We recently connected with Brian Bauer and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

As a young child, I spent many hours entertaining myself with keyboards and synthesizers. By the time I was 10, my mother decided to buy a beat up antique upright piano and restore it by hand in our garage. This was inspiring in a way, because her weeks of physical labor made me want to work hard at learning the instrument. I can recall the thrill of its completion, what it smelled like, and how I immediately rolled up my sleeves, enrolled in lessons, and began to find my own work ethic. My mother transformed that piano, and the piano transformed me. Later, she made a pithy observation that “piano players are a dime a dozen”. As I approached high school she urged me to go further and explore other instruments.

My father has always been supportive and continues to help me to this day. He is a resource of good advice and practical knowledge and always answers the phone when I call with some random question or concern. Whether he is recommending his favorite day planner, book, or podcast, my father is engaged and involved in my career development. In 2020, he introduced me to a former colleague of his. She is a brilliant addition to my life and is now providing me with business coaching, branding strategies, and web design. My father knew we would make a good fit. I honestly don’t know how I’d be getting along with her guidance and support.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I was introduced to music at the age of 3 by my grandfather. He sang and played the ukulele, but only in the key of F. I enrolled in piano lessons and started performing regularly at 11. I taught my first paying guitar lesson when I was 13, and decided that I was going to be a life-long musician. While I was shy to admit this to friends and family, I was more than comfortable sharing this information with “Weird Al” Yankovic when I met him at Six Flags in 1992.

Then came the interest in mental health. It’s not a pleasant story. One of my high school classmates committed suicide during my junior year. He and I were in band together. It was just awful, and I didn’t want it to happen again. After 80 hours of training, I started volunteering at Kids Under Twenty-One (KUTO) -a St. Louis based suicide prevention hotline located in Brentwood. I’ll never forget how I felt when hearing that phone ring on my first shift. I was 16.

I went on to major in psychology and music therapy and then founded Mimic Music 10 years ago. I am located in Affton near St. Louis and offer in-home and virtual private music lessons for kids and adults on ukulele, banjo, piano, and acoustic guitar. My students are located all over the country and range in ages from 7-81. I provide my local students with unique performance opportunities and field trips. I find that the adults and parents love these events as much as the kids. I have 32 years of teaching experience and I’m a board certified music therapist. I find this type of education is crucial as my students and parents seem more willing than ever to discuss things such as: ADHD, anxiety, neurodiversity, depression, special needs, grief, substance abuse, PTSD, OCD, family dynamics, resilience, self-esteem, and confidence.

I am so proud of my current students -they truly make the best teachers. They are finding their voice, setting goals, using music to build healthy habits and relationships, and consistently redefining what is possible with private music instruction in 2023.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

It started ten years ago when two of my friends began asking for ukulele lessons for their children. Thanks to word of mouth and social media, the number of students doubled every year for the first six years. While completing my music therapy internship at a psychiatric support center several years ago, it slowly occurred to me that I didn’t even have the availability for a part time job anymore.

Our 1st major milestone was our first concert performance, which my wife and I held in our backyard for fifty or so people. Amazingly enough, two of the children that performed are still enrolled here to this day.

The 2nd milestone was navigating through Covid. Removing over 20 students from my home studio was really painful. Additionally, I lost 25% of my students in the spring of 2020. I had been teaching and learning online since 2008, and I was absolutely 100% determined to make this work, even if it meant accepting that this was now my full time career. My students have thrived during Covid and nearly half of my local students have returned to in person lessons.

The 3rd milestone will be our 10 year anniversary concert in February at the Affton Elks Lodge. My wife Chrissy will be the MC. She does an incredible job. We’ve carried this through for one entire decade now, and I’m sensitive to the fact the vast majority of small family businesses don’t make it this far.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Kids and music are a winning combination on social media, and I try to do them justice while respecting any privacy concerns.

This is going to sound bizarre, but every time I post something on social media, I learn something. After posting a reel, my first thoughts are “I could have done this better by…” This attitude is helpful as I try to convince myself I’m in “learning mode” instead of “time sucking self promotion mode”.

My advice for those just starting to build social media presence would be to get more familiar with video production and invest in proper sound and lighting equipment. Learn what backlighting is and how to avoid it at all costs. Get comfortable both in front AND behind the camera. Practice good social media hygiene. Only subscribe and follow people and organizations you find inspiring. Everything else is pretty much noise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mimicmusicservices.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mimicmusicservices_com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mimicmusicservices/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-lee-bauer-mt-bc-59533063/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/brianleebauermtbcmimicmusic

Image Credits
Big Stu, Jeff Hammer, Lauren Ellsworth, Brian Lee Bauer, and Shannon Hergert, and Jay Alexander