Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Warner.
Hi Hannah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hi there! My name is Hannah, and I am a professional musician and music educator of 20+ years in the Temecula Valley. My journey started as a longtime music student that quickly found a passion for serving others by passing on my knowledge of music education to the next generations to come.
Growing up in rural Minnesota, I was one of only a handful of musicians in the area and was given so many opportunities that are not as easily available to typical teenagers now. In a city of approximately 6000 people, starting in middle school, I was the go-to pianist for weddings, funerals, choir concerts, solos, events, and everything in between. I found a love for accompanying and even did my first music directing at age 17 for small-town community theater productions. I started teaching my first student at age 15 back in 1994 when I was WAY too young to be educating anyone. I put together my very first recital for my own students when I was 16 years old.
At that time, of course, we did not have the luxury of the internet or cell phones at our fingertips, and so when I wanted music arranged or was asked to help someone else arrange pieces, I learned to do it all the old-fashioned way, with a pencil and homemade staff paper. That, coupled with the fact that there were not many musicians around, formed a natural ambition in myself that taught me how to just figure things out and make them happen. I, of course, was mentored by two fabulous teachers of my own at the time and learned so much by mimicking them and also by a lot of experimentation.
I studied Piano Performance in College and earned my Bachelor of Music Degree in 2001. After moving from college in Chicago out to Southern California, I immediately started teaching. As a 22-year-old living in an apartment, I spent the first two years traveling to students’ homes, and really charging next to nothing as still a novice teacher.
After I rented my first home, I started having students come to lessons in my living room. I was renting a home from a young landlord who I was fortunate to come across. I took great care of his property, and he was rarely in the state. He was fully supportive of me running my small business out of his house, and after a phone conversation one day, he suggested we do a renovation on the house and build a small music studio space with 2 teaching rooms and a waiting area in the garage space. As a 28-year-old, I was elated at the challenge, and we spent the next few months building it.
In 2010, my private studio then grew to allowing me to have 2 teachers work under me at my house, out of my garage! We were then able to offer vocal, guitar, and piano lessons. I learned how to run a legit business through many google searches and many hours of research and self-education. Our home-based studio grew to around 100 private students in the span of about 2 years.
It was so busy and started to become a bit invasive in my home. At this time, I purchased the home from my landlord, and after 6 1/2 years in the studio garage, we moved into our first commercial location. We opened in 2018 with 5 teaching rooms and a small waiting room with 110 students. In 2019, we more than doubled our enrollment to 300 students and ended up needing to expand into the suite next door.
Our performances and recitals were always at locations that we could rent a couple of times a year but getting 300 students to perform twice a year was quite the undertaking, resulting in a LOT of rental cost and a LOT of moving sound equipment around to accommodate the performances. We were bursting at the seams and needed to continue looking for a larger space.
When Covid hit, and we closed our doors on March 13th, 2020, it happened to be the week before our built-in Spring Break vacation. At this time, a big decision had to be made. Either we close up shop, or we teach our then 12-member staff to continue teaching virtual lessons. By the morning of March 14th, my mind was made up. We purchased 12 iPads for the staff and began training all of them via Zoom on how to use, navigate, and teach virtually. Like everyone, we first had to navigate how to even use platforms like Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime. We are all familiar with how that went!
Thankfully, we were able to maintain 85% of our student base through Covid before we could all come back together in person in various ways. I am still traumatized from the navigation through that time like we all are, but mostly thankful, overwhelmed, and grateful that we were able to make it through successfully. Once we were back in person, we were still bursting at the seams and ended up with an opportunity to purchase our own building that would be complete with our own performance area.
In 2021, we purchased a 6000 sq foot building. We got our keys on Dec 2nd and opened just a month later on Jan 4th, 2022. In just a month, the building had to be transformed from a medical manufacturing facility into a music education center. We currently teach approximately 700 private lessons/week and are now able to offer music camps, rock bands, choirs, string ensembles, group guitar/ukulele classes, musical theater intensives, and much more. We have recitals every other month, as well as other performances, and now have the freedom to dream with our program offerings. We have 22 teachers on staff, as well as 2 office admins, and myself as the director.
I love teaching, and my role has morphed many times over the last 20 years. I started as primarily a teacher, and now am primarily a director of operations. This includes mentoring our teachers, creating programs, working with our students, and creating a welcoming environment with solid music education that we can stand behind as a solid team. I am proud to say that our staff is a beautifully diverse group of humans that are excellent teachers, highly respected professionals, and all find the common thread of music to bond together. This is reflected in our student body as well and makes it easy for us to meet the needs of each individual family and student.
We enjoy the challenges that come with each unique learning style that walks in our doors, as well as each unique interest. Exposing people to music, showing them that they are capable of learning, and watching the joy in them unfold before our eyes is such a rewarding place to be. I am so happy to be able to call my passion for life my job. Coming to work each day brings a smile to my face; being able to serve both children and adults in a way that is fulfilling to their lives is an honor. It is a dream come true and enables me to encourage that same idea in those around me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The challenges we come across each day is figuring out positive and creative ways to meet the many needs of the community. We come across many diverse learners that sometimes are a puzzle to figure out. When we start to figure out the puzzle of how each individual learns best, the sky just opens up for their potential. We have many students that struggle with things such as mental health, to ASD, dyslexia, learning disabilities, ADHD, or physical ailments, and being able to navigate through those situations is a challenge we are happy to take on and work with. Overcoming obstacles though music is a beautiful thing to both experience and witness.
We’ve been impressed with Temecul Music Teacher Studio, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a music education center specializing in private and group lessons. We offer lessons in nearly 20 instruments, with 22 different teachers. We have programs for Rock Bands, Choirs, String Ensembles, Composition, Music Camps, and much more. We have a diverse staff with many different personalities that come together with great teamwork to meet the individual needs of each student we come across. We are so proud of our approach to music education as it is well-rounded with a classical traditional base yet incorporates improvisation and current genres in order to create wonderful musicians.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
I have learned that we can all be resilient in learning how to work together in crisis and come together as a community.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.temeculamusicteacher.com
- Instagram: @temeculamusicteacher
- Facebook: /temeculamusicteacher
Image Credits
Sandi Marasco
