Although we normally feature a teacher each week, during the summer we thought it would be a great idea to introduce you to our owners and their family. This week we would like to introduce you to Jared. He is the eldest son of Rudy and Jeanne. He is The Piano Studio business manager and you can always find him in the sales department at our Newmarket location. Here is our interview with jared:
What instrument(s) do you play, how long, what age did you start playing?
I started playing violin when I was five years old and then switched to piano when I was around ten years old, but stopped when I started band in school in Grade 7. I really wanted to play the saxophone but my teacher made everyone start with the clarinet with the promise that those who worked the hardest could switch to saxophone.
I worked hard, but then we moved to a new school! On the first day of class the teacher asked what instrument I played and I said, “clarinet, but..” but she didn’t let me finish since they needed more clarinet players. By the time I started high school I had learned my lesson: on the first day when the new teacher asked what instrument I played, I said “saxophone”. I had never held one before, but I worked extra hard to learn the new fingerings and he was none the wiser.
I played tenor sax in concert band and jazz band throughout high school, with the jazz band being my favourite. In university I put down the sax and picked up the guitar.. Now that I work at The Piano Studio I have taken a few piano lessons again. So to summarize I play a little bit of everything (though master of none) which comes in handy now that I work at a music store!
What do you do at the Piano Studio?
We are a small business so we all have to pitch in and help with whatever needs to be done. However my main responsibilities are to help with customer service at our Newmarket location, piano and instrument sales, payroll, manage our automated monthly lesson payments, and manage our website.
What is the greatest reward you get from working at a music school?
What I love most is when customers share with us the positive difference our music programs have made in their family. Whether it is an increased confidence, improved academic success, encouraged creativity, or simply instilling a life-long love of music, seeing music make a lasting impact on our students is what makes all the hard work worth it!
What makes the Piano Studio the best place to come for lessons?
I think there are three main things that combine to make us stand out:
- Our commitment to excellence. This shows in the quality of our teachers, curriculum, and classroom instruments, and in the small details like making sure our schools are clean, bright, friendly, and welcoming.
- Our philosophy that learning music should be fun and engaging! This is why we embrace technology in the classroom and include interactive teaching methods.
- Our belief that learning to play an instrument is possible for anyone. We won’t necessarily all become professional musicians, but with practice we can all experience the joy of making music.
