Our Mission

Music Alive! uses the life-changing power of music to inspire ‘tweens and teens to be passionate learners. That mission has inspired our publication for over four decades and it continues to drive us forward.

In service of this mission, the Music Alive! magazine and listening program positively impacts music education in five fundamental ways:

  • We close the gap between the contemporary world of music and the music classroom.
  • We deliver standards-based music education via materials that are uniquely exciting to teenage students.
  • We partner with music teachers in the effort to enhance students’ classroom music experience.
  • We expand students’ awareness and appreciation of musical styles and genres, music history, music-related technology, and careers in music.
  • We join forces with like-minded music industry organizations and companies for the creation of legislative, philanthropic, and public relations initiatives that support music education.

Our History

Music Alive! is a multimedia curricular resource for music educators in grades 5-10 and their students. It is available today in both printed and digital forms. Milton Okun, a producer who worked with legendary musicians like Placido Domingo, John Denver, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Harry Belafonte, created Music Alive! in 1981.

Milt was a public school teacher before entering the music industry. He saw the need to make popular music and the contemporary music industry a part of music education and launched Music Alive! to bring the freshness and excitement of the music world he knew into the classroom. Under his watchful eye, Milt’s Cherry Lane music publishing company put together a magazine, teacher’s guide of lesson plans, and demonstration audio cassettes of related recordings in a monthly program that would give music educators ready-to-use class units with the appeal of contemporary musical trends, recording artists, and hit songs.

In 2008 Music Alive! was acquired by In Tune Partners, publishers of In Tune Monthly magazine and media providers for Drum Corps International, Winter Guard International, and others. Today, with more sophisticated magazine design and the addition of robust online tools for music educators, Music Alive! continues to excite and motivate students with music they love and support teachers with pedagogy they trust.

Now in its 43rd season, Music Alive! is a unique educational music magazine and listening program developed for music classes in Grades 5 through 10.

More similar to music magazines on the newsstands than traditional educational fare, Music Alive! grabs the attention of teenagers across the country. It is, truly, music education for today’s generation.

The magazine brings the excitement and breadth of the music world into the classroom, covering every genre from classical to rap, from bluegrass to bebop. Our cover story profiles a current, charting performer; artists recently featured on our cover have included Ariana Grande, Marshmello, Kane Brown, Sabrina Carpenter, The Jonas Brothers, Clean Bandit and Lauren Daigle. Regular features also cover world music, film music, orchestras and smaller ensembles, music-related technology, careers in music, and special achievements by music students.

What You Get

Music Alive! is published eight times per school year and provides an integrated three-component package:

  • The Student Magazine is a 24-page full-color publication containing feature articles on diverse artists and genres, developed to engage the attention of ‘tweens and teens.
  • The accompanying Teacher’s Guide contains full lesson plans keyed to the National Core Arts Standards and literacy reinforcement.
  • Access to the Teacher Resources includes music selections and ancillary content tied to each magazine’s articles.

Sample Issues

Digital Edition

Print Edition