Music & Arts is in the midst of an eventful 2021, with a large number of new store openings and acquisitions expanding the reach of Music & Arts into new communities, serving families and schools while furthering its mission of promoting and supporting the merits of music education and the joy of music lessons.
Four brand-new Music & Arts locations have opened this year: East Tucson, AZ; Edison, NJ; Savannah, GA; and Summerville, SC. In addition to their extensive inventory, which includes a full range of band and orchestra instruments, guitars and keyboards, accessories and more, these stores also offer instrument rentals, in-store and online lessons, and repairs.
Additionally, five retailers (across nine locations total) have been welcomed into the Music & Arts family as acquisitions so far in 2021: Whole Note Music in Stockbridge, GA; Center Stage in Augusta, GA; Master Musician in Murrieta and Palm Springs, CA; Howren Music in Charlotte, NC; and all four Mississippi Music stores, located in Flowood, Biloxi, Hattiesburg and Meridian, MS. These retail locations will now operate as Music & Arts stores while retaining personnel and maintaining the grassroots business footprint that they have worked to foster in these communities. And as with the other new and existing Music & Arts locations, each store will be offering instrument rentals, repairs, and in-store and online lessons, in addition to an expansive product offering.
The Mississippi Music acquisition in particular is a significant step for Music & Arts, as it represents the very first Music & Arts locations in Mississippi and the next step for Mississippi Music, a highly respected and influential MI presence in the region for decades.
Mississippi Music is a top 100 musical instrument retailer with an extensive reach covering most of the state of Mississippi. “After 75 years, it was time to come up with a plan to transition Mississippi Music’s business in a way where it could continue to scale and grow to keep up with the demand of our beloved and loyal customers,” said Rosi Johnson, owner of Mississippi Music and former NASMD President and NAMM board member. “This acquisition is the best of all possible outcomes as Music & Arts will bring more diversity, more options and continue to be located across our areas to serve our musicians, school music programs and customers. This is not the end but a new beginning.”
The advent of these new Music & Arts locations follows the acquisition, earlier this year, of Be Part of the Music, a nationally renowned music education advocacy organization led by Scott Lang and Andrew Hrynyshyn. Now under the umbrella of Music & Arts, the free services offered by Be Part of the Music will be more accessible to music educators nationwide than ever before. Founded in 2011, Be Part of the Music provides a wide range of free content (videos, documents, advocacy materials) and “done-for-you” solutions (website builders, automated solutions, pre-built campaigns) for the recruitment and retention of school music students. Known and trusted by music educators across the U.S., Be Part of the Music is more than a leading voice in music education; they serve as advocate, counsel, and champion to the 22,000+ music educators and hundreds of thousands of parents who use their content regularly.
Jeff Gottlieb, President of Music & Arts, noted, “Truly this is a banner year for Music & Arts. Music education is more important than ever, and we endeavor to be in the communities, deep in the trenches, providing students, parents and teachers alike with the tools they need to make music education happen. We are proud to be able to serve these additional communities as we continue to expand through 2021 and beyond.”
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