Music Compound

With nine years under its belt, Music Compound is on the move literally. With its Cattlemen Road location being sold, owner Jenny Compound saw the opportunity to merge its Sarasota and Manatee County locations at a brand new, state-of-the-art facility near the Fruitville Road/I-75 corridor. The location will officially open for business on August 12.The new 10,000-square foot-facility, located at 775 Bell Road in Sarasota, will feature large, soundproofed private rooms, larger rooms for various group lessons and programs, and a dedicated space for the New Horizons Concert Band program. There will also be a sizable area for musical theatre, early childhood programs, and a fantastic event space with pro quality stage and lighting.Additional features will include a new parents lounge and music lounge, providing comfortable and creative spaces for everyone involved in Music Compound programs. The school is also excited to incorporate a recording studio to support its students in creating original music.To better serve its members and further enhance its offerings, Music Compound is already in the process of adding four new teachers to its team in July and August including vocal and piano coaches and will also offer lessons in Spanish.Were so pleased with and proud of the growth and evolution of the business, from our beginnings in 2016 through today. I feel that weve really built a brand that encompasses a true feeling of community and educational excellence as well as a workplace where team members are happy to come to work each and every day, Townsend says. Our Cattlemen Road location had been maxed out for several years; our new facility will enable us to grow, strengthen existing program offerings, and try our hand at new ventures. We invite the community to visit and take a tour!Music Compound provides an environment to inspire, collaborate, and educate children and adults in pursuit of their love of music. A sampling of programs available at Music Compound include: homeschool options; Piano Jam (ages 8-12); Kidz Rock (ages 4-7) and Junior Rockers (ages 8-11); musical theatre; the youth band program (live performance-based); Intro to Music; the New Horizons Concert Band (ages 50+); jam opportunities for all ages; and more. Lessons are available for all ages in instruments including piano, guitar, bass, drums, violin, ukulele, voice and more.Over the course of its run thus far, Music Compound has earned numerous awards, including the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerces Small Business of the Year in 2019. This year, the business was also a nominee in the Woman Owned Business of the Year category.PHOTO ID: Music Compound owner Jenny Townsend at the music schools new location at 775 Bell Road in SarasotaKayla Avirett/Music Compound

The team members from Music Compound gathered on November 8 for the 2024 Music Compound Awards and Retreat. This is an event that Music Compound, led by owner Jenny Townsend, hosts annually to celebrate its team members efforts and reinforce their commitment to the companys mission Inspire. Collaborate. Educate. and community.Twenty-four of Music Compounds team members attended the event, which included ice breakers, team building and awards, followed by food, swimming and volleyball, at a location in Lakewood Ranch.During the event, Music Compound leaders acknowledged milestones such as its new, larger facility on Bell Road in Sarasota; the surging book-reading totals through the Rock Your Summer Reading initiative; the companys new and/or expanded programs; and new hires. Stefanie Overturf of Phenomenal Business Coaching led a session on enhancing communication and building understanding within a team; Samantha Bruno Keenen, co-founder of Brand Story Experts and president of The All In app, shared insights on fostering a positive work culture and environment.Music Compound Awards were presented to:Inspiration Award: Iain HarrisCollaboration Award: Taylor GalfordEducational Award: David ReyesSummer Camp Award: Cody VanSlykeRising Star Award: Lohen BisahaMVP Award: Larry DanielsOur Annual Awards & Company Retreat serves as a wonderful way to celebrate our growth and achievements of the past year and launch the new program year with inspiration and recognition, said Townsend. This years event was all about connections, growth, transformation and celebration. Most of all, we endeavor to share our gratitude for our amazing team neither our continued growth nor our wonderful workplace culture would be possible without them!The Music Compound, now located at 775 Bell Road in Sarasota, provides an environment to inspire, collaborate and educate children and adults in pursuit of their love of music. Private and group lessons are available on a wide variety of instruments as well as programs such as Kidz Rock (ages 4-7), Junior Rockers (ages 8-11), ukulele and guitar groups (ages 8-12), the Musical Theatre Program (ages 7-14), Songwriting Series (ages 15+), Adult Jam Sessions, the Gulf Coast New Horizons Music program for adults ages 50+, and more.Visit musiccompound.com for more information.PHOTO ID: Music Compound owner Jenny Townsend (left) with MCA-winners (from l-r) Iain Harris, Taylor Galford, David Reyes, Cody VanSlyke and Lohen Bisaha (not pictured: Larry Daniels)Photo by Kayla Avirett

