ReAnn Hamlin teaching her longtime student Angelique.

Music is something that anyone can enjoy dabbling in and a few are good enough to get paid to perform it or teach it. To find one’s musical potential it could help to have a teacher. It could also help to have access to good instruments and a good environment for discovering one’s abilities. If you do turn out to be a musical prodigy, it would be nice to get booked for some gigs and get hooked into the local musician network. Hamlin Music makes the above endeavors easier.

ReAnn Hamlin, owner of Hamlin Music Academy and Event Musicians, started taking piano lessons at a music shop about a block away from her current location. Around the same time, she got her degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from St. Scholastica. She worked at the music shop but events soon caused her to move to her current location.  

“I was working at the counter and teaching, and then they closed,” said ReAnn. “So, I moved to another place.” This other place had been a jewelry store.

At first ReAnn focused on teaching and playing piano at events like weddings. Often people would ask her if her company could provide things like a string quartet. ReAnn then realized there was a need that she could fill. “I’m not a string player but I certainly know a lot of string players,” ReAnn said.

So, ReAnn started a whole different part of her business where she books musician contractors for events. She uses a lot of the same musicians for lessons at one of the eight studios at her location at 5615 Grand Avenue. Being educated in music in Duluth, recognizing talent and knowing many local musicians has helped her bring great musicians together with students and venues.

“It started out booking the people who are teaching for me. I know they are all very educated. They all have degrees and everything,” said ReAnn.  ‘So, I know what their background is and what they perform and where they perform it."

The business has grown to the point where she has four office employees helping coordinate many local musicians. She teaches piano and arranges for other teachers to be there. 

“It exploded and it got huge and I have a huge database of musicians that are local,” ReAnn said. Having access to studios and local talent allows ReAnn and company to arrange some get-togethers that might be difficult for someone to do on their own.

“So, a family might have four different kids on four different instruments,” said ReAnn. “We can try to contract musicians for the same day and roughly the same time.”

Of course, having quality and quiet studios well set up is a big part of the Academy’s desirability as a learning location. Even the best musicians may not have a good home setup that is good for teaching. The studio setup allows some activities that would be very difficult to do at home.

“The biggest studio we have has two drum sets. So, the instructor will be on one set and the student on the other. So, it is easier to teach.”

At the Academy you might also get to interact with fellow students of music. COVID caused many changes to the business and it is still adjusting. As you would expect, for a while the business was doing lots of online lessons and not booking many performances. T

hings have returned mostly to normal, but many people still like doing the virtual lessons, especially if someone in their family has been sick. ReAnn mentioned how COVID is still a big concern to many students and teachers. Having the lessons at the studio instead of at a musician’s home allows for more of a controlled environment that will help alleviate concerns.

ReAnn also said that business is exploding right now and she is getting booked up. She is currently running short of musicians to book. So, if you are a quality musician in need of a gig, give Hamlin a call.