Denise Chan of Cosmo Music, Richmond Hill, ON
“Remember,”
she says, “you
want to get
them involved
and get them
talking about
themselves so
that you can
tell them how
you’re going to
enhance their
lives through
your lesson pro-
gram.”
Hamlyn
tacks on a bit of advice that he and his colleagues at Gary
Bennett Music have found to be very effective in enrolling and
retaining students: focusing on fl uidity, and allowing the stu-
dents to learn what they want to learn.
“So if someone is clear they don’t want to read music,
that’s fi ne,” he says. “We’ll teach you kitchen party guitar.”
Of course, your teachers should still be well trained and
able to offer more advanced instruction, but as Hamyln shares,
“That’s not for everyone. We teach people what they want to
know and put an emphasis on keeping them interested.”
ENGAGE THEM ELSEWHERE
The staff at Cosmo Music in Richmond Hill, ON, are current-
ly gearing up for the 2017 edition of CosmoFEST, the store’s
annual gear exhibition and live music celebration. Last year’s
event drew 10,000 attendees in a single day and featured over
200 product experts representing over 120 top brands under a
12,000 sq. ft. expo tent, clinics and masterclasses with the likes
of Tosin Abasi and Omar Hakim, and main stage performanc-
es from Big Wreck, Brass Transit, and Yukon Blonde.
Headliners announced for this year’s edition include
Mother Mother, Honeymoon Suite, and The Beaches, with
workshops set to feature Nita Strauss, Dennis Chambers, Alain
Caron, and more.
Denise Chan heads up the Cosmo School of
Music and has a lot planned to promote her program
during CosmoFEST.
“First of all, we’ve got
a pretty big area this year,”
she says of the 60 x 20 ft.
tent that will become the
Cosmo School of Music’s
Kidz Zone. In and around
that site will be a stage
exclusively featuring per-
formances by students
and teachers, on-the-spot
group lessons on instruments like ukulele and hand percus-
sion, and plenty of fun physical activities to engage young
people and their families.
Even though it happens on Cosmo Music’s property,
CosmoFEST is essentially a community event that appeals to
an audience beyond the store’s typical customer base – and
that’s saying a lot, considering the size of this destination loca-
tion mega-store. That’s worth noting because one could easily
employ a similar approach to engagement and promotion at
any community-targeted event in your area.
Chan and many of her teachers will be onsite answering
people’s questions about the lesson program, and can even
bring them into the school for a walk-around if need be, as
lessons will be going on during the event. She also plans to
have several iPads open onsite to get people’s information for
later follow-up.
“It’s a great event and all of our teachers love to take
part,” she says. “It’s really about giving back to the commu-
nity – it’s not just to advertise the school. We want everyone
to try out the instruments and meet some of our teachers
and see what we can offer as far as rewarding musical expe-
riences.”
Your lesson program doesn’t have to be everything to every-
one to be successful. Instead, focus on what your community
wants and what you’re good at. The important part is to
recognize the enormous potential that comes with a reputable
lesson program and how it can benefi t virtually every other
aspect of your business.
And as with all of those aspects, avoid complacency at
all costs. As Cook said to begin her session at The NAMM
Show 2017, her approach is always evolving. “We’re always
reinventing, trying to make ourselves better in this arena,” she
says, and that’s a sure-fi re approach to success.
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief
of Canadian Music Trade.
e VENTS
Carol Cook of The Music Room, Palatine, IL
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE • 25