The Diller-Quaile School of Music

What it reported doing in 2024

The diller-quaile school of music is a vibrant community music school located on the ues of manhattan, providing exemplary early childhood and instrumental & vocal programs, lessons and workshops for adults, teacher training and professional development initiatives, and community programs. During the 2024-2025 year, diller-quaile welcomed jennifer patten as its new exectuive director, and began exploring fresh opportunities for future planning while aligning to long-standing values. Throughout 2024-2025, the early childhood program continued to operate on a trimester system with approximately 35-36 classes per week and offered an extensive selection of courses for introducing small groups of young children and their families to the joys of music and visual art by engaging in developmentally appropriate group music experiences. Students were given the foundation for a comprehensive music education and the tools to express themselves artistically. Key to the diller-quaile approach is the collaboration among teachers and students, which creates a unique child-centered musical environment within each class session. Classes featured pianists who improvised accompaniments in a variety of styles in response to the children's singing and movement, thereby fostering a musically creative environment. Enrollment increased from the previous year and continued to increase throughout 2024-2025. In-person rug concerts, designed for young children and their families, were held throughout the year and enjoyed by large audiences. The instrumental and vocal department provided beginning to advanced instrument and voice study through comprehensive programs, weekly classes and ensemble instruction, and the high school certificate program. The school provided a robust calendar of student concerts and performances. The traditions and artistic approach to teaching cultivated by founders angela diller and elizabeth quaile, shaped the school's programs. Diller-quaile faculty guided students through an approach united by the pedagogical principles of using repertoire of enduring quality, teaching technique musically, and leading students to an understanding of the structure of music. This integrated approach to music education enabled the school's skilled faculty to continue to develop the emerging artistry in each student. Diller-quaile's instrument and voice curriculum provided students with a sequenced learning experience. Tailored to the individual instrument or voice, the curriculum focused on building technical skills as a foundation for expressive performance. Rooted in the teaching philosophy of the school's founders, the musicianship curriculum incorporated the approaches of pedagogues such as emile jaques-dalcroze, zoltan kodaly, and carl orff. Instrumental and vocal department enrollment increased from the previous year, and music partnerships with local nyc public schools continued to flourish. Camerata-an adult chamber orchestra-welcomed full audiences to fall and spring concerts; and adults were engaged in weekend chamber music workshops. The diller-quaile school of music's-music for all library-a collaborative, accessible web-based resource for early childhood professionals-remained available and stocked with repertoire, recordings, activities, and supportive resources. The library is designed to support teachers-of any experience level-with the implementation of aesthetically beautiful music in group childcare and educational settings ages birth to five. The diller-quaile school of music is accredited by the accrediting commission for community and precollegiate arts schools, is an accredited institutional member of the national association of schools of music and is a member of the national guild for community arts education.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 71.9%; rating input score 72
• Program expense ratio: 76%; rating input score 76
• Fundraising efficiency: $3.58 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • 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: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 10.9%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.23; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 20%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings