries.^[13][14]

The organization has been covered by national and regional media outlets including EdSource, KOIN 6, KATU, FOX 32 Chicago, WQAD, and Portland Monthly, among others.^{[1][3][4][9][11][15][16][17]}

Partnerships

Organizational partners have included the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the International Society for Music Educators (ISME), the Oregon Music Educators Association (OMEA), the Oregon Symphony, the Grammy Music Education Coalition, the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, All Classical Radio, Ethos Music Center, the Beaverton School District, and the Children's Cancer Association, among others.^[18]

References

External links

• Official website: Music Workshop | We Bring Music-Empowered Learning to Classrooms