Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Duncan.
Ms. Chris Duncan is the owner and Executive Director of the Frisco School of Music and Performing Arts and the Frisco Creative Arts Preschool. She has loved playing the piano on the very first day her fingers first touched those ivory keys, and she knew that she wanted to be a teacher and help others embrace exploring their gifts through learning. Piano and education were a natural fit and one that inspired her to obtain her B.A. degree in Piano Pedagogy and Music Theory from Michigan State University in1978. In 1997 she also obtained the highest level of certification that can be achieved with the Early Education Childhood Music and Movement Association.
It was through some ups and downs in lessons with her own children that Chris realized how new students have difficulty keeping their motivation high to learn to play the piano and other types of music. It led to some innovative thinking on how to inspire them and develop their skills and interests. This was the foundation for her thinking when she opened up the Frisco School of Music in 2000, offering group and private music lessons for many instruments and to children of all ages and levels.
In 2009, Chris and her business partner Steve South founded Musical Arts Schoolhouse, now Frisco Creative Arts Preschool. This program has really become the foundation and signature of all Chris’s achievements in the performing arts and her natural love of everything associated with it. What makes this school unique is in that it teaches high academics through the performing arts to children ages 3-5 for Preschool. Chris believes strongly in family involvement in continued learning and always brings enthusiasm, energy, and joyful love of teaching to everything she is involved in. Ms. Duncan lives in Celina, TX and has two grown boys.
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?
So many stories! We are so blessed to have an amazing supportive community here in Frisco and looking back – overall – we have been successful due to tons of hard work and finding wonderful teachers and staff who are very dedicated. Every business has crazy things that happen, then react and move on. Just a few instances that come to mind are:
1. In the fourth year of our school, we were finally brave enough to risk a huge amount of funds for a fall registration marketing postcard mailing (to 60,000 addresses), and the exact day it hit our families mailboxes, someone hijacked our website, held it for ransom, and redirected it to a non-child friendly site. We hired an attorney (more money!) and sorted it out somehow. Crazy.
2. Flood! Right after our second building was finished on campus (Frisco Performing Arts Building), we were all ready for our Friday Morning Preschool Show, with costumes and set all prepared. We walked into the building early that Friday morning to find that the entire back area of the building had flooded (due to one of those famous Texas downpours). Our wonderful staff and teacher jumped into action and saved the day with wetvacs and sweeping many inches of water out the side doors, fans, prayers, etc. just in time for the arrival of our students. Thankfully, all costumes were somehow spared and the children and audience had no idea this even happened…until I announced the situation at the END OF THE SHOW to thank everyone for jumping in, since “the show must go on” as we all know!
3. One year we changed over our accounting software to a new system. It took months to transfer all of our family accounts and get the automatic billing set up. Everything was going great for several months and then all of a sudden, the system glitched and DOUBLE CHARGED a large number of our families for their monthly tuition payment! Ouch!! Each and every family thought the worst of us that we were trying to scam them out of double tuition or something. Plus, some accounts were over-drafted at their banks with fees, and GEESH this was not a good thing. The very last thing we want is to mess up someone’s billing accounts. We jumped on the phones to call each and every family to explain, we covered any bank fees they ended up with, and our accounting software people fixed the issue going forward. Whew!
Please tell us about Frisco School of Music and Performing Arts and Frisco Creative Arts Preschool.
We teacher SUCCESS, SELF-CONFIDENCE AND LEADERSHIP through music and the arts. We are known for helping each of our students reach their goals and be leaders in their next experiences. Many families have been with us for years and years, with several of their children starting in our arts preschool, then choosing music lessons and adding art, dance or musical theatre. This is something for us to be very proud of. Families would not stay with us for years or recommend us to their friends and neighbors if we did not live up to our promises.
We have two large teaching buildings on our campus (over 15,000 sq ft total), with our own Frisco Performing Arts Center auditorium for all of our shows – that is certainly something that sets up apart. Convenient scheduling for busy families since we offer SO MUCH in one location for students to choose from. We teach all ages: including our amazing adult students who are starting something completely new to them or revisiting piano or