Education Through Music Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Program service accomplishments 2024-25during the 2024-2025 school year, education through music worked to support student learning and engagement, while building capacity among school and community members to create sustainable music programs. Etm delivered music classes to 19,086 under-resourced children at 55 schools in lower-income New York city neighborhoods. Of the students served, approximately 23% had special needs, 17% were english language learners, and 86% were living below the poverty line. 95% of etm students were people of color: 57% hispanic, 32% black, and 6% asian (as categorized in school census reports). These 55 partner schools were located in all five New York city boroughs: 31 bronx, 11 brooklyn, 4 manhattan, 8 queens, and 1 staten island, allowing us to work with more than 19,000 children each week, which included 28 band, orchestra, and chorus programs. Etm's programs provided:- students with access to comprehensive, sequential, and skills-, and standards-based music instruction as well as enrichment programs, such as band, orchestra, and chorus.- music teachers with ongoing training, mentoring, and oversight.- classroom teachers with professional development.- principals with leadership and program management guidance.- parents and community members with opportunities to learn about music education and to see their children perform. Core music instruction and enrichmentstudents in etm partner schools received weekly core music classes during the school year, with etm teachers providing 33,984 hours of in-person instruction at 55 schools. Teachers incorporated age-appropriate songs and instruments such as: xylophones, hand percussion, and ukuleles. Middle and high school instruction incorporated music technology in state-of-the-art labs. Instruction followed etm's grade-level music curriculum, which aligns with New York state and national standards. In addition to providing a foundation of knowledge and skills in music, music teachers employed integration strategies and collaborated with classroom teachers to reinforce cognitive skills that supported student learning in other subjects, such as english language arts, history, math, and science. Each school performed a winter and spring concert, with 13,360 parents, students, and teachers attending. By performing in these concerts, students showcased their new skills and accomplishments to peers, parents, and their wider school communities.ensembles and enrichmentthis year etm continued to support the establishment and growth of extracurricular ensembles with 28 ensembles participating in this year's concerts: 8 concert bands, 3 string orchestras, 7 modern bands, 9 choirs, and one bucket drumming club. These groups were led by etm-trained and -supported music teachers and typically rehearsed 1-3 times per week, before or after school, with additional small group lessons. Participation in afterschool programs, part of etm's "extended day," resulted in over 1,000 students participating in these afterschool programs for a total of over 1,290 sessions/hours. Music teacher professional developmentetm provided 90+ hours of targeted training and professional development to 50 teachers, beginning with our annual etm academy, 60 hours of mandatory training for all etm music teachers, held aug. 19 - aug. 26, 2024. These workshops focused on social emotional learning, concert and performance elements, and creating inclusive classrooms, among other topics. Etm also held 25 additional professional development sessions over the course of the school year. These sessions included teaching music to special needs students, ell strategies in the music room, and bucket drumming line and body percussion, among other topics. This year, etm achieved a 100% teacher return rate.etm program staff also provided ongoing support and mentoring to teachers, visiting each etm teacher on site at least once per month, and holding regular check-ins.building capacity to sustain programsprin

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 78.6%; rating input score 79
• Fundraising efficiency: $3.04 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Scored; rating input score 0

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -35%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.01; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 11.5%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings