Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Meely.
Frank, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Cleveland, OH. I grew up pretty poor and my parents weren’t together and it was kind of a rough time for everyone. I would go visit my dad in the summers and spend a decent amount of time with my aunt Helen. She had a little 41-key keyboard at her house and I would sit there and figure things out with whatever little piano books she had around. One year she decided to buy me my own keyboard and that was the best present ever.
I toyed around with that keyboard for a couple of years until I decided to actually give it a go at age 12. I was later grateful I had decided to put the effort in to teach myself. As I approached high school, life became really dark and depressing. Music was one of my very few outlets, and I honestly think without music, I would have been stuck in that dark place.
Having survived the teenage depression, I decided to go to school for a Worship Arts Leadership Degree at Spring Arbor University. While there, I learned an inordinate amount of music and music theory. I was encouraged to compose and arrange my own music and take on many projects. I was even encouraged to teach, and my voice teacher mentored me personally and allowed me to teach in his studio after graduation. My teachers were amazing supports for me, and so were my friends, most of whom I stay in contact with today.
After college, I decided to move to California. After being here for about 6 months, I got connected to a great studio in Encinitas where I spent 10.5 years learning, growing, and teaching. Having a core value for growth and self-mastery, I decided it was time to branch out and start my own business. We’ve been in action since August 2020, and we’re excited to see where it goes!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It absolutely has not been a smooth road. There are all kinds of challenges you see, not only as a musician but as a business owner. As a musician, the name of the game is get as many gigs or placements as possible or you won’t really have something to live on. As a business owner, it’s how many clients can you get to sustain this and grow so everyone who wants to partake of your services can.
Living in San Diego is not easy or cheap, and unless you come from money or have connections with deeper pockets, it’s hard to save up and try to make a business work. I’m grateful to friends and family who have helped me along the way. I’m grateful to students and clients who have spread the brand through word of mouth.
I think another struggle over the last three years has been interpersonally. It’s hard to keep your nose to the grindstone and have a personal life. I’m grateful that my friends have come alongside me instead of drifted away because I have less time to socialize now than I did before starting my own company. I think I would feel very lonely if this were not the case.
As you know, we’re big fans of Ascend Music Studios. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Ascend Music Studios desires to raise up generations of musicians and creatives who not only have the confidence but also the competence to help build a creative culture. We teach all kinds of music, and while we currently teach mostly Piano and Voice lessons, we also have Composition and Music Theory students, students focused on Musical Theatre, and students focused on making sure they are building healthy habits to sustain their artistry. We have students from ages 5-70+ years old, each one working hard in their own right for different reasons.
Ascend is built on 6 very solid core values that we seek to implement in every lesson. Ascension – or keeping you moving the next level. Self-Mastery – the realization that it’s your work, not ours, so we ask a lot of questions to get you to think instead of just giving answers. Creative Competence and Confidence – or the ability to create confidently by having a solid foundation for your choices. Excellence – we expect you to do your best, not our best or anyone else’s best, but your best. Nurturing – We will actually take the time to make sure that you have everything you need to grow, including space for your emotions or a firm boundary. And Diversity – everyone is different and everyone has something to learn from anyone who is different from them, so we lean into respect for others and value for their differences.
Ascend Music Studios uses music as our vehicle for creating creative leaders. Any music studio can teach someone to read sheet music and replicate music. We are here to help students learn critical thinking through music. We are here to help students learn collaboration and leadership through music. We’re here to help students connect and express their emotions through music. We’re not your average music studio. We are not here to indoctrinate them or to just offer music as another hobby or activity, but to help them on their own journey of discovering themselves.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
Without risk, there is no reward. Without big risk, there is no big reward. This journey of starting my own business has been a big risk. Moving to California was a big risk. The question is always, “What is possible if I take this risk?” Not to answer with the negative because negative things happen all the time. The reason we ask is to see the possibility of growth or change; to see the ways we can benefit ourselves and others.
I think, in order to take big risk, you have to have a big support system willing to catch you if you fall.
However, learning to take big risk starts with learning to take small risks. Learning to take small risks means small reward but smaller chances of failing. The only way to really learn to bet on yourself is by taking these small risks at first and then taking bigger risks as you learn to trust yourself and how much wisdom and knowledge you’ve gained along the journey.
Pricing:
- $185/4 30-minute lessons
- $270/4 45-minute lessons
- $355/4 60-minute lessons
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AscendMusicStudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AscendMusicStudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AscendMusicStudios/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascend-music-studios/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AscendMusic
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ascend-music-studios-la-costa?osq=Ascend+Music+Studios
- Other: https://music.apple.com/us/album/for-you/1485458570
