New AMP Studio to Host Music, Art Open House

INDIO — Academy of Musical Performance (AMP) has a new downtown studio here and will showcase the venue with a Music and Art Open House.

The studio is located at 82719 Miles Avenue, near Oasis Street. The location is home to the organization’s AMP Fall and Spring after-school program where students age 10-18 from a variety of Coachella Valley schools practice for performances around the Valley and beyond.

AMP has partnered with Sarah Scheideman from Coachella Valley Art Scene (CVAS) who will showcase music themed art works that she produced at the upcoming Music and Art Open House to be held at the AMP Studio Nov. 8, 2018 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., open to the public. Food and non-alcoholic drinks will be served.

“My hope is that these large-scale art pieces will be as inspiring as the music they create. It’s an honor to be included in AMP’s opening, these kids rock!” Sheideman said in a prepared statement.

This fall, three AMP bands have formed along with the acoustic class, which has three performers in it and are practicing weekly for performance opportunities combined with other organizations as well as a showcase performance in December, details to follow on that event.

AMP is known for its outstanding summer music camp, featuring the Valley’s top musicians teaching, in small rock band format, the top young musicians in their performance and concert production skills through rehearsals, workshops, individual instruction, and live performances. A year-round after school program was added after the 2016 summer camp to provide instruction and performance opportunities all year round at a variety of events in our community.

The AMP program was seed funded with a 3-year grant from Goldenvoice to get the organization up and running.

“Without the support from Goldenvoice, there is no way we could have launched this incredibly valuable program to our Valley’s youth,” said Kate Spates, volunteer CEO and president of the Board of Directors. “Now we are looking to our community to continue to support the goals of the organization.”

The AMP mission is to enrich the lives of young musicians 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.

“This is a program that benefits individuals that maybe aren’t into sports, or they aren’t a fit for orchestra or the marching band in school — they have been alone in their rooms, teaching themselves how to play music,” Will Sturgeon, AMP Executive Director and a singer-songwriter, said in a prepared statement. “For many, they had never played music together with another person until joining AMP, so this program is transformative and essential by giving young people a safe space in which to create, communicate, and collaborate.”