Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett Smith.
Garrett, the owner/founder of IMI, started this business because he noticed a public demand for a specialized music lesson that is not currently being offered by both private/corporate owned lesson establishments. His first clients, whom he taught privately on the side, were referred to him because they were at wits ends with trying to find a place that offered top-quality guitar lessons that were educational, practical, and fun. Garrett saw that his first clients were enjoying his style of teaching and were satisfied with curriculum that he provided, so he decided to create Innovative Music Institute (IMI).
He has 30 years’ experience studying music and 19 years of live performance and session recording experience. He holds a master’s degree in Music Education from Boston University, and bachelor’s degree in Electronic Production and Sound Design at Berklee College of Music (this specialized degree affords him the knowledge to easily recognize and adapt to the latest digital tools being used for music education, music performance, and music production). Through his experiences Garrett has been fortunate to study with many prominent figures within multiple disciplines of music education. This makes him an important asset to music academics, and an expert among many contemporaries. With over 25 years of music instruction under his belt (both formal/informal) he knows what goes into a valuable music lesson. Garrett has taught hundreds of students of all ages from the east coast to Texas. He is now settled in Houston and determined to take music in Houston to the next level by inspiring and teaching the next generation of great Houston musicians.
Has it been a smooth road?
When maintaining an effective music program the road to excellence is never smooth. The IMI team is dedicated to staying active within the music and music research communities; moreover, we recognize that teacher training never ceases, and there is always a need to refine and redefine a given curriculum.
There are great challenges when it comes to maintaining an effective music program. Three in particular stand out to us:
1. The continuous changes with student demographics
With regards to demographics, our teachers provide brief musical surveys as a means of ascertaining our student’s music-background. These surveys also help us understand music-interests and music-aspirations. This information is essential for determining which guiding principles we use with each student. It also helps us develop curriculum relevant to both our individual student and their community.
2. The capacity to motivate students
The IMI team strives to motivate students and maintain a high standard of learning during each instruction. We manage a classroom that nurtures musical efficacy, equity, and multiculturalism. Our lessons provide a physical, emotional, and cognitive environment. They are organized so that the curriculum is complementary to our student’s learning capabilities.
3. Maintaining high standards of learning during instruction.
Student learning and development are improved by the intentional curriculum at IMI. It enables our students to learn and compose music (individually and/or collectively) that represents their music-background, music-interests, and music-aspirations. By taking the role of a facilitator, our teachers can stimulate, direct, and support learning and development, while simultaneously assessing their students’ mastery of the current lesson. We believe that our teachers and students learn together. They do this by utilizing democratic principles through reflective discussions.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Innovative Music Institute – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
IMI provides our music students with the inspiration, knowledge, and skills that are necessary for life-long participation in music. We tailor our guitar lessons for each of our student’s taste by considering musical-background, musical-needs, and musical-abilities. We develop student proficiency levels in accordance with their musical aspirations. Our goal is to inspire students to find their own musical path and to provide them with the necessary tools to navigate it. In short, our lessons are educational, practical, and above all, fun.
-IMI is most proud of our curriculum (The Institute anticipates the release of its first published textbook in the spring of 2018). Our founder, Garrett Smith, has been actively writing lesson plans and creating new teaching approaches/methodologies for over 7 years. Garrett understands that learning styles change over time; therefore, the way in which instructors transmit information must also change. Lastly, IMI actively engages our students to take an active role in each lesson. If a student wants to learn specific techniques, songs, etc. from other method books, our instructors can easily incorporate that information into our lesson plans.
-Our competitors usually have their instructors teach what/how they want with absolutely zero oversight. Moreover, our competitors usually have a couple of method books (also for sale) to teach from; however, the problem with this approach is that not all music students have the same musical-goals, -abilities, and -aspirations (not very innovative). Having everyone work out of the same method book can be viewed as a “one-size-fits-all” curriculum, which isn’t very equitable.
-We are also very proud of our competitive tuition rates (IMI welcomes potential clients to shop around and look for a better bargain). Furthermore, unlike our competitors, we do not charge a one-time registration fee. IMI policies and tuition rates are very easy to understand.
What sets us apart from others?
-At IMI we don’t just teach you how to play a few chords or a couple of songs. We teach students the fundamentals of a solid music education that cultivates life-long participation in music and music activities.
-In addition to learning how to play the guitar, IMI students also learn about guitar maintenance, guitar setups, effect pedals, playing in a live situation, and the gear involved
-We offer a very flexible schedule and do our best to meet each students scheduling needs. Guitar lessons are offered in our Houston studio, in your own home, or a combination of both. We are always able to work with you for your scheduling needs.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Houston is a great fit for a company like IMI because it is a diverse city rich in culture, industry, and arts; additionally, Houston is known for having great musical talent (many famous musicians and bands are from Houston, TX).
The IMI team understands that an amazing/prosperous city, such as Houston, will have a traffic problem. With that being said, traffic is our least favorable characteristic of our city. Thankfully, our administrative director (Alondra Perez) works tirelessly with our clients to ensure that they remain happy with their allotted lesson times.
Pricing:
- Lesson Rate: $30/ per 30 min lesson (e.g. $120 for months with 4 weeks)
- Lesson Rate: $60/ per 60 min lesson (e.g. $240 for months with 4 weeks)
Contact Info:
- Address: 10150 Waterstone Drive, Houston, Tx. 77042
- Website: www.innovativemusicinstitute.com
- Phone: 8326707154
- Email: director@innovativemusicinstitute.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovativemusicinstitute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innovativemusicinstitute/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/IMI_MusicLesson
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/innovative-music-institute-houston
- Other: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+InnovativeMusicInstituteIncHouston
Image Credit:
Donna Knight
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