Music Compounds Album Ensemble returns for its third album tribute effort, this time to perform the entirety of The Beatles renowned album, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Album Ensemble comprising four instructors and 16 students ages 12 to the late 60s will present two performances on Saturday, June 29, at 6:30 and 8 p.m.Previous shows took place in October 2023, featuring Pink Floyds The Dark Side of the Moon, and March 2024, with Fleetwood Macs Rumours. As with both previous Album Ensemble projects, the performances are being tied to fundraising for a local charity; the beneficiary organization is to be determined.Music Compound instructors Taylor Galford and Iain Harris, who created the Album Ensemble program, are especially excited for these shows.This album is the Mount Everest of popular music. It was the first one the Beatles recorded after they retired from live performances in 1966, and was never intended to be performed live, says Harris. It was written and recorded to be something that could never be reproduced on stage at the time, so our members are going to do something that The Beatles themselves never did!Our Album Ensemble program has taken off in a way I could never have imagined before the first of these concerts. It aligns so perfectly with our commitment to fostering collaboration and providing intergenerational opportunities for our students, adds Music Compound president Jenny Townsend. This program provides an intensive collaborative experience between players of all ages and skill levels and enables the participants to really get inside some of the best music ever made. To be able to present a musical showcase at such a high level while raising funds for an important cause makes the whole experience even more meaningful for all involved.Recorded between December 1966 and April 1967, and released in June 1967, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band was greeted with incredible acclaim, with The Village Voice calling the album the most ambitious and most successful record album ever and The Times of London calling it a decisive moment in the history of Western civilization. It went on to win four Grammy Awards in 1968 and, in 2003, was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, honoring the work as culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.Upon its original release, the album spent 15 weeks at number one in the U.S. and 23 weeks at number one in the UK. It is one of the top 20 best-selling albums of all time worldwide, with sales exceeding 32 million copies (including 11 million in the U.S. and 5 million in the UK).The album has regularly topped lists of the best albums ever made and was voted best album of all time in a survey of 600,000 people across the UK. In 2003, Rolling Stone placed it at number one in the magazines list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Rolling Stone has also called it the most important rock n roll album ever made.Sgt. Pepper is such a monumental album for all music, genres aside. The album brings the mind to music and transports the listener to a state of reflection, says Galford. Songs that are not only great sonically, but also make one think. The album really changed what was possible and influenced everything that came after it. To attempt to reproduce it live is going to be the most challenging and rewarding project we have done to date!Future Album Ensemble performances, featuring Nirvanas MTV Unplugged in New York and U2s The Joshua Tree, are planned for later in 2024 and early in 2025, respectively.The Sgt. Peppers concerts take place at Music Compound SRQ (1751 Cattlemen Rd., Sarasota). The shows are free but registration is requested; visit musiccompound.com/beatles.

