This week, Music U is turning ten years old! On May 31st, 2013, I worked my last shift as a toddler teacher at McKendree UMC daycare and returned the following week as McKendree’s music teacher with my newly created business, Music U. Since then, we’ve grown, and a few things have changed but the mission I started with remains: to bring quality, relevant and engaging music education to children.
Today, Music U offers music classes in three preschools and daycares in the Nashville area and is looking to bring these energetic and meaningful music classes to even more in the coming months. I’ve written quite a few handfuls of children’s songs that we frequently sing in classes, and recently, I had the joy of turning one of those original songs into a picture book! In addition to our preschool group classes, Music U Studio offers private lessons in piano, ukulele, guitar, bass, drums, percussion, voice, and songwriting in homes and preschools all over town, with over 65 active private students and seven teachers.
We’ve had some enjoyable and memorable moments over the past ten years. Here are a few:
2013: Music is formed, and I teach the first Music U class at McKendree UMC Daycare.
Facebook post from my last day of work before Music U was my full-time gig!
2014: The children at Mckendree UMC perform in Music U’s very first Christmas program!
2018: June - Cameron and Jes perform at Musicians Corner in the Kidsville section.
December - We now have enough private students to offer our first winter recital.
2019: January - Music U hires our first additional private piano teacher.
Krystol Wade, a fantastic pianist, teacher, songwriter and recording artist, joins the Music U team!
August - First Ukulele and Cocktails workshop for adults!
2020: We begin offering virtual classes, lessons and recitals due to COVID 19
I typically give stickers at the end of lessons but for zoom lessons, children picked where to put them on my face!
A video premiere for our preschool Christmas program, so that parents could collectively watch and comment live!
2021: August - Three more private lesson teachers are added to the Music U team.
Cameron Cleland (my husband), who had been teaching for other studios, begins teaching guitar, bass and drums for Music U!
Haley Giffen joins and is immediately a favorite with our youngest learners! She begins teaching piano, then adds guitar voice and drum students. She can do it all!
We are so lucky to have Tori, who holds a music degree with an emphasis in piano performance! She redently passed the BAR exam and teaches for us in the afternoons after spending her day as a lawyer!
December: Music U begins group classes at Bloom Academy.
2022: Release of first picture book and streamable song, Get Out, Beetle!
2023: Music U begins group classes at Lotus Learning Center with a new addition to the Music U team, Kat Mathis!
Whether you’ve been on this journey with us from the beginning or are new to Music U, I am thankful for you! We have some of the most amazing kiddos and families, and early childhood educators we’ve worked with over the years, and many of you have become dear friends of mine. I’ve watched your children grow and learn. I’ve watched them struggle and persevere. It’s been an unspeakable joy to dance, sing, wiggle, and learn alongside your children for ten years, and I look forward to the next ten!