Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Guevara.
Michael, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Excerpt from a book which will launch nationally on 4/13/17 entitled “Cracking The Code To Success” which I co-authored with Brian Tracy.
Blame it on Johnny Carson…and Marvin Hamlisch! Back around 1974, Marvin Hamlisch appeared on The Tonight Show and performed the hit piece from the recent Academy Award winning movie, “The Sting.” I sat, mesmerized, as I watched Marvin perform Scott Joplin’s ragtime piece, “The Entertainer.” Immediately, I asked my parents if I could begin piano lessons!
Thus, began my true love affair with music…and although I did not realize it at the time, my involvement within a specific niche in the music industry!
Fast forward approximately 30 years (2006), I found myself completing 20 years in the insurance industry, primarily in claims. During the last few years of my career in claims and private investigations (yes, I was a PI), I was assigned to investigate “large losses” for some major hotel/motel chains and transportation companies.
During one of the last large loss claims I investigated, I had the opportunity to take my wife with me to the scene of an accident involving an 18-wheeler and a passenger sedan. With blood and brain matter still freshly present within the sedan, my wife and I hardly spoke a word as we drove the 2.5 hours back home after the investigation. Needless to say, we were still processing, in our own ways, what we had just seen. For almost 20 years, I had processed similar scenes and conducted similar investigations.
I mentioned we “hardly” spoke a word, but something my wife said, as only a wife can, rang crystal clear… “you need to quit that job.” Having always been the main provider for my family, and greatly concerned with security, the thought of just leaving a comfortable job had never been a serious consideration. Until then. Yes, there does come a time when “enough is enough.”
Then it hit me; I had been staring at, and doing, this business for years now! I had been teaching piano, guitar and trumpet, although infrequently, since 1985. So, why not a school of music? Better yet, something that sounded even more professional, a “conservatory” of music that would provide true, high quality lessons by extremely talented music instructors! My wife and I then began the lengthy process of discussing the merits of this possible business and conducting our due diligence.
To the absolute horror of my parents, my wife and I quit our corporate jobs on the same day…April 30, 2007. Approximately one month later (June 1, 2007, to be exact), with three instructors on staff and two registered students, we opened the doors to our first school of music, the Cinco Ranch Conservatory of Music LLC (now known as The Conservatory of Music at Cinco Ranch). We (my beautiful wife and business partner, Berta, and I) currently own two schools of music, have grown from 3 music instructors to over 35, and teach over 25,000 private music lessons a year! We are the only Founding School of the Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory Achievement Program (now known as the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program) in the greater Houston area and have recently been delegated as the Assessment Center for the Music Development Program as well.
We are blessed to be a part of this wonderful industry and to serve such wonderful families and students from the Katy area! Perhaps that is why we have won three consecutive “Best in Katy” designations in our industry?
The benefits of an education in music are many, and its impact can influence one, positively, for the remainder of their lives! We have witnessed this, first hand, through many of the students who have come through our doors.
“Before anything else, a child should be taught music.” ~ Plato
Sound (pardon the pun) advice indeed!
Has it been a smooth road?
Was our success easy to achieve? Well, no! We struggled as I believe most owners of music schools, and for that matter, any new business, do. We made wrong decisions. We struggled with the same fears and issues that are experienced by most small businesses. How do we get more customers? Where do we find great employees and other staff? What systems are needed to run our operation efficiently? What must we do to retain our clients? You get the picture. We, too, wondered if we would “make it” in this business. Yes, we even cried quite a bit as we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. Despite the struggles, we persevered.
We learned from our mistakes. We continued to believe. And what I believe has separated us from many others, is that I set out to diligently study the ins and outs of all aspects of this industry. This overwhelming desire to learn why certain things worked and others did not is perhaps the most significant factor to our success! Yes, with God’s grace and sheer determination, my wife and I have found wonderful success in this industry.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Conservatory of Music story. Tell us more about the business.
The Conservatory of Music, with locations in Cinco Ranch and North Katy, will celebrate its 10th year in business on June 1, 2017.
From the outset, our goal has been:
* To educate our community about the importance of an education in music and fine arts, in general,
* To communicate that music is a great tool for personal development and discovery,
* To provide our students with practical, professional skills for successful learning,
* Simply, to provide the absolute best in music instruction within any community in which we may have a presence.
The mission of our organization is to educate, train and develop students to become better musicians and gain a greater appreciation of music as performers or informed audience members.
The Conservatory of Music at Cinco Ranch has the designation of being the only Founding School of the Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory Achievement Program (now called the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program) in the greater Houston area, one of only nine such schools in Texas and approximately 120 nationwide. The Conservatory of Music was also recently selected as the Assessment Center for the Music Development Program for the greater Houston area. The Conservatory is currently undergoing review to become a Steinway Educational Preferred Partner. The Conservatory has also been designated as “Best in Katy” for three consecutive years by the readers of Living Magazine.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In my personal opinion, the music education industry will continue to experience challenges in regards to the lack of understanding shown by those “in charge,” such as school leaders and governments, of the value of an education in music. Thankfully, in Katy, this is NOT the current thought, as fine arts are greatly supported by the schools and local community. And while there are several other communities with the same philosophies, there are, sadly, even more which are not as supportive.
Thankfully, the sciences are beginning to demonstrate and prove the benefits of an education in music (from a social, clinical and neuroscience perspective), which will aid in providing more credible reasons that one should study music.
Simply put, I believe that more and more individuals will begin to recognize that investing in high quality music education should be a priority for all because music can transform lives for the better, across the lifespan.
Our goal is to continue to provide this high level of music education and communicate music’s value, with a dream of providing an education in music for every child in the world. We are working on the how!
Contact Info:
- Address: 23922 Cinco Village Center Blvd #220, Katy, TX 774943719
N Fry Road #N2 Katy, TX 77449 - Website: www.theconservatoryofmusic.org
- Phone: 832-437-4511 – CR or 832-321-3382 – NK
- Email: info@theconservatoryofmusic.org
Image Credit:
All photos taken by The Conservatory of Music