On October 26, Music Compounds Album Ensemble comprising members and instructors at the local music school presented two performances of Nirvanas legendary acoustic album, MTV Unplugged in New York. As with previous efforts, there was a fundraising component: these concerts benefited Operation Warrior Resolution. A check totaling $1,000 is being presented to the nonprofit.MTV Unplugged in New York is the first live album by the American rock band Nirvana, released by DGC Records on November 1, 1994, nearly seven months following the suicide of lead vocalist/songwriter Kurt Cobain. It was part of the cable television series MTV Unplugged and features a mostly acoustic performance. It was recorded at Sony Music Studios in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan, on November 18, 1993 and aired on MTV on December 16, 1993. Songs featured during the performance included Come As You Are, About a Girl, On A Plain, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies and more.MTV Unplugged debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified 8x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2020. It won the Best Alternative Music Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards, Nirvanas only Grammy Award. The album is widely considered to be one of the best live performances of all time.Previous Music Compound Album Ensemble concerts have featured Pink Floyds The Dark Side of the Moon, Fleetwood Macs Rumours, and The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Each concert has included a fundraising component to benefit select area nonprofit organizations. A total of $3,642 has been raised to-date to benefit the following organizations: NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Sarasota and Manatee Counties, SPARCC (Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center), Meals on Wheels of Sarasota, and Operation Warrior Resolution.This program provides an intensive collaborative experience between players of all ages and skill levels and enables the participants to really get inside some of the best music ever made. It aligns so perfectly with our commitment to fostering collaboration and providing intergenerational opportunities for our students, said Music Compound president Jenny Townsend. To be able to present musical showcases at such a high level while raising funds for important causes makes the whole experience even more meaningful for all involved.Music Compound instructors Taylor Galford and Iain Harris conceived and lead the Album Ensemble effort.Operation Warrior Resolution is a Sarasota-based, veteran-led nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide innovative, holistic treatments for mental health to veterans and their family members; alleviating PTSD, anxiety and other mental health-related issues. Visit operationwarriorresolution.org for more information.To learn more about Music Compounds programs for all ages and skill levels, visit musiccompound.com.

As local music school Music Compound enters its ninth year of business and with economic challenges continuing to impact community members and the companys employees alike the school is launching a new effort. The virtual on-demand Introduction to Guitar Fundamentals: The Ultimate Beginners Guide course is not only enabling access to a high-quality learning opportunity to a wider geographic area but also providing the opportunity for greater earnings for the teachers involved in creating instructional videos and providing consultations with students.Music Compound has long been known for its innovation and adaptability in challenging times. During Covid, owner Jenny Townsend and her instructors pivoted to online offerings very quickly as well as became an impromptu mask-making shop, which enabled team members to make some money while the facility was closed for in-person instruction.As costs are increasing for everything and people are managing budgets for essentials vs. discretionary spending, our goal is to keep innovating and evolving along with the marketplace, said Townsend. We know that you can Google learn to play guitar and find thousands and thousands of options but, with our course, students receive access to live instructors whether in person or virtually who provide personalized, real-time feedback and guidance.The course is recommended for aspiring beginner guitar players ages 12 and up as well as for parents of younger students who could then act as their childs first instructor to gauge interest before moving on to formal private lessons. It consists of 10 original lessons of approximately 80 minutes total length, two 30-minute personal consultations with a Music Compound instructor (either in person or via Zoom or Facetime for those who are out of area), and a spiral-bound resource booklet that will be given or shipped directly to participants. Students will also have access to all further videos in the Introduction to Guitar Fundamentals course as new content is completed and uploaded over the coming year.This course is designed to guide the complete beginner at the very start of their journey, providing a solid foundation in the correct way to play and understand the foundational chords that will be the secret of their success for the rest of their musical life. Students will learn how to tune the instrument and name all the parts of the guitar, how to play the eight most important chords on the guitar that all other chords and many songs are built from, and the correct finger placement and hand ergonomics to make the most clean and appealing sounds.If students enjoy learning and being part of the Music Compound community, they can opt for private virtual or in-person lessons, or the next level of the guitar course, which will be offered in the spring of 2024. Music Compound plans to add courses in piano and vocals, also by spring of 2024.Introduction to Guitar Fundamentals is being offered at an introductory rate of just $97 and registration is now open. Visit musiccompound.com/online-music-lessons for more information.