We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Caitie Thompson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Caitie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.
I think that the most innovative thing I’ve done for my career was converting my lesson studio from in-person to remote. I was doing this pre-covid, so when the shutdown happened my income did not decrease. Actually, It increased because the demand for private lessons had gone up! Since COVID, I’ve also learned how to record demos and basic recordings, all of which can be done remotely from my home studio.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My career in music began when I was twelve years old. I had been taking drum lessons for two years, and found myself in an all-female cover with my sister, Leslie, in a band called “Grounded”. We played our first show at a coffee shop in my hometown of Delaware, OH, and from that moment on, I knew I would always want to perform, and be in music somehow. In high school, I was the biggest band nerd and orchestra dork that there was. I taught private lessons to middle schoolers while taking guitar and percussion lessons of my own to get into college. During high school. I was in another cover band that toured all over Central Ohio. We were all under the age of eighteen, and playing in bars. (Yes, supervised and managed by our parents.) It was one of the coolest times of my life. Every Friday night I was performing at a football game, and on Saturdays, I would do a band competition, then head straight to a bar gig. Those years were formative, to say the least. I got bit by the “performance bug” really early.
After high school, I wound up going to a pretty “elitist college” that taught me some very valuable life lessons. It absolutely made me a better musician, but I think what is more important is that it made me a better human. College was pretty hard on me, as I was one of three females in the male-dominated percussion studio. The head professor was not kind and did nothing as the women in the studio were tormented, and overlooked. I had to rely on my friends to keep going, though I almost dropped out many times. The pressure was overwhelming, and I was mentally exhausted all of the time. This taught me one of the best skills a teacher could ever have… patience. Patience for myself. Patience for others, Patience for the payoff of all of that hard work, sweat, and tears.
While studying Music Education, I found that being a band director was just not for me so I switched to Music Business. My love of teaching never left me though, so I continued to teach private lessons after college. I began performing with Leslie again in our current band, The Lucky Penny Sisters. For years I have performed in and out of various ensembles including symphony orchestras, concert bands, rock bands, and even a Japanese Taiko troupe. After college, I worked in music retail, and also in a recording studio. This fostered my love of the recording arts and also helped me learn how to run my own business. I am a very quick learner, and I watch those around me incessantly to learn as much as possible. After a short while, I began teaching private lessons full-time, and never looked back.
Music On The Move Studios, which I co-founded with Erin McLendon, is a musical ecosystem that is dedicated to music education, creating opportunities for women in the industry, and showcasing female independent artists. In Nashville, where Erin resides, performance opportunities for women in Country Music are few and far between. It is a male-dominated genre, so there isn’t a seat at the table for women to occupy. Instead, we have made our own. Erin hosts “Music On The Move” showcases in various venues all over Nashville, and I host our podcast, “Paradox Jukebox”. We have created a community that is supportive, diverse, inclusive and has generated some really amazing opportunities for our members. Some of them have even found the confidence to go out and create something of their own, which we support one hundred percent.
One of the things that I am most proud of is that Erin and I built a business during the shutdown and it is still alive and well. Yes, it’s still growing and we are learning, but we have seen some pretty amazing things happen during the last two years and it’s been the best journey. I love my life, and where I am at. No, I am not a celebrity making millions, BUT… I am a full-time musician making a living off of my music, and that is a pretty gratifying feeling.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think that the one thing that has always served my reputation is my professionalism. I go above and beyond for my clients because it shows them that my level of dedication is deep and that I will always strive to do my very best for them. That means something to the students, and also the venue owners that I perform for. My students know that they can count on me for support, and my venue owners know that they can count on my band to always be professional, put on a fantastic show, and work with them to ensure the performances are a success and that patrons are happy.
There are countless horror stories about musicians who trash their green rooms, run up bar tabs they won’t pay for, or are just plain difficult to work with. My band does not behave that way. We are a team with the venue, and everyone has a part to play, pun intended! When you can work with a venue like a well-oiled machine, there is nothing that cannot be achieved. This has created relationships that have lasted decades for my sister and I. I have sat on numerous panels and been invited to play in many amazing venues, and the work continues to grow. It’s because I SHOWED UP, did the work, and did it CLEAN. I am not a “halfway person.” I will do what’s expected, and I will do it well.
It is the same with my students. Their parents know that they can always expect a high level of professionalism from me and that their students will receive the best instruction I can provide. This has led to many referrals and long-standing clients.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I think that any woman in the music industry will tell you that their story is one of resilience. It pretty much has to be. Women are not respected in the music field unless it’s by other women. Sometimes not even then, because some of us have been conditioned to believe that we must fight tooth and nail for everything, and be jealous of those who have what we don’t. We struggle to be recognized by our male peers for even the most mundane of things, and definitely the most important of things, like the caliber of our skills.
Ever since I was young, I’ve gotten strange looks from people when I would sit behind my drumset. I would endure snide remarks from old men who didn’t think a “young lady” had any place behind a set of drums. Until I began playing, then it was obvious that I knew what I was doing, and I had every right to be there. It didn’t change when I began playing guitar professionally either. In many ways, it got worse. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have heard the statement “You’re pretty good… for a girl.” I’m not trying to give a sob story, what I am saying is that I was resilient enough to endure it, and USE IT. “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.” (Thank you, Elenore Rosevelt!) I would shed tears if I needed to, but most of the time I would use it to fuel my performance, and put on the best show possible. Negativity has no place in your life if you don’t let it take up space. It is easier said than done, for sure. But, just like playing an instrument, it takes time and practice to get good at letting that crap roll off of your back. It won’t serve you to dwell on it, and it certainly won’t make you any better to listen to it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.caitiethompsonmusic.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/caitiethompsonmusic
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/caitiethompsonmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9BPcGKXrVZfqEKgtXxCh0A
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Mitchell Multimedia