Louisville Academy of Music was founded in 1954 by Robert French and Donald Murray. In the early sixties French met Ruth Scott, a violinist, and the two soon married and would lead the school for over fifty years. After Robert's passing in 2011, Ruth took on the role of administrator until her retirement in 2018, when she handed over the reigns to her former student Sara Callaway. For most of its existence, LAM has called Crescent Hill home, adjacent to the public library on Frankfort Avenue.
As part of their 70th anniversary year, Callaway unveiled a newly renovated recital hall named in honor of Ruth French, who sold her violin to help fund the new hall, together with matching gifts from donors. The school teaches about 400 students a week, in a wide-variety of age ranges from infancy to retirees. One notable alum of the school is Carol Webb Sortomme who became the first female violinist of the New York Philharmonic in 1977.
