Ed-tech platform allows students to compose digital songs that are quickly brought to life by local musicians, reinvigorating classroom engagement and the next generation of music education
Conduction Raises Funding to Reimagine Music Education Across the Country
Sam Hussey
Marketbridge for Conduction
shussey@marketbridge.com
Conduction, the ed-tech platform revolutionizing the music classroom, today announced a $265,000 pre-seed investment from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. The funds will be used to advance the company’s proprietary music software modules, increase corporate partnerships and expand operations in schools across Pennsylvania and throughout the United States.
Despite efforts to keep music and the arts alive in U.S. schools, millions of students lack access to these programs, according to research from the Arts Education Data Project. For many schools with existing music programs, teachers struggle to engage students with outdated curricula and limited budgets.
Conduction, which meets several national education standards, is designed to enable students to easily create and produce digital songs. Each week, classes vote on their favorite song creations, and Conduction sources local musicians to make music videos playing the classroom’s selected songs within days. With Conduction, individual schools and entire districts can bring music back into the classroom at a fraction of the cost of traditional programs.
“Pittsburgh has a vibrant music history, and our school system wants to honor that legacy while reimagining how we get students excited about learning,” said Nina Unitas, Senior Programs Officer of Arts Education, Pittsburgh Public Schools. “We’ve started introducing and testing new learning tools, including Conduction, into some classes, and the response has been incredible. What makes Conduction great is it supports the National Core Art Standards while flipping the script on traditional approaches. It’s all about the students. They get to create digital songs, present their music, respond to other creations, and connect with fellow students and local musicians in the community – all while bringing music education into the 21st century. We really look forward to rolling out Conduction throughout Pittsburgh Public Schools in the coming years.”
Unlike other music platforms, Conduction provides learning experiences that align with the interests of present-day students. Students get to learn beat making, composition and songwriting, sheet music education, and band integration, all with an intense element of student engagement. These modules help increase classroom participation, reduce absenteeism and create new, digital education experiences.
“Music is the one school subject that is meant to touch the soul, inspire awe, and light up life – and yet today’s music classrooms fail to do this,” said Joe Maggiore, CEO and co-founder, Conduction. “Music curriculums are often stuck in the past, focusing on topics kids never would want to hear about – like outdated classical music from the 1700s. Today’s students want to become producers, DJs, songwriters, and beatmakers, and our schools are failing to meet them where they are in their interests while providing distinct curricular needs. We created Conduction to refocus music education on today’s student values while still finding a way to incorporate critically important national music education standards.”
Today, Conduction works with dozens of schools and districts, as well as countless community musicians, to bring students’ digital songs to life.
“Conduction Studio has become a cornerstone student-run business in our school, where employees not only create their own music but also experience the thrill of hearing it shared and appreciated by musicians in the surrounding area,” said Jeanine Tortorice, MicroSociety Coordinator & Coach, Penn Hills Charter School for Entrepreneurship (PHCSE).
“Seeing the students’ expressions when they hear their creations played back to them is truly unforgettable. Without a formal music program at PHCSE, Conduction provides a unique and innovative way for students to connect with music, furthering their education and sparking creative exploration," added Jessica Zuk, Principal, PHCSE.
Over the last 12 months, Conduction has seen growing demand for its platform, having spoken to over 100 schools that are fully ready to incorporate the solution into their education programs to enhance the overall student experience. The company also works with corporations interested in sponsoring individual schools by subsidizing the costs of music education.
To learn more about Conduction for your school or corporate sponsorships, visit https://www.conduction.live/.
About Conduction
Conduction is the ed-tech music platform reinvigorating music classes across the United States. Conduction’s software enables students to compose digital songs and watch them come to life through performances by local musicians or their own classmates. To learn more about Conduction, visit https://www.conduction.live/.
About Richard King Mellon Foundation
Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and one of the 50 largest in the world. The Foundation’s 2023 year-end net assets were $2.9 billion, and its Trustees in 2023 disbursed more than $176 million in grants and program-related investments. The Foundation focuses its funding on six primary program areas, delineated in its 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.
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