Cassie Baker shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Cassie, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
The idea that music lessons are only for children. Experienced adults come to me for lessons in working musician theory, charting songs for gigs, and to learn advanced techniques. Plus, even beginners can start at any age! Everyone can benefit from being a lifelong student and exploring a new craft.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am an active local performing musician and have been running my private music lessons studio for over five years. I hone the skills of musicians in Austin, TX through private one-on-one lessons. After years of teaching under others’ roofs, I have learned that many commercial music lesson companies are more concerned with the bottom line than the education of their students. This is why I set out to teach under my own company name.
With a well-rounded, holistic approach to the roles that the body and mind play in learning and performing music, my goal is to not only further the skills of those already experienced with playing music, but to show students of all ages that music is an innate way for humans connect. Music is a language that we all can speak if we take the time to immerse ourselves the way we would if we were learning, say, Spanish. My goal is to facilitate my students’ immersion in their craft by helping them to understand why and how music works, as well as instill the necessary foundational and ongoing techniques to speak the language through their instrument.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My public school percussion instructor. He knew my musical potential before I did, and always went above and beyond to provide me with opportunities to grow in music. In high school, I took on student-teaching roles with the junior high band. In college, I would call him from my dorm for advice on my classes and recitals. We still stay in touch to this day, and I constantly find myself pulling from advice I received from him when working with young percussionists.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
When I started seeing myself in my young students struggling with self-esteem and learning issues. Growing up with ADHD, I constantly felt “not good enough”, or “not smart enough”, or like there was a cap on my intelligence that I could never push past. If younger me saw me now, she would be amazed that she could achieve graduating with honors, running a business, and living a creatively fulfilling life that puts food on the table. A lot of the negative self-image I had stemmed from existing in a learning environment not built for the way I learn, as well as a lack of tolerance for neurodivergence in the classroom. Now, when a student is struggling to understand a concept or play a piece we are working on, I dig in to the root of why, and try to approach the problem from their perspective. It has helped me to become a better teacher and player because I start to see familiar concepts from completely new angles, and I have a core of dedicated students that have been learning with me for years. I’d like to think it is because they feel safe, seen and encouraged in our lessons.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Community. Connection. Meeting face to face with others, looking them in the eye, and communicating. Many studios are shifting to online lessons, whether in real time or pre-recorded, in order to maximize profits. While this is great for special workshops, and is doable for the rare student that can self-start, it strips lessons of their inherent value. The mentor-mentee relationship is special and cannot be replaced with a screen. In a modern society where we are increasingly isolating ourselves from those around us, I refuse to give up the magical spark of exploring this craft I hold so dear to me with others together in real time.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
Literally every day I am teaching. I’m serious! I get to talk about my favorite thing with people who are interested in it, and I get to watch them discover music and experience the same magic I felt when I first learned them. Online, I am constantly marketed ways to reduce hours, teach less, and profit more by studio management companies under the selling point of “stop burning out”, but I simply don’t understand who they are marketing to. If you don’t love running a music lessons business, there are plenty of other, less volatile and more profitable business endeavors out there. I’m here because I love it. If and when a time comes that I don’t, I will make moves to shift my focus then, but I honestly don’t see it happening any time soon.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cblessons.com
- Instagram: @cassiebakermusic
- Facebook: @cbdrumsatx
- Youtube: @cassiebakermusic
