Interview with Matt McGraw of emusicinstruction

E-mail interview with Matt McGraw, president and founder of emusicinstruction. McGraw recently was awarded a grant through the Edson Initiative at ASU.

Q: What is emusicinstruction all about?

A: emusicinstruction provides live, interactive music instruction in the comfort of students homes through webcams. We also pride ourselves on providing more than just convenient lessons, but educational opportunities to students regardless of their geographic location. All of our teachers have a Masters degree in music so now anyone can study with an expert in their field.

Q: Is this a for-profit or non-profit endeavor? What made you choose one over the other?

A: We are a for-profit venture and we chose that based on the standard in the industry.

Q: Where did you come up with the concept for emusicinstruction?

A: I grew up in rural Indiana outside of a town called Mulberry. Although I practiced a lot I was pretty far behind when I went to audition for college music programs. The other students had access to teachers in the city. Although I came out fine, I had to work very hard to catch up in my first few years of my undergrad. Later, my brother told me about Skype and I instantly saw the possibilities that this could bring.

Q: What is innovative about the emusicinstruction project? Or how is this different from other musical teaching tools on the web?

A: emusicinstruction is one of very few organizations that teaches students live through webcams. It takes away the hassle of driving to and from the regular brick and mortar lessons and adds the personal interaction lacking from streaming video and regular websites. We are also the first and only organization to limit our teachers to those holding a masters degree. Consumers can trust that emusicinstruction is providing them with one of the best teachers in the area.

Q: What stage is the project currently at?

A: We are just starting to transition from product/service development to sales.

Q: What types of future goals do you envision for the site?

A: In a few years we would like to move into product sales and will continue to build content on the site to make us a source of great music instruction and information for band directors and music teachers through out the country.

Q: Did you learn anything you weren’t expecting to when you started this process?

A: I learned so much. I actually expected to learn a lot. Although I have been self employed as a musician for years, this is the first time I have set up an organization. Everything has been a learning process from laywers to webdesign. I love it.

Q: What advice would you give to others looking to start a digital media venture?

A: One mistake that I made early was to try to get the website up before I had developed my brand icon and logo. If you are starting your website 1. Get your brand designed first to avoid having to redo the site later. 2. Invest in professionals to design the site and logo. The website is an opportunity to convey a 100% branded message to your customers. This is your first impression. Make it a good one.

Final words: 

Being in charge a start-up is one of the most exciting, stressful, and rewarding things I have every done. It takes thick skin, faith, and reason. I love it. You are constantly learning and performing. It is not that far from being a musician. You prepare music and perform in the moment. You will always have fans and you will always have critics. The better you prepare, the better you perform, the more gigs you get.