We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Krista Garrett. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Krista below.
Krista, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
I have had to take many risks over the course of being a business owner which can lead to some of the most valuable wins and losses I have ever had. In 2014, my husband became sick and had to step away from the business and at the time I was a stay at home mom to twin girls that were just under 2 years old. I was scared and really didn’t want to give up my time at home with them but I was also very passionate about music and the business. I was driven to take over the business side so that we would continue to have income coming into our household while my husband recovered but then I came to realize that as someone that studied music and held degrees in psychology that I could change the model of the business and put my own mark on the foundation that my husband has created. Fast forward to early 2016, the business suffered two devastating losses: we had part of our business burn down and a beloved teacher and friend passed away unexpectedly. It would have been easy to walk away when the fire occurred but when we were offered space in a local church to keep operations, we took it and started all over again. It was during that time that I realized how much I loved the business and at that point arrangements were made to buy out the minority partner and my husband signed over ownership to me. What a feeling to officially own my own business!
The next risk we took paid off as it kept us in business during a very difficult and uncertain time. In the 6 months leading up to the covid shutdown, we started to offer virtual lessons with the idea that we would be able to expand our market and little did we know that with the technology upgrades and systems we put into place would enable us to remain in business by offering lessons to individuals that would otherwise not have an outlet. It also meant more than just offering music lessons, it provided a social outlet to children and adults that were socially isolated and we saw higher reports of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. This then lead to the development of a music based mental health program called Find Your Voice.
Another risk we took recently was moving from a 1800 square foot space to a 10,000 square foot building with the vision of buying the complex over time. It is a huge financial undertaking and to be frank, I am terrified. Not only are we learning more about property management and the costs that come with taking on a situation that is such a large undertaking but we are learning the lesson that you cannot grow or thrive without risk.
Krista, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
As the owner of the Garrett Music Academy, since 2016, I merged my passion for cognitive development, mental health and music into my vision of a private music school. Through my work, I began to see how music influences the brain and emotions and found that music can actually repair damage caused by stroke, dementia, depression, anxiety, PTSD and other psychosomatic diagnoses. While I first joined the school first on the business side (with my experience in finance), I quickly began my journey marrying psychology and music into a series of lessons that could help students of all ages. The structure of the school changed and I quickly found myself running the day to day operations. I was content but my faith would be tested.
Not long after ownership was transitioning, the academy experienced two losses: the sudden death of a remarkable teacher, woman, mother and (almost) business partner and a devastating fire that would destroy 50% of our classrooms and inventory and flood and shut down our main building for 3 months. To say the least, I faced emotional and financial wounds that easily could have made me crumble and give up. Believe me, the thought crossed my mind several times in the seven months of 2016 but my passion for music, the dedicated teachers, our students and the outpouring of love from our community prevented me from giving up. We pushed through and as of December 2016, I took over 100% ownership of the Garrett Music Academy and began making my “musicology” approach a more integral part of my lessons. I have developed the philosophy from personal heartbreak & experience, music is for everyone. Regardless of age, ability or goal, music serves the soul.
The premise of the Garrett Music Academy in 2023 is that everyone is welcomed, loved and accepted. With the recent outbreak of COVID-19, that couldn’t be more true as we transitioned our brick and mortar location to an online/virtual music school. I want students, parents and the community to be a part of the Garrett “family” to know that regardless of circumstances, background or past, you are accepted here and we will teach you more than just music. Are you expected to work? Yes. Are you expected to create expectations for yourself? Yes. Should you accept personal accountability and standards? Yes. Our job is to change your perspective, to raise your personal bar with teachers that are mentors and sounding boards, therapists, and friends. We serve more than just teaching someone to read notes. That is my vision, that is my passion…to bring young, old, disabled, and thriving together to enjoy the benefits of music regardless of socioeconomics and environment. This is a safe place I always wished for as a child and teen, the place to be accepted for who I am…right here…right now.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2016, we suffered major losses that crippled me emotionally, physically and financially. In June, 2016, the building that housed 50% of our classrooms, equipment and instrument rentals burned down. I received a call that there was a building on fire in our complex and when I arrived, a quarter of the building was burning. There were high winds and excessive heat that day and although the fire fighters did their best to safe the building, it was a total loss. We were fortunate that our main building did not catch on fire but because there was water sprayed on the building to prevent any possible ember from igniting it, water collected in the lower level of the building causing black mold which made the building uninhabitable. Insurance did not cover losses and we found ourselves without a building or equipment to conduct lessons. What happened next gave me faith…the community came together with donations and a local church offered us space so that we could go back to work and our teachers and staff would continue to have jobs. With the outpouring of love and support from our community, we went back into operation and sustained ourselves until we were able to move back into our building 3 months later!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was a pianist through high school. I loved music and studied until after my senior year. While I loved to play for myself, I have tremendous stage fright so recitals and performances were utter disasters which lead to the end of any performance dream of being a concert pianist. I took a year off from college to regroup and went into the workforce. My parents encouraged me to go to college part time while working and that is when I fell in love with Psychology. I would go on to earn my Bachelors from the University of Maryland in Psychology and then my Masters in Developmental Psychology from Johns Hopkins. I found my degrees to be useful when I worked with young children and older students that had developmental disabilities or had issues with fine and gross motor skills. It was then that I determined my niche, I would use music as a tool to assist students that had strokes, TBIs, developmental and cognitive disabilities and children from 0 to 3 to develop fine and gross motor skills, problem solving, visual spatial skills and more by playing piano and other rhythm and hand instruments. I then developed a mental health program that uses lyric writing through journaling and then music composition to help students with depression and anxiety write songs about their experiences to give them coping strategies to help them through difficult thoughts, suicidal ideation and self harm.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.garrettmusicacademy.com
- Instagram: @thegarrettmusicacademy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettmusicacademy
- Linkedin: Garrett Music Academy/Krista Garrett
- Twitter: @garrettmusicacademy
- Youtube: @garrettmusicacademy
- Yelp: Garrett Music Academy
Image Credits
Garrett Music Academy Jennifer Dawn Consulting