CLEVELAND, September 1, 2020 – Musicologie Cleveland Heights opens September 1, 2020 at 3473 Fairmount Boulevard, the latest venture for owners Kevin and Pat Richards who have been leading in the field of music education in the Heights area for over three decades. In partnership with Columbus-based Musicologie, the 32-year old Fairmount Music School will be entirely rebranded and reorganized. The teaching staff will remain in place and lessons will continue uninterrupted.
The new venture is the result of months of conversations between the Richards and Musicologie founders Joseph and Kay Barker, longtime touring musicians and music educators from Grandview Heights, a small suburb minutes from downtown Columbus. In 2014, Musicologie was born out of the Barkers’ conviction that music is for everyone, and the betterment of teachers’ livelihoods would be at the center of everything they do. With four studios now in the greater Columbus area, they have fine tuned a unique co-ownership structure that provides partners – called Community Managers – the tools to build successful teaching studios. Pat Richards will join the company as Community Manager of Musicologie Cleveland Heights and will gain the support of an ever-growing body of solutions proven to help students develop and sustain a love of learning music and empower teachers to build sustainable careers.
Musicologie Cleveland Heights will be the company’s first studio located outside of the Columbus area. Joseph Barker is busy planning the next two years of growth and development for the music education company. “We are currently working on a project in the Cincinnati area we hope to be able to complete before the end of the year. We definitely feel there is tremendous growth opportunity for what we do and how we do it,” Barker said.
Like many, Kevin Richards has seen his industry change drastically in response to stay at home orders put in place to quell the spread of Covid-19. Increasingly, private music teachers are going online to provide instruction to a growing number of students. “We are excited to partner with Musicologie. Their systems will not only improve the student experience for our in-studio lessons but will support those studying music at home – digital content, videos, and curriculum development focused on online lessons – it helps to have a larger company behind you to be able to adapt in this environment,” Richards said. Pat adds, “More than anything, our values are aligned. We feel good about the fact that any change that is implemented will only be what is best for our teachers and students in the long run.”
