Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Steven Lipman, Founder of Inside Music Schools, located in Ridgefield, CT, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Inside Music Schools is a college consulting services company. We are not a school, nor do we offer lessons, studies, or provide scholarships. We do help students prepare for applying for scholarships from music schools. We assist music students (and their families) in assessing the student's musical interests, their actual skills and abilities, and their criteria/goals for going to college, all with the objective of recommending a personalized list of 8-10 colleges and universities that are the “best fit” for that particular student.
We do this by offering mock admissions auditions, audition preparation, simulated admissions interviews, studio music production assessments, songwriting and composition reviews, and a variety of other activities. To learn more about our programs and services, I suggest you visit our website.
Tell us about yourself
I am the Founder and President of Steve Lipman Associates and Inside Music Schools, a college consulting firm based in Boston, MA, specializing in the fields of both classical and contemporary popular music. This boutique consultancy collaborates with students and their families, private music schools, colleges, summer music camps, music festivals, and associations to set goals, drive growth, and help them reach their full potential. Our primary activity is working with music students and their families to define dreams, make college choices, and prepare them for the college admission and audition process.
With 40 years of direct experience, I have recently served as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Berklee College of Music, located in Boston. It was in this capacity for the past 15 years that I was responsible for developing and overseeing the admissions office, Financial Aid Office, and the Office of Scholarships and Student Employment. I am widely known and acknowledged to be the architect of Berklee’s modern-day Admissions Office, which headed up as Director of Admissions from 1976 through 1995. Under my leadership, the college experienced unprecedented growth as the student body increased from 2,100 students to over 3,000 and now stands at just over 4,000 full-time students.
In addition, I was instrumental in organizing and developing the college’s Alumni Admissions Representative Program, expanding its Summer Programs offerings, and helping to found Berklee’s International Network, now comprised of 16 overseas partner schools. I give credit to my earlier years as a public school music teacher and then later as a Berklee faculty member, teaching Harmony, Ear Training, and Ensembles, for providing me with a unique perspective and vantage point from which to launch a second impactful career in music education and guiding and advising young talent.
I am a member of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), the Massachusetts Educators Association (MEA), and the Jazz Educators Network (JEN), and has served on the Advisory Boards of the Association for Popular Music Education (APME), the Chapman Music Institute, and the Lagond Music School. I have been a contributor to In Tune magazine, School Band and Orchestra magazine, and writes a blog for Majoring in Music.com.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where I attended the New York College of Music with a concentration in classical clarinet before moving to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music, from which I received a BM degree.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Since 2010, we have assisted over 200 music students and their families to identify, apply, and be accepted to major music schools, colleges, and universities.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Balancing business obligations with personal and family life.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make sure you are passionate about it.
- Make sure you have a proven concept.
- Start small. Go slow.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://insidemusicschools.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insidemusicschools/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/insidemusic_edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-lipman-1b650924/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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