Between The Lines Music

I wish I could sing, but... ... I can't carry a tune in a bucket. ... my voice just sounds so terrible. ... I have to be really drunk, first. ... [insert reason/excuse here] It makes me sad, frankly , to think that so many people will never know the sheer, unadulterated joy of singing out as loudly as they want to, for whomever may be in the vicinity, unselfconsciously and just because it feels good. And baby, it feels GOOD. So what makes us believe we can't sing, and what can we do about it? Music - making it as well as simply enjoying it - is as vital as physical activity to keep us sane and healthy. In fact, making music (playing an instrument or singing) is physical activity!  Imagine if we thought of exercise the same way we think about singing. I, for example, am pretty clumsy and have no hand/eye coordination, short legs and no gift at any sport I've ever tried. I'm not fast, I'm not terribly strong, and while I'm pretty competitive, that ...

Finding our Niche When you're starting a business, especially one that is in a competitive market, one of the first things to figure out is: Where does my business fit? What do we offer that is different and awesome, that our competitors don't? We thought about that a lot as we contemplated setting up yet another music school in the Portland area. They're everywhere! So how could we set ourselves apart? First of all, our location in Downtown Portland is unusual for a music school. The building itself is cool and quirky, which can be a plus or a minus. We decided to think of it as a big positive. It sets us apart, for a lot of really good reasons. We're not in a suburban strip mall, near families with young kids who want to take some lessons. That's ok... that market is well served by a great many wonderful music schools (some of whom we work for!). The market that seems to us to be underserved is... GROWNUPS! When we all lived in British Columbia, we fou...