When Tim Sublette came off the road from touring in bands, and was between gigs, he decided to return to teaching music.
He was living near Barry Road back in 1983, and while on a fishing outing in Smithville, he saw a small store front for rent just off the square, and he made the decision to open his own teaching studio, Smithville Music Studio.
The studio is now at 1500A South U.S. Highway 169 in Smithville.
As Smithville and the Northland continue to grow at a faster and faster rate, so does Smithville Music Studio.
“It is exciting being part of the growth in the area,” Sublette said. “Despite the fact we were forced to move (they were tearing down our old strip mall), during the pandemic we continued teaching online. Our new expanded location, great teachers, fair prices, easy access to the Kansas City Northland and other surrounding communities, safe environment and friendly community all contribute to our growth. However, what really sets us apart is our customer service and fun, family friendly attitude.”
The studio is one of only two schools in Missouri that offer the Musical Ladder System. Sublette describes it as an innovative music education tool, somewhat like belts in karate.
“We were the only music school in the area recognized as having pledged to the national Safe Music Schools organization during the pandemic, which helped the families feel safe even during COVID,” Sublette said. “Smithville Music was nominated for School of the Year by M.A.S.S. (an international organization for private music schools) at the national conference in Nashville this past April. Although we did not win it was an honor to be recognized among some of the largest private music academies in the U.S. and Canada.”
Studies continue to show the benefit of music for both children’s and adult’s brains. Learning to play a musical instrument helps in many areas, including advancing language skills, math, coordination and concentration.
“Few things get the brain firing on so many levels as music,” Sublette said.
At Smithville Music, private instruction is offered on guitar, piano, drums, voice, violin, ukulele, bass, banjo, trumpet and woodwinds. The studio starts students at 6 years of age and up. Voice lessons begin at age 10.
Tim Sublette, at two years old, loved music. Today, he is the owner of Smithville Music Studio.
Sublette began teaching full time in 1974 at Shaw Music Studio in Sedalia, while studying as a music major at State Fair Community College. He continued teaching while in school in Boston at Berklee College of Music where he earned a degree in Professional Music.
“While I had to play all of the instruments as part of my schooling, my principal instrument is guitar and my minor was in piano,” Sublette said. “My area of concentration was in arranging and composition. I currently teach: guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo. My first love instrument is guitar; my parents would tell you my least successful instrument was violin. There is no easy instrument if you really wish to play it well. I don’t know if difficulty applies to learning an instrument if you have a passion for it. Love always comes with some level of difficulty and so does the love of playing an instrument.”
For as long as he can remember, Sublette has known he would be a musician. He never considered anything else. Inspiration may have come from his father, uncle and brother, who all played instruments. As far as teaching, he said it just sort of found him.
He played in an assortment of bands beginning in high school, including rock, country, jazz and bluegrass, and with solo gigs, duos, trios, up to 18-piece bands.
He has written and recorded many songs in a variety of styles, and he put out one solo guitar CD titled Minor Details. He did one Bluegrass music video called Cotton’s Cave, and he released several singles. One of his jazz songs, called Drive By Love, was a semi-finalist in the jazz category of the International Song Competition.
The most popular instruments that students want to learn at the studio are guitar and piano, but Sublette said piano seems to have the edge most of the time.
The studio has nine to 10 instructors on its staff at any given time, and lessons are given to more than 200 private students per week.
The studio also sells some string instruments such as guitars, ukuleles, and banjos, musical accessories such as strings, drum sticks, tuners and reeds for the convenience of local students and musicians. String instrument repair is done by Keith George.
“We have great teachers in all the Kansas City area as well as right here in Smithville,” Sublette said. “Sheila Everman, our director of piano, a graduate of UMKC/Conservatory of Music, is one of the very finest teachers I’ve ever known. Mike Everman is a very highly respected band director. We are very fortunate to have such great teachers in the area, my students from the school bands are well trained as well.”
While the majority of students are children and young adults, older people are also interested in taking up a new instrument.
“I had a student who had never played before and started when in his 70’s,” Sublette said. “After a few years he said, ‘I’m going to stop taking lessons when I turn 80’. After a few more years he told me, ‘I’m going to stop taking lessons when I turn 90.’ Well, at 92, he did have to leave to do some other things, but he was still taking lessons.”
Sublette plans to add more teaching rooms as the studio grows. He also hopes to always be able to offer more bonus value for the students.
“I’m always trying to think of things we can offer at no extra charge, like the Musical Ladder and our recitals,” Sublette said. “I don’t like hitting people with extra charges.”
While working around children’s schedules is very difficult to keep up with, learning to teach online during the pandemic was a big challenge for the instructors at Smithville music, but one they became pro’s at.
As a music lover, Sublette is happiest when people who never played an instrument learn to play.
“I know I’ve given them a gift that is a part of me and every great teacher I’ve ever studied with, as well as the teachers before that,” Sublette said “It is a line and once you are in, you’re in for a lifetime. I’m a lucky guy, I have the best job in the world.”
The most rewarding part of teaching music for Sublette is seeing a student’s smile as their skills develop, and seeing the day when someone realizes they are doing something they never thought possible.
“Helping a student hear music on a completely different level and speak an entirely different language is an amazing reward,” Sublette said. “Music is an investment in time for both student and parent, however, it is a lifetime sport.”
The studio’s ribbon cutting was on June 2 and the grand re-opening will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, June 6. The public is invited to attend and enjoy music, snacks, drinks and drawings, including one for three months of free music lessons.
For more information go to smithvillemusic.com or call 873-2313.