Mission & Vision

Mission

AMB is dedicated to addressing the unique talents and challenges of blind youth by developing their musical, creative, cognitive, physical and social skills through education in music and the performing arts.

Vision

Our vision is a world where a comprehensive education in music and the performing arts will be available to blind youth regardless of economic status or geography. With the development of their unique talents they will be able to integrate into mainstream educational and workplace settings, while inspiring and contributing to the larger community.

A letter from our Founders

Dear AMB Friends,  There are hundreds of excellent music institutes that meet the needs of the sighted. AMB specifically addresses the educational, social, and physical needs of musically gifted blind youth so that they can fully develop their unique talents and be prepared for integration into the workplace or other educational settings. AMB is not only a ground-breaking institute of education for blind music students, but also provides the example and educational strategies that other schools of music can draw from in order to serve the needs of their blind students.  For 20 years AMB has offered the only year-round comprehensive music and performing arts education for the blind. And with the help of generous private donors, foundations, corporate sponsors and volunteers, we are looking forward to yet another 20 years serving gifted blind children all over the United States. Our online program serves youth outside the Greater Los Angeles area, and our in-person Facility in Whittier, California serves students in the Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and Valley communities.  AMB is a dream come true . . . a Disneyland for blind music students, and an inspiration to us all.  Sincerely, David & Gayle Pinto, Founders AMB

Board of Directors

Layne Beamer

Layne Beamer

Chairman of the Board

Pastor First Christian Church Whittier. B.S. in Communication and Theatre. Actor, Singer

Maurice Meysenburg

Maurice Meysenburg

Public Relations

Board President Emeriti Association of Retired Faculty and Staff at Rio Hondo College. Past President of Whittier Regional Symphony. La Habra, CA
Gary Breaux

Gary Breaux

Treasurer

Former CFO Southern California Metropolitan Water District. Bachelor’s in Business, Master’s in Public Administration, Certified Public Accountant. Pasadena, CA
David Pinto

David Pinto

Member

Founder/Executive Director AMB: Pianist/Conductor, Composer/Arranger, Teacher/Author.  Lives in Monrovia, Ca with Gayle Pinto, wife and co-founder AMB

Tracey Riddle

Tracey Riddle

Social Media

Owner of Riddle Catering. Grandparent AMB Student Jocelyn Riddle. Sylmar, CA

Administration

David Pinto

David Pinto

Executive Director

Founder AMB
Gayle Pinto

Gayle Pinto

Office Manager

Co Founder AMB

Faculty

OUR WORLD-CLASS TEACHERS

AMB teachers are chosen based on the following qualifications:

  • Currently active as a publicly-performing musician
  • Can improvise and play by ear
  • Have a Music Degree
  • Creative teacher
  • Love teaching children

Our current faculty includes teachers in piano, percussion, guitar, winds, voice, dance, drama, literary & music Braille, composing and computer recording. All of our teachers are professional performing musicians with college degrees: many of them being graduates of prestigious institutions like Berklee College of Music, Cal Arts, and USC. They are all trained to provide specialized and adaptive instructions to blind students.

  • Piano, Arranging, Chorus, Computer Recording, Dance, Song Writing: David Pinto
  • Piano & Theory: Andy Boyle
  • Piano & Song Writing: Santiago Vidal 
  • Voice, Dance, & Drama: Eliza Gerontakis
  • VoiceAnastasia Charakidou
  • Voice, Guitar, Bass, Drums: Apostolos Papapostolou
  • GuitarSam Borello
  • Guitar, Song Writing: Gene Micofsky
  • Guitar, Piano, Braille Music: Hector Ibarra
  • Drums, Ross Hodgkinson
  • Drums, Latin Percussion: Lorena Perez Batista
  • Drums & Latin Percussion: Oscar Barcelli
  • Winds: Andrew Shousha
  • Winds, Piano, Guitar & Song Writing: Eddie Salcido
  • Braille Music, Drums, Latin Percussion: Tony Del Castillo
  • Braille Music, Drums: Lawrence Brown
  • Braille Music, Piano Accompanist: Katie Zodrow
  • Braille Literary, Living Skills & Computers: Gayle Pinto
  • Dance & Movement: Carmary Rivera