Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyra Saltman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kyra. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I spent the early part of my career as a cellist traveling a LOT – either for concerts far as why, or driving around the Chicagoland area to teach and perform in various suburbs. There were many wonderful things about it, but I felt very disconnected from my own community, and I realized that if I became more successful this would only get worse. I was also thinking about my carbon footprint and what it would mean to try to build a career for myself closer to home. So, I began building a private teaching studio in my neighborhood and offering concerts and events in the neighborhood. I’d love to one day expand to be able to teach other musicians how to do the same, so that more and more of us can be active community members and our communities can benefit from all of the musicians who are living around them.
Has it been a smooth road?
Absolutely not – it’s very challenging to get the word out, and to learn how to talk to people about something you care about deeply without “trying too hard”. I also still travel a lot and have tons of freelance playing on my plate, so every once and a while I look at my colleagues who are teaching for music schools and think, “Wow – that would be so much easier than doing this on my own.” It’s a lot of work! But also deeply rewarding. And feeling as though I have the tools to go out and find my own work rather than wait for the phone to ring is incredible as a freelancer.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I teach private cello lessons in Andersonville. Kids can start as young as age 3, and many of my students are adults who are either picking up the cello for the first time or are coming back to an instrument they loved as a child. I also present concerts in the neighborhood, both of kids and adults, and go into local schools and libraries to give presentations about music to children.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I do think Chicago is a great place for most businesses. I wish that life was easier for a lot of people – I come across many people interested in lessons for their children but who can’t afford them. I wish everyone had more time to enjoy culture. Chicago is a hard-working city filled with amazing things, but lots of people don’t have the means or time or both to enjoy those things. I wish that were different.
Pricing:
- Cello Lessons – $40-$65 per lesson
Contact Info:
- Address: 5351 N. Glenwood
Apt 1 - Website: www.glenwoodmusic.com
- Phone: 5125855596
- Email: kyrasaltman@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Graeson Harris-Young, Andrew McCann
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