Hi! Before I tell you a little about how the studio started, I'd like to thank you! Your support of a military spouse entrepreneur means a lot, and I promise to provide the best experience I can for you and your family.
The history of Music for Marines Music Studio starts about 10 years ago back in North Carolina. I started teaching piano lessons in NJ in 2002 as a part-time job while I worked as the music specialist in a local Catholic School. After my husband, Craig, and I got married, he joined the Navy and 18 months later, became an officer in the Marine Corps. We had our first child, Llewelyn in Quantico and moved to Jacksonville, NC shortly after. Our second son, Evan, was born on Camp Lejeune in 2011. As a stay-at-home mom, I felt a great need to be there for my family but also to use my skills and love of teaching with my community. I took on a handful of piano students, mostly friends who asked me to teach their kids. They encouraged me to advertise, and soon I had about 10 students, kids and adults.
In 2014, we got our orders to fly halfway around the world to Okinawa, Japan, where we were stationed for 3 years. I was working as a volunteer choir director at the base chapel when I was approached by a family after attending Mass. They asked if I taught piano lessons, or knew anyone who did. I had not considered teaching piano again, but I was reminded of the support I had in NC, and also of the need for our military community to have access to a music studio that understood our nomadic lifestyles.
Too many families came to me with stories of how other local private teachers didn't want to take them on as students because they knew the family would have to move. Others made it clear there was a void in the overseas community - there were piano teachers available, but the language barrier made it difficult for their children to get the most out of their experience and many gave up learning. I felt the calling rise up again and I advertised my availability to teach piano in my home. One Marine even contacted me to brush up on his piano skills. His voicemail gave rise to the studio's official name and thus began my travelling music studio.
"Hi ma'am. I wanted to get piano lessons from you if possible. I'm guessing you teach kids, but do you do Music for Marines, too?"
