The Academy of Musical Performance in Indio, a nonprofit program that offers hands-on “rock band” style music education for youth, announced on Thursday that it has temporarily paused operations after 11 years. This decision was described as due to a “decrease in activity” and the conclusion of its lease at the city-owned space on Miles Avenue.
“We want to be clear: this is hopefully not the end of AMP. The organization will remain a registered non-profit, and we are taking this time to thoughtfully consider what the next chapter could look like,” AMP said in a statement posted on its website and social media accounts.
During a recent interview, AMP Executive Director and cofounder Kate Spates said AMP’s most stable and successful years were during it’s founding in 2015 to 2017 after Los Angeles promoter Goldenvoice had donated more than $750,000 in seed money to the organization, and under the tenure of former program director Will Sturgeon, who brought a combination of curriculum design, communications, creative work, and administrative management that they struggled to replicate in that capacity following his departure in 2021.
In 2018, Spates told The Desert Sun that Goldenvoice had decided to “go in a different direction” with its philanthropic efforts. A week later, Goldenvoice president and CEO Paul Tollett said by text, “We don’t discuss our charity/philanthropy.” Spates is the longtime romantic partner of former Goldenvoice COO Skip Paige, who left the firm in late 2017.
Spates said AMP’s financial situation “hasn’t been sustainable for a while.”
“We never really had a development director or anybody pushing paper. It was all about supporting our programs and we had really created a pathway for a young musician who had never touched an instrument to go all the way to joining a band. The framework was there, and I would love to see Goldenvoice get involved again. It was such a natural fit, but they have their own interests elsewhere,” Spates said.
AMP had also been in its downtown Indio studio on a month-to-month lease, and after seven years, the City of Indio informed them that a new business would be taking over the space. Spates and the board saw the loss of the space as the end of the current era of the program.
“The City of Indio gave us 30 days’ notice, and we were all like, ‘God, this is the sign.’ The city has been wonderful and we’re not mad at them,” Spates said.
Comeback would require stable leadership, funding
When Spates discussed what a “temporary pause” meant and what would need to change so AMP could return, she said it would need an “exceptional leader” who’s willing to put in the work and a donor who believes in the board’s vision and what the organization has accomplished already in the Coachella Valley.
“There are other organizations that are similar to what we’re doing, not the same, so maybe there are some economies of scale with some of these other organizations where we can partner, and we still want to look out for the youth of the Coachella Valley,” Spates said. “We know there is so much talent out there, it’s just a matter of an exceptional leader who is ready to roll up their sleeves and say, ‘I want to take this and make it something amazing.'”
The idea for AMP was conceived by board chairman Roman Whittaker, a neighbor of Paige’s in Indio. Paige suggested Whittaker contact Spates. Spates and Whittaker mounted the first AMP in three months in 2015 after holding an open call-type of audition that attracted 20 walk-ins for what would be a summer camp program. Those musicians were assembled into new bands at the first camp and they learned how to interact with other musicians, how to solo and how to write together.
But after the summer camp, many students wanted to continue playing with their bands during the school year. The board of AMP, which received 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in late 2017, saw the value of letting them name and market their bands, and play before different types of audiences. Its bands got booked in a variety of venues, from Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown to private birthday parties and charity events.
Spates said she hopes that the current situation of AMP is not seen as a failure of any individual or board member, but rather as a cautionary tale for organizations.
“Running an organization has to be a priority, and you really do need that development or that director who has those development skills that can work with the donors, who can write the grants and do all of the things that can help a nonprofit thrive,” Spates said.
Previous reporting by former Desert Sun staff writer Bruce Fessier was used in this report.
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Indio youth music program AMP pauses operations; future is uncertain
Reporting by Brian Blueskye, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
