Yes, that’s me and I’d like to share my story with you. When I graduated college with my Master’s degree in Trumpet Performance I decided to setup my own business, which was something I’d been wanting to do for a long time. I wanted to setup a private lesson studio that taught trumpet playing through the power of athletic thinking, ranking systems and inspiration, but I felt like my ideas where everywhere. I needed a jump start. So, I went to a music entrepreneurship retreat which cost me about $200 after my friends and family kindly donated to my gofundme campaign, got a lot of ideas, and shortly after I setup my website. The website setup cost $60 for the domain and a year of hosting. I sat down and created the entire website in 2 days, putting in about 10 hours a day and then started sharing it like crazy on social media. The response I got was overwhelming. People in the city I lived in where noticing I existed, they liked my idea and praised my website. It was such a great feeling seeing that other people shared my excitement. Overtime, the studio grew, becoming a full-time job, and as of today I’ve taught over 5,000 trumpet lessons and counting. The business I created was called MusicFit Academy, it’s alive and thriving, and you can see it for yourself at my website below.

Takeaways

• I’m a music entrepreneur because I had an idea for a business, took on the risks, and made it happen. I created my own job.
• I created a teaching business because there is a necessity for it and I’m good at it. I took my strengths, trumpet playing and teaching, and put them together.
• Attending the retreat and surrounding myself with like-minded people definitely inspired me.
• The start-up cost was only $260. If you’re young, this might seem like a lot of money, but in reality its pocket change for start-up costs. Don’t forget that nowadays it’s easy to raise money with sites like gofundme!
• The most important factor in the success of my business is my website. Without a website I am invisible. Remember, your website is the door between you and the rest of the world.

The first thing I need to say about Buddy is that he is not only a fantastic trumpet player, but he is a genuine good person. He went to school thrice, got a Bachelors, Master’s degree and Artist Diploma in Trumpet Performance, dedicated himself to trumpet as much as possible, made good impressions on people and took as many music opportunities as he could. During this time of exposure was crucial to who he is today, because that’s when he realized he wanted to always be challenged and to experience new things in life. So in 2013, while in school, he founded the Fredericksburg Brass Institute alongside his good friend and trumpet player Austin Boyer. The first year they had 10 attendees, and today, only 5 years later, it has grown into a go-to summer program for brass players. Founding the institute gave Buddy’s name more weight, he was now the founder of a brass institute! This boosted his reputation and confidence, which has led to the founding of other programs like the Tidewater Brass Institute and The Entrepreneurial Student. Today, Buddy is a trumpet player with the Dallas Brass, a performing artist for XO Brass, Denis Wick and Smith Watkins Cornets, and a national clinician. He also rocks Torpedo Bags as a professional artist for them. On a side note, Torpedo Bags are awesome sauce.

Takeaways

• Buddy is a music entrepreneur because he creates his own opportunities.
• Buddy’s strengths are his musical talent, charisma and self motivation. He is successful because he is using his strengths to his benefit.
• Buddy says, “The most important factor in my current success comes from making good impressions on the people I meet and the music community.” Remember that everything you do and say will either help you or hurt you. Always make good impressions.
• The last very important takeaway from Buddy’s story is that success can come to you early if you work for it. As I write this Buddy is only in his early 20s. If you’re in high school and thinking about a career in music, get started by reaching out into your community now. Make a free website for yourself, practice, and hold a concert for your neighborhood in your backyard. Just get going!

If you’re into video games and youtube you might have come across Taylor Davis. Growing up, Taylor played the violin in school and her mom made her practice before she was allowed to play video games. In her bio she says that was all the motivation she needed. If practicing meant video games later, she made sure she practiced! In 2010, Taylor took to youtube to put up a video of herself playing the theme from the movie “Schlinder’s List” with an accompanist on piano. Little did she know, this was the start of something that would change her life. Her 17th video was Cid’s Theme from Final Fantasy VII and it was the first one that showed a split screen, with her playing violin on the right and a pianist on the left. She really started gathering attention with her video game covers and over the last 8 years she has become a violinist with her own national tour and several albums on iTunes, some featuring original music. She even established her own music label, Highwind Records. It’s important to recognize that Taylor didn’t wait to be discovered, she knew she had something special to share and just went out there and did it. Since her youtube debut, her videos have gone from simple, at home videos to full on productions with costumes, like one of my favorites; Gerudo Valley Theme from Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Takeaways

• Taylor Davis is a music entrepreneur because she, again, created her own job. She took to youtube, put up videos, pressed on no matter what and over time her vision became a reality. Take risks, think outside the box!
• Learn from Taylor and practice your instrument before you do something you find fun. This way you will get your practice done and you get to do what you like!
• Use the technology around you to boost yourself. If you like your music, chances are other people will too, so take to social media and start getting your stuff out there.
• Once again, put your talents and strengths together. Taylor loves music and video games, so she put them together to create something really special. You could do the same!
• Finally, quality is important. Taylor is successful because her violin playing is really good and her videos are visually exiting. Always try to do the best you can.