We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyle Shafer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyle, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Some people don’t realize how varied the quality of instruction in this industry is! They tend to look at the price tag and assume everything will be fine, but when you look under the hood at the methods some studios and teachers are okay with, it’s alarming. They don’t plan for each of their lessons, there’s no structure whatsoever, and a lot of the time there isn’t even a complete understanding of theory, which means students receiving this instruction are limited to learning a song at a time instead of being able to learn the language of music. This is why we developed a way to keep instructors accountable to be a trusted source of top-quality instruction so our families don’t have to worry about the investment they’re making in their child’s future!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The most interesting thing about our industry is the fact that anyone can say they can teach music. Some people are naturally gifted at picking up an instrument quickly and think that it qualifies them to teach, but the reality is that teaching requires a completely different skill set than playing! So one thing that sets us apart as a company is the degree of accountability we bring each other as instructors. We hand-pick instructors that model a desire to improve in their abilities to teach, and understand that it’s a life-long journey, then check-in each month to ensure that improvement is happening! We provide accountability via monthly instructor meetings, lesson prep feedback, and lesson recording feedback. These things are definitely time-consuming, but they’re really important to us and I’m proud of that. Despite the challenges COVID brought – not being able to teach in homes – our team stuck together and remained consistent when things got tough. We learned that even though it’s scary to roll new things out – like teaching online – thinking quick on your feet and adapting to circumstances really can benefit everyone involved! We have recovered from our losses in 2020 and have bounced back to serving even more students than we had before! We want to be marked as a company that cares, and that starts with talented, personable, humble instructors that are excited to grow in their abilities as teachers. That’s what you get with Zera Music Company.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There’s so much to do in Dallas! We’d start our days at Seven Mile Cafe (They’re all over DFW), then hit up Klyde Warren Park and walk around Downtown. We’d end our days with dinner – maybe Chuy’s, or Legacy Hall, or Whiskey Cake. At some point throughout the week, we’d catch a Rangers/Stars/Cowboys/Mavs game! These are some of my favorite things in the Metroplex!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I couldn’t have been able to do this without my wife. God has equipped her in such an incredible way to take care of our daughters, and even used her to help us get this business up and running through her creative skills and employment when we first got started!

Website: www.zeramusiccompany.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/zeramusiccompany

Twitter: www.twitter.com/zeramusicco

Facebook: www.facebook.com/zeramusicco

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/zera-music-company-lewisville?osq=zera+music+company

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoR5AhdjvX-CR4VlDeayfzQ

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