We had the good fortune of connecting with David Chiorini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, every day, we know how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
It all happened very organically. I was the orchestra teacher at a school in the Bay Area and I quickly became aware of the school’s robust after school program. Vendors were doing so many amazingly creative things in that space! I knew that I wanted to give my students opportunities to be involved in music as early as possible so that they would be rock stars when I got them in 4th grade. I also saw an opportunity to launch music programming in the after school space. No other vendors in my area were offering it at the time.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
After School Music Academy works with school districts, charter school networks, and non-profits to bring fun and engaging music and movement programming to the after school space. We strive to bring the highest levels of quality in what we do as having the best programming and best teachers is what we believe gives the best results to the students. We want the kids to have success with music! Schools are doing a fantastic job of bringing compelling enrichment activities to their student communities and we are thrilled to be a part of this momentum!

I’m very proud of the business that I and my team have built. We put the students that we serve and our teachers as our top priorities. I have always known that taking care of our staff is extremely important. We pay the highest wages in our sector and support our staff with professional development and benefits packages. If the teachers are feeling supported, the students are the ones that benefit. This is a cornerstone in the way we do business.

I also love how our curriculum is innovating in the space. Music pedagogy has not seen much evolution in the last 50 years. We prioritize ensemble participation and we use instruments that are quickly accessible (make a nice sound early in the process). Our programming is uniquely adaptable into many different genres of music.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The East Bay Area is an amazing place to live. The city life of San Francisco and Oakland are always so much fun to visit and not far at all. We also have so many great outdoor destinations like Point Reyes, Lake Tahoe, and the Redwoods State Parks. More locally, downtown Walnut Creek, downtown Danville, and downtown Lafayette all have thriving restaurant scenes.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Mark Reasinger has been instrumental in helping me to grow and evolve my business. I knew I had a winning concept and when the business really started to take off, Mark was a huge help in setting the foundation for continued success.

Website: https://www.afterschoolmusicacademy.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/after-school-music-academy/?viewAsMember=true

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093101143327

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.