Music Authority Family Newsletter from April 23, 2019

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Music Authority Family Newsletter - April 23, 2019 Challenging the Conventional Challenging the Conventional In #### (numbers removed to protect my high school graduation year), I was a senior in high school in a tiny town in Northwest Ohio.  I was going off to a college in the south (thanks to my dad's previous year job transfer to Atlanta) to study music education.  I was going to be a high school choir director and I was going to move back to Ohio and settle down where I was raised after college. My dad was skeptical of this plan.  He seemed to think I was too ambitious. Fast forward to the summer before my senior year of college.  I'd done some classroom observations in Floyd County, Georgia, where I was in college.  Private elementary.  Rural high school.  Inner city elementary.  All great kids.  And I hated every minute of it.  (There's a big problem when the student teacher wonders every morning if she's sick and running fever; maybe she should call in sick, she wouldn't want to get the kids sick...) I went to a huge concert at Atlanta motor speedway.  About thirteen rows from the stage, I started to notice something.  There were a TON of jobs in the music world that had nothing to do with teaching school.  (Please note, I know a lot of school teachers and am lucky enough to call them friends.  I have more respect for you than I can put into words.  It wasn't for me.) I went home from that concert with two things.  One was a sunburn that bordered on  second degree burn level.  (Not really, but I couldn't sit or lay down comfortably for days.)  The second was a new game plan for life - changing majors to what was an unheard of major at the time.  Music Business.  (This decision pre-dates many of the music business programs in colleges today.  I think I was the second person at my college to even entertain the program started by the head of the school of music.  Dr. Pethel was brilliant enough to see that schools were turning out thousands of music majors a year that could teach or do classical.  Classical was only 7% of a multi-billion dollar industry.  Thus a music business program was born at Berry College.) When I called my parents to tell them I was changing majors (not a big change, just education to business keeping the music), my dad was very quiet for a long time.  I guess a parent doesn't want to get that call at the beginning of their child's final two semesters of college.  Then he said, "I won't say I told you so." From that moment forward, I've never been on a paved path.  I interned at the Atlanta Opera (the best internship ever, it taught me that "people are just people").  At the time, I was the only person around who actually had education in BOTH music and business.  They were disappointed when I left them to start the path that led me to Music Authority. When Music Authority was born and I went to my first trade show, I found out female guitar store owners didn't exist.  Back then the BC Rich Warlock girls and the Dean Guitar Girls wandered the trade floor selling guitars to - well, not me.  Most vendors thought I was just there with Andrew.  They were floored when I stepped into the conversation to ask about financing, marketability, profit margin, and specifics on design, build, and specs on acoustic guitars.   Just like I challenged the conventional by changing majors to something unheard of in college, I was challenging the conventions of our trade organization. It's a lot different now.  There are so many more women doing what I do - the result of many women challenging the conventional.  No one thinks twice when I meet with a sales rep or guitar designer and Andrew doesn't.  No one wonders when I speak on behalf of the organization.  No one mistakes me for Andrew's secretary.  He's important.  He does jobs at Music Authority I can't.  (I don't care to know how to fix amplifiers, thank you.)  I don't mean to say he isn't just as important on this pirate ship called Music Authority that I am.  We just hold different jobs and different responsibilities.  If you want to build the perfect pedal board, he's your guy. Challenging convention gave Music Authority a cutting edge educational program that other places are replicating.  (What's the saying, someone copying you is the best compliment they can give?) Challenging convention made Music Authority what we are; it made us what you are a part of.   I was told once I could never make a living out of music.  Well, Music Authority Family, welcome to the house that music built. Melissa A. Loggins, Owner #MusicAuthorityFamily #beyondthemusic   Click Here to Log In to Your Lessons Account Summer Ukes Music Authority carries beginner and intermediate ukes by Ohana and Kala.  These ukes aren't toys, they make great beginning instruments for young players, and are exactly what you need while sitting out by the pool this summer. Come check one out today! Carson Quinn, Student of the Month The Music Authority Roadies named Carson Quinn their student of the month for April.  Carson is the drummer for Music Authority's Transcend.  He's been in lessons at Music Authority for a little over a year. When asked for a fun fact about himself that no one would guess, Carson's response was, "I have been in the White House." Be sure to check out Carson playing with Transcend on May 4, 7pm, in The Backroom at Music Authority. Final Public Rock Ensemble Concert of Spring: May 4, 2019 Don't miss out on the final show of Spring 2019!  Unveiled, Fearless, Transcend, Revolution, and Tribute will be playing at 7pm on Friday, May 4, in The Backroom.  Tickets $5.   Registration for fall Rock Ensemble opens on Wednesday, May 1.  Spots fill up quickly, so don't wait too long to sign up! Not in Lessons at Music Authority? Sign Up Here! Before Eclipse, there was Treble.  Treble was originally a band that backed up The Bel Canto Singers; they became Eclipse in January 2015.  This is their first performance as a rock band.  Held at Windermere on November 8, 2014.  Featuring Nicole Fleeman, Drew McKenzie, Kyle Haley, Reece Amundsen, Allison Mehler, and Bryan Hughes. 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