Institute for the Musical Arts

“At IMA, I am my best self, I make my best music, and I meet my best friends."

Imagine a world where every girl could be her best self – and not just be her best self, but find her best self, in the company of other girls and young women who want to make music.

That is the purpose of the Institute for the Musical Arts, a non-profit organization that for 30 years has been transforming the lives of girls and young women through its teaching programs, workshops and concerts.

Founded by Ann Hackler and June Millington (a member of Fanny, one of the first all-female rock bands), IMA is located on a 200-year-old farm in Massachusetts. The largest barn has been converted into a performance and teaching facility and includes a world-class recording studio.

We work hard at IMA to nourish well-being in mind, body, spirit and music – fostering a greater sense of confidence and capability in girls and young women.

Through our summer programs and internships, girls develop their musical and technical skills, and as importantly, they grow in self-assurance and self- worth, ready to take on new challenges in every aspect of their lives. They emerge with the ability to enter a recording studio or performance space with the skills, the knowledge and the confidence to project their own voice and pursue their own dreams.

“My daughter is who she is because of IMA – a musician certainly, but more so, a confident young woman who believes in herself.”