WE BUILT A MUSIC STUDIO!

It was 8AM Wednesday morning. Our meeting was scheduled for 10AM. The phone rings and on the other end of the line our realtor says, “They pulled out of the deal.”

Seriously? The deal we worked on for 6 weeks for a perfect build out, sound-proof walls, 5-year lease has fallen through? We were devastated.

You see, we had been searching for a space to put our music lesson studio for months. Turns out, there aren’t a great deal of spaces that are equipped to house the sounds of piano, voice, guitar and ukulele lessons floating through the air waves.

Our business had been moved more than a handful of times. We just wanted a place to land and call home not only for ourselves, but we wanted a comfortable and high-functioning location for all our amazing students.

We had been everywhere:

Church office? Check.

Church sanctuary? Check.

Kindermusik studio back room? Check.

Office space? Check.

Renting space from other music studios? Check.

Music rooms in a high school? Check.

Dance studio? Check.

We were exhausted of moving the business. Not only had we seen countless spaces over the years, but we also made the drastic change to move the business from the west side of the metro completely across town to the east side after getting married and settling into new home territory.

So, after some tears and frustration, we sat up tall and said, “Let’s get to work. Let’s figure this out.” We called upon our good friends and construction gurus Brett and KT to get the job done.

On Monday, November 26th of 2018 they broke ground behind our home in Lake Elmo to start the creation of our home music studio. Throughout the winter months they created the studio of our dreams literally from the ground up.

To ensure we wouldn’t disturb any neighbors, we took great lengths to sound proof the studio. We hired Bryan Knisley over at Central Acoustics to provide acoustical engineering and help with noise isolation construction.

Double walls with wave hangers in between. Extra insulation. Double paned windows. Sound proof doors. No sound was about to escape from here.

Beyond the creative decisions of paint color, flooring, wall decor, furniture, etc., we decided to upgrade the studio with a Soundcraft 12-channel mixer and mounted QSC speakers in the corners for optimal sound quality. We also installed bass traps and sound panels to gain control over the sound waves.

Finally, after a great deal of searching, we purchased a Yamaha G3 Grand Piano at Keys 4/4 Kids. After playing piano for over 3 decades, finally the instrument of my dreams was delivered!

As Michael and I drove past the location of our supposed-to-be-but-didn’t-happen location the other day, we both were filled with gratitude for the barriers set in front of us to lead us down our meant-to-be path of building this gorgeous studio.

We love this space. Our students and families have a reliable, beautiful place to take lessons. We have finally landed with our feet on the ground and heads held high.

And we are here to stay. Come join us and be a part of our music lessons family, won’t you?

Side note: Michael’s guitar and ukulele lessons are still held at the fantastic Music-Go-Round space in Woodbury. Due to Lake Elmo regulations, we are limited to the amount of students on our property at one time.

Now, back to the music!