We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kat Starr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kat, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Our mission is simple – “Bringing out the musician in you.” At Kat Starr Music, we believe that all music learners already come to us as musicians. Whether you’re 4 years old or in retirement, you already know something about music and have a unique voice. We don’t want to create a bunch of students who sound just like us, we want to give you the tools to sound just like *you.*

After I earned my degree in Music Education, I taught for one year in the public schools. That taught me all I needed to know – that the way public schools are set up is not how I want to teach. I decided to strike out on my own in 2009, not knowing anything about being an entrepreneur, just knowing that I wanted something different for my life and my students.

So for the last 14 years, I have been teaching one-on-one, and in small groups, meeting each of my students exactly where they are, and helping them discover their own voices and musicianship. And I have grown my studio to include 6 other teachers now, each of us dedicated to “bringing out the musician in you!”

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi there! I’m Kat Starr and I’m delighted to tell you a bit about my business today.

I got into music at the age of 9 and played in our school’s Orchestra until I graduated. Orchestra was so important to me. It gave me a place to belong during those awkward teenage years.
I also had a Celtic band with 3 friends during high school – Dundrennan. That was such an amazing experience – learning how to arrange tunes, figure out harmonies, and run a band! We even cut a CD during that time that I’m still proud of today! Music gave me a way to fit in and totally changed the arc of my life. I love knowing that I am doing that for others now.

I started Kat Starr Music in 2009 because I knew that there had to be a better way for me to connect with students than being a public school teacher. I have loved running my own business and figuring out how to do the work I am meant to do, while balancing my personal life.

In fact last year, my husband, Clay Faris, joined me to run the school as it was getting too big for me to manage alone. I feel blessed beyond measure that we get to work together! He is an amazing bass teacher, and keeps the studio running full tilt! With his help and our awesome team of teachers, we’re reaching and helping so many people through music.

I believe that what sets Kat Starr Music apart from other music schools is that we focus on the whole person. We make sure your technique is on point so that you’re working with your body instead of against it, avoiding injuries. We help you learn to read music, and play by ear. We teach music theory so that you know the *why* of what you’re playing, not just the *how.* And most importantly, we teach you with compassion how to navigate the total head game of music.
Playing in front of others can be nerve-wracking. And our brains can really get in the way, causing anxiety, stage fright, and on and on. That’s a real challenge, and it’s one that none of us here at KSM have ever forgotten we have faced. We know it’s even hard to walk into lessons and play in front of us sometimes! We know this because we’ve all had teachers of our own! Haha! So we have a ton of compassion for this struggle, and teach our students how to trust themselves and work with that energy.

I am so proud that our students feel comfortable here. They may have been nervous to walk in the first day, but rarely the second.

Our services have grown so much in the last year! We now offer 4 Tiers of Learning.
All of our lessons are 45 minutes ensuring you have time to learn, absorb, and ask questions. Almost 4 Sessions per month (46 lessons/year)*
1) Private Lessons – Learn the instrument of your choice in one-on-one lessons with a highly trained KSM teacher.
2) Learn Together – You and a friend or family member enjoy lessons with a highly trained KSM teacher.
3) Expert Private Lessons – Private one-on-one with Kat Starr – multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and head teacher of KSM with a degree in Music Education.
4) Expert Together – In joint Lessons with Kat, you and a family member or friend enjoy learning together. Kat is an experienced band leader, arranges music for multiple genres, and was the founder and creator of the Cookeville Community Folk Orchestra – a multi-instrument grass roots group ranging from beginner to advanced.

We offer lessons on violin, fiddle, viola, cello, bass, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, piano, flute, and voice.

All of our students are encouraged to participate in our Fall Recital at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center, and each spring we offer a community performance that’s more laid back. This year it will be a Zoom Recital where students share recordings of their performances! About ¼ of our students are Zoom only, so we’re excited to offer this way for them to connect and support one another.

I have recently begun teaching Songwriting Workshops – 3 Steps to Write Your Song. As a lifelong songwriter, I can teach beginner musicians how to begin writing right away. In just 3 steps, folks come away from my 90 minute Zoom workshops with a part of a song (if not the whole thing). Follow us on Facebook to hear more about them!
A common question we get is, “Am I too old to start?” Absolutely not! About a third of our students are adults, which is so awesome! I love that we have learners of all ages! Adult students come to us with a clear vision of the music they want to make and how they want to sound, but they need help to get from point A to point B.

We love helping you meet your musical goals because that means you’re going to use what we’ve taught you in your life! Many of our students play in their church’s praise bands, play with their family members, have bands of their own, or use music to teach in their own classes. It’s wonderful how folks use what we teach them, and how it adds to their lives and their own communities!

If you take away nothing else, I want you to know that if you feel you have a song in you or music in you that needs to be expressed, you belong here. You don’t have to walk in the door knowing anything about music. We want to listen to your goals and guide you each step of the way to them!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I have had to unlearn is GRIND. Grind in music practice, grind in work, grind when I’m tired and need to rest, making my students grind. Grind.

Society tells us that “in order to get ahead, we must grind.” But is it worth it to go against our natural rhythms and needs just to “produce,” leaving us drained and unable to enjoy our lives? I really don’t think so. And I see this sea change happening in younger generations. More and more, people are sacrificing a high paying job for one that affords them the luxury of balance, the ability to be present with those they love, and works around their life.

I learned grind mindset early on from my parents. Unfortunately, I was raised with the mentality that it doesn’t matter how you feel or if what you’re doing is working, you just have to get the results or you fail. This came with heavy doses of guilt, shame, a sense of not being ‘enough’ by just being myself. The goal post for success seemed to be an ever shifting thing just out of reach no matter where I was.

I think like most teachers, I initially taught using the style in which I was parented. So my early years of teaching, I pushed my students too hard sometimes. I wasn’t as understanding of their whole selves as I could have been. There are some moments I would dearly love to take back.

But over time I learned through trial and error that students performed *better* when they were relaxed. They learned faster, tried new things, and were more brave when they knew I was responsive to how they were feeling in the moment. The false promises of grind died for me as I realized that when I let our lessons flow instead of pushing them, they were so much better.

The opposite of Grind is Grace. Grace means I understand when a student has hit their wall. Grace means if they don’t have the energy to keep doing one type of learning, we switch to another. Grace means we need to laugh in our lessons and have fun! This new attitude made my lessons so much more fun! I had to learn this with my students before I realized that I need grace too.

Grace for me looks like giving myself reasonable expectations, resting when I need to rest. Saying ‘no.” Grace is working with the energy I have, rather than pushing myself into exhaustion. Grace is understanding that no one is perfect, and I’m no exception. And that’s OK.

As an entrepreneur, I get to create a business in alignment with my values. So that means I have been in the process of unlearning grind and embracing grace for 14 years. It has been absolutely revolutionary for me and my family. There is a rhythm and a flow to our lives that I never dreamed of. I’m not exhausted anymore. I have energy for me, my husband, our kitties, our friends, and community.

In fact, I have so much energy and desire to share these ideas that my friend and I are starting another business! RECLAIM with Kat and Kati.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

With our new business, RECLAIM, Kati Woods and I are offering clients a unique way of thinking about their lives. Our process is simple and applicable to all areas of our lives.

We help clients –
1. Recognize Your 20 – We guide clients to identify the biggest stressors or bottlenecks in their life. The 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) asserts that 20% of “the things” are causing 80% of “the pain” in our lives. We help clients identify what is causing the most stress in their lives through the use of our own Life Wheel with the 10 major areas of life, and our own “Card it Out” system.
2. Reimagine – Clients get to envision their best outcome. How could this situation flow in a really natural and easy way?
3. Reframe – What systems or framework would allow this issue to flow better? What rules or automations do you need to implement? What rules could you set for yourself? What do you need to purchase?
4. Reinforce – We teach clients how to integrate new habits and routines into their daily life through the use of “Habit Stacking,” “Chore Stacks,” Rise & Shine Basket, and many more tools!

Once someone has tackled their first “20” and sees the power to affect change in their own lives, they are so inspired to take more action! Then they tackle the next “20,” and the next. Each 20″ frees up mental energy for your day to day. It’s amazing to watch how different tools systematically introduced exponentially increases your time.

Both Kati and I have been in places of complete overwhelm, not even knowing how to start getting back to a sustainable way of life. Our unique and highly applicable process has absolutely changed our lives. We feel strongly about sharing what we’ve learned with others so they can step out of overwhelm too, and curate a life they love!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katstarrmusic.com
• Instagram: katstarrmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katstarrmusic
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/629906145292791 (RECLAIM)

Image Credits
Angellic Media (John Angell) – Group photo on large stage Brent Smith – Group photo in church Angellic Media – two cellists Clay Faris – photo of Mandar Dani and Caleb Farris (guitar) Kat Starr – Kat and violin Clay Faris – Kati teaching Banjo over zoom Paige Ferrell – picture of teachers and students in church