I am named Halley after the comet that passed by Earth in the year of my birth, 1986. I think my friends and family would tell you that my personality is also comet-like. I come in like a wrecking ball; I’m a “do-er” with big ideas. And finally this quality will come in handy for me as I open a brand new music school here in Woodland Hills, California.
Well, not brand new. Our Music Lab brand owner, Serge Lysak began with Drum Lab in 2005, added Guitar Lab in 2007, and evolved all of it into Music Lab in 2012. There are 5 Music Lab schools in Sacramento, one in Nashville, and Woodland Hills will be the 2nd one here in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.
The owners of all these Music Lab schools form a supportive family, and with the expertise of both Serge and his partner Jason, who make up the marketing company BuzzHive, each Music Lab owner becomes their own boss and is given the tools and back end support in operating their very own music schools.
In August, I made a big marketing effort of my own to let all the music schools and music teachers in the area know about my refurbished violins. I had emailed Serge, who is also the owner of the Northridge Music Lab, about my company Violin Rescue, and he was kind enough to email back saying he’d keep my violins in mind, and in the meantime, he’s looking for more potential Music Lab owners, and if anyone strikes me as a good fit for that, to keep him in mind. I flipped through my mental rolodex for a few days, and then I had a thought. Why not me?
Here’s where I admit that I was unemployed at the time, kinda lost, again, or maybe still. Earlier in the year, I’d left my job at another music school, and I’d been picking up odd jobs and gigs here and there. I knew I needed to work for myself and be my own boss, I just didn’t have a way of doing that yet.
My hope is for our new Music Lab Woodland Hills to become a safe haven and a bountiful garden of learning for people of all ages. Music Education has always been very important to me, having been blessed with amazing cello, string orchestra, marching band, music theory, and many varied ensemble teachers since I was young, and all along the way. Great teachers change lives, and I want to bring that to my community here in the West Valley.
I’ve been teaching music since I was 12 and able to help the other younger cello students, so I also want my school to be a supportive, collaborative, and energizing haven for music teachers! And I’m really excited for you all to meet and experience the teachers I’ve been interviewing and bringing on board. There is some serious talent and love for music here in the Valley, and I can’t wait to see what they will do.
Thank you for reading, thank you for supporting me, and all the best to come!