Today we’d like to introduce you to E. Rain Eatmon.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Rain. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was raised in acres home nearly all my life. I was very fond of the fine arts, music and acting. And so, I grew up with a family that supported me in my endeavors.
Because of the support of my mother and my family, I’ve had at least 19 years of piano playing experience. I was classically trained as an opera singer throughout my undergrad at Texas Southern University, and I was able to perform under several schools like the Ensemble Theatre, Theater Under the Stars, and Main Stages Theater. I was also afforded the opportunity to tour China while I was finishing my undergrad at Texas Southern University as a part of the Meet in Beijing arts festival back in 2015.
Although I’ve had all these opportunities to perform, I’ve found myself gravitating more to the educator and administrative role. I grew up understanding that I was very blessed, and I knew that I wasn’t the only one in acres home to have amazing talents. However, I did realize that not everyone in acres homes could afford to travel outside the neighborhood to get access to tutoring that could hone their own skills.
And so, I created my company Musically Inclined with the intention of bringing fine arts tutoring to the neighborhood. The Garden City Music Festival was birthed out of the idea and realization that there were several amazing fine arts programs within the neighborhood, but there weren’t many opportunities for the students who lived in the neighborhood to share their talent to the community. I also realized that there were a lot of musicians from Acres Homes who could possibly use help getting the word out about their skill set.
With, I created the Garden City Music Festival as a platform for youth and young adults who are interested in pursuing a career in music. My goal with this festival is to be the platform specifically for the acres home and Garden City community so that way we can expose the raw talent that’s in this neighborhood.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has most certainly not been a smooth road! lol! One of the most challenging things I had to overcome while preparing for the Garden City music festival was my own naivety. Don’t get me wrong, I spent a very long time gathering information about how to run a festival.
However, a lot of my information didn’t come until I was in the thick of it. I started with a single book that was dedicated purely to notes regarding the festival, and it was halfway filled when I began this journey. I’ve now had to rely on keeping all my documents on my computer for fear of losing track of the hundreds of documents I’ve created during this process.
Most of what I have accomplished throughout leading up to the festival has been self-taught. From the budgeting to some of the marketing. To curation of the talented people performing. This event has pulled out so much strength in me, and I can say with certainty that I am a completely different person because I began this journey. I know it’s very dramatic to say that for a mere event coordinator, but this festival is the realization of my greater purpose, I believe.
I’ve always had the heart to equip people with knowledge and information to prepare them for their greater. And so, with the creation of the Garden City music festival, it has been made clear that this is the culmination of all my life’s work and my own stepping stone towards greater.
Please tell us about The 2018 Garden City Music Festival.
My company musically inclined is a fine arts company that provides private lessons in piano, boys, guitar, bass, and drums. We offer private lessons in the comfort of your own home. We have also taken contracts out with after-school programs, private/charter schools, And after-school programs to provide group lessons like Glee club and musical theatre.
Our mission in musically inclined is to prepare our students for the music professional world by providing them with quality training in their desired field. What sets us apart from other fine arts companies, is that we pride ourselves on making ourselves available to the community at large. We want to ensure that there is no excuse when considering giving your child an opportunity to explore their talents in the fine arts.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Honestly, if I could start over, I would have made myself finish my minors in business administration. When I started college, I did not expect to run my own business. I was honestly on a completely different path when I began.
Now that I am a business owner, I wish I had some of those skills under my belt so that way I could manage my business a little better. I was so confused about what I wanted to do when I entered college, that I never really got into my stride until I was five years deep into my studies.
By then, I had to make a decision; the best decision, I felt, was to pursue a music degree with the minors in child development. I don’t regret anything I’ve learned while finishing my undergrad. I just wish I was disciplined enough to sit through an accounting class or something like that.
Pricing:
- Festival Tickets for the Garden City Music Festival are $15 on Eventbrite
- Children between the ages of 12-16 can get in for $5 on Eventbrite
- Trial music lessons are $10 for 30 minutes
Contact Info:
- Website: www.2018gcmf.org
- Phone: 7135043706
- Email: musicallyinclined@outlook.com
- Instagram: @gcmf2018
- Facebook: @gcmf2018
- Twitter: @gcmf2018
- Other: www.musically-inclined.org
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