Today we’d like to introduce you to André Echeverría.
André, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I believe I should first start by mentioning that I was born and raised in Guatemala City, Guatemala. I was introduced to the world of music when I began taking piano lessons from my grandmother at the age of four, and although these lessons only lasted for a couple of months, they served as the spark that would ignite my passion for my music—dictating the direction my life would ultimately take. Throughout the years in my native country, I expanded my musical horizons by teaching myself how to play several other instruments and, in the process, explored different genres. My fascination with versatile experimenting eventually led me into music composition. Soon, I was writing songs for various ensemble settings, as well as solo piano works.
In 2010, I moved to the U.S. to pursue a career in music. I graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington where I completed my Bachelor’s Degree, graduating summa cum laude, in Music Composition and Audio Engineering. I am currently finishing up my Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Music Business from Southern New Hampshire University and Berklee College of Music. Thankfully, I will be graduating next year in May.
Throughout these years, I have had the opportunity to perform solo, as well as with several ensembles and bands, in Guatemala and Texas. One of the highlights of my career was singing with the Dallas POPS Orchestra and Choir for a live music screening of The Lord of the Rings: “The Fellowship of the Ring” at the Music Hall in Fair Park in Dallas, TX, in 2013. From 2014 to 2017, I wrote, recorded and performed as lead singer and multi-instrumentalist for my original alternative pop band, Forever Canvas, as well as keyboardist for Boston-based instrumental, progressive rock band, Zombie Frogs. I now produce the music for my solo project, Andreäs. In addition, I became a filmmaker in 2018 when I produced, acted in and composed the music for my own short film, Hellena’s Circus, which is currently screening at various festivals around the world and has won several awards, including Best Soundtrack.
In regard to my teaching career, I began teaching private music lessons to students of all ages at the age of 18 and have been teaching ever since. About two years ago, I decided to open my own music school, and that’s when I started The Cadenza Company School of Music LLC. Thanks to years of formal instruction, as well as self-learning, I now have a broad understanding of musical concepts, which I enjoy sharing with my students.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been interesting, to say the least. First of all, since a career in music in my home country wouldn’t get me very far, I chose a different career path when I entered the university in Guatemala. I continued my studies for a couple of years but realized it just wasn’t something I could have devoted myself to wholeheartedly. So, I decided to pause my studies, and for the next couple of years, I just worked. During this time, I was wondering what I was going to do with my life. It was hard to imagine working at anything that wasn’t in some way related to music. It was a hard choice to leave Guatemala behind and come to a country I had only visited once, but I knew that if I stayed in my country, I would have to give up my dream of being able to work in the field of music. Leaving behind lifelong friends and my culture wasn’t easy; the American culture in a lot of ways was foreign to me, but little by little I came to feel more at ease, gaining friends and some great new experiences along the way. I go back to Guatemala several times a year to visit, but I know that I made the right choice, and am thankful for the opportunity I now have to work at something l love and enjoy.
Furthermore, though many people may not believe it, music is actually said to be one of the hardest college majors—allegedly, second only to medicine. I can say that, at least for me, it was pretty hard because I had had no formal music education prior to starting college up here. It felt weird being surrounded by students who had, in fact, already received formal instruction, and I couldn’t even really read music, and…well, you can imagine. However, though challenging it was, I enjoyed every second of it, and I sorely miss those good old college days.
Despite certain hardships, I was very fortunate to have acquired both Guatemalan and American citizenship at a very young age—something I am very grateful for. This definitely made my moving to the U.S. a smooth process. Also, due to Federal Grants and Scholarships, I was able to complete my undergrad degree without having to take on loans. In short, this whole experience could have been much harder, as it usually is for most foreigners, and I’m thankful to all those who made my transition and these last nine years a positive experience.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Cadenza Company School of Music – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
At The Cadenza Company School of Music, students can take private lessons in piano, voice, guitar, bass, drums, ukulele, and flute, as well as the iPad Ensemble & Kids Pop/Rock Band group classes. For the more advanced students, they can choose to take lessons in songwriting, music composition, music production, and film scoring. We always strive to incorporate a balanced combination of performance, music theory and ear training to provide the most complete music education possible. Also, we understand the importance of tailoring the lessons to the specific learning style and preferences of students. Most of all, though, we want our students to enjoy their lessons and have fun learning.
I would say the thing I’m most proud of is the students’ progress and how pleased our clientele are with our services. Much of it is due, I believe, to the fact that we focus on what our students want to achieve, and we strive to make that possible. For example, aside from just using the typical books, if someone dreams of learning the Mario Bros. Theme on the piano or singing a song from The Greatest Showman, we will help them turn that desire into a reality. So, in the end, our students are fulfilling their personal goals, while at the same time receiving a professional music education. I strongly believe that this, in addition to offering very favorable prices, is something that sets ourselves apart from the competition.
Several other great features are that we are located in Grand Prairie, a central location that is easily accessible from surrounding cities like Arlington, South Dallas, Duncanville, Cedar Hill, and Mansfield; we offer month-to-month lessons, as opposed to semesterly or yearly contracts; students can receive a flexible combination of several instruments in one lesson (piano/voice being one of the most common mixtures); we offer lessons in Spanish; we have an excellent waiting area with comfortable seating, where students’ parents and siblings can enjoy some retro-videogaming (it’s really fun to walk out of a lesson to find mom and dad reliving their childhood with Nintendo controllers in their hands) or simply relax and watch a show on Netflix; and, finally, The Cadenza Company School of Music’s first lesson is always free—no strings attached!
All of us here at Cadenza are thrilled and thankful for the opportunity to be instrumental in providing quality music lessons to children, as well as to adults. We are dedicated to creating a positive, dynamic experience that provides a music education which caters to each student’s learning style, while never losing sight of the strong commitment to excellence.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Businesses should be about relationships first and foremost, and we believe that communities need more organizations that foster the well-being and positive development of their residents. We want to be a significant positive force in our community, offering healthy extracurricular activities and bringing people together through the simple joy and appreciation of this fine art. With this in mind, we envision a place where people can come, not only to enjoy their lessons but to feel part of a collective that is united through the universal language of music—to be part of the Cadenza family.
At this time, our home studio is bursting at the seams; about 50 students are receiving lessons Monday through Sunday, and we are in the midst of deciding how to go about expanding. It’s not an easy thing, but it’s a great problem to have, and we are excited about what comes next. We plan to add at least one other lesson room and more teachers to accommodate the requests for lessons we continue to receive and hope to move into a commercial space at some point in 2020. When Cadenza is firmly established, we would like to branch out into other fine arts programs, such as theatre, dance & art, and, eventually, become The Cadenza Company School of Fine Arts.
Pricing:
- First lesson is FREE!
- $30 for 30-minute lesson
- $60 for 60-minute lesson
Contact Info:
- Address: 4535 Westchester Glen Dr. Grand Prairie, TX 75052
- Website: www.thecadenzacompany.com
- Phone: 469-226-0449
- Email: thecadenzacompanysom@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecadenzacompany/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCadenzaCompanySchoolofMusic/
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