Step Inside the Centre

Welcome to my workplace! I am thrilled to be on faculty at the Centre for Musical Minds, a north Dallas music studio which is known for its fantastic teachers and student retention. Kristin, the owner and operator of CMM is a graduate of my degree program at SMU. She also published a book about her success. From the onset, I was curious about Kristin's business plan and philosophy. She's been highly successful and still loves her job after about a decade of time in the field! I'm in it for the long haul, so I want to learn all I can from her.

Before school started, I had no idea what my workload would be. When Kristin approached me about working part-time at the CMM, I was hesitant. In fact, I thanked her and politely refused her offer, saying I was afraid of overcommitting but was interested in a future position. She could have scratched me off her list and called the next SMU grad student, but instead she encouraged me to seek advice from recent grads who had worked for her throughout their program of study.

Can I say I'm so glad I reconsidered? While it is a bit of a drive to Frisco, it is 100% worthwhile! Not only do I get a break from the graduate school thing once a week, but I get to see an operational studio in full swing. I love seeing students in another part of the city and teachers out in the field. Every teacher here has a master's degree - Kristin only hires teachers who have attained or are currently seeking a graduate education. I'm fairly certain that I'm the least qualified teacher here! It's inspiring to be around great musicians in the "real world" (aka, outside of SMU, which in some ways is an ideal situation).

Kristin has a knack for arranging popular music and teaching with the iPad. As a result, she encourages students to play various genres and provides each studio room with an iPad (and grand piano and keyboard!). Classically trained teachers, pop music, and iPads? Of course, all of this is in addition to the regular technique and repertoire, but it's neat to see a teacher who isn't afraid to explore "the road less traveled" in classical teaching. She's also a fantastic boss! I may have arrived to work to find a goodie bag of lotions and lip gloss.

Keeping track of two different studio dates and deadlines is tricky, but it's part of the process. I'm soaking up everything. There are so many things to learn, and I am thrilled to be along for the ride!

Studio B, my workspace!

Not my diplomas, but I hope to have one very much like the one on the left before too long!

Scale Hall of Fame

Music library (there are two other shelves, too!)

Kitchenette!

The facility decor is one of my many favorite things about the CMM!

Now I'm just sight reading on the iPad while waiting for my students. Gotta catch up with my technologically adept students!