Minnesota School Of Music - August 2018

Minnesota School Of Music - August 2018

08. 2018 (763) 432-9713 www.mnschoolofmusic.com

HOW OUR SCHOOL GOT ITS START A LOOK BACK THE MONTHLY MUSICIAN

I f you are reading this, congratulations! You’ve just received the very first edition of our new and improved newsletter! The team and I are excited to share some fun, informative articles with our parents and students alike. Personally, having transitioned out of my role as a teacher (and my brief time spent piloting the front desk), I’m looking forward to using this publication to reconnect with you and your kids!

Long story short, you won’t find any of our records on iTunes — but that’s not to say the trip wasn’t worth it. Between the band’s struggles and misadventures on the central California coast, I had a soul-searching moment. I realized that my love of music ran deeper than a desire for fame or fortune. I wanted to be an academic and devote my life to studying the discipline. Having come to this realization, I decided to return to Minnesota to pursue a degree in guitar performance from the University of St. Thomas. Fast-forward to 2010. I was a grad student teaching music at the University of Minnesota, and my wife had just had our first child, Caleb. Along with the joys of being a new father, a lingering question began to nag at me. Where was my son going to go for music? We’d

returned to my hometown, and there were no music schools to speak of. I was worried Caleb wouldn’t get the same opportunities I had growing up. That’s when the daydreams began. Between (and maybe a little during) college lectures, I kept returning to the thought, “What if it could be me ?” What if I could bring music lessons to Circle Pines,

“Teaching college students is one thing, but getting to help the development of kids in your hometown — that’s a higher calling if ever there was one.”

With this being the relaunch of our newsletter, and since the fifth anniversary of our school is fast approaching, I find myself reflecting on what started this journey. With over 260 students enrolled today, it’s hard to believe this all began as a daydream, when a young grad student found himself wanting to bring music to his hometown. For those who don’t know, I’m about as local as they come. I grew up right here in Circle Pines, went to Centennial High School, and started my journey into higher education at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. That was, of course, before I started a band and moved to California.

not just for Caleb, but for our whole community and beyond? Teaching college students is one thing, but getting to help the development of kids in your hometown — that’s a higher calling if ever there was one. So in 2013, with my wife about to deliver our second child and no money to speak of, I resigned from my teaching position at the University of Minnesota and set out to create what would become the Minnesota School of Music.

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