Connect
To Top

Meet Jeremy Rushing of Athens School of Music

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Rushing.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2004, Athens had many great musicians who taught music lessons but had to usually go to a student’s home or have the student go to the teacher’s home. A fellow teacher and I decided to open the Athens School of Music to provide a location that provided music instruction for every instrument, age, level, and genre, and also have a lobby where parents could wait or so whole families can take lessons at the same time. Having such a wealth of talented teachers in the area made it possible to offer a huge variety of services, education, and made-to-order bands for special events.

We also teach ensemble classes where students get together with other students and form groups performing song from various genres. Sometimes we’ll have middle school kids performing with grandparents in a jazz band or metal group. In addition to ensembles, we have expanded to host music therapy camps for the community, producing soundtrack music for stage and film, and providing scholarship programs for those that want to learn but can’t afford to.

It has been a difficult but rewarding business. I have watched students grow from kids to adults and seen so many people develop their own musical personalities. 13 years and counting!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the hardest jobs to earn a living at is being a musician. Teaching music lessons is an important source of income for musicians who are struggling to perform, record, write, practice, and learn as well.

Unfortunately, there are way more musicians that want to teach that there are students so we don’t get to hire all of the applicants. Sometimes there aren’t enough students for the teachers we have, which makes for some very tough months. It gets pretty hard around the holidays. There have been a few times when I didn’t know if the business would survive.

In the whole scope of activities, sports, and music, music is usually the activity the gets taken off when times or schedules become difficult. Add a recession, Hurricane, snowstorm, or stock market scare and we could have massive cancellations.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Athens School of Music – what should we know?
Our goal is to offer music lessons to any person, at any age, any level, and on any instrument based on what they enjoy. It can be just for fun, preparing for auditions, or all the way to mastering an instrument. We have built a word of mouth reputation for quality instruction and super flexibility in scheduling. We make sure it’s fun above all else.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Flexibility in scheduling has been key to our success. A typical student is usually juggling multiple activities. Sometimes a simple time change can make an entire week run more smoothly for many families. With over 100 students and 14 teachers, keeping up with schedules can be like air traffic control, but over the years we have been getting pretty skilled in phone tag.

Pricing:

  • Our lessons cost $30 per lesson, or $100 per month for package discount
  • Ensemble classes are $25 per session.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageATL 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.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in