Based in the United States, it publishes a journal and a newsletter, holds annual conferences (occasionally in conjunction with the Galpin Society), maintains an active website and e-mail forum, and presents five awards.
It was established following the international joint conference of AMIS, the Galpin Society, and CIMCIM at the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, in May 2006, to facilitate continuing informal communications among members.
The Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize, named for the scholar who helped lay the foundations of modern organology with his monumental catalog Ancient European Musical Instruments, is awarded for best book-length publication in English.
The Frances Densmore Prize, named for the pioneering ethnographer who recorded musical practices of Native Americans on hundreds of wax cylinders and in important books, is awarded for the most significant article-length publication in English.
Applicants must be aged thirty-five years or under, be enrolled as full-time undergraduate or graduate students in accredited academic programs, and have career interests that relate to the purposes of AMIS.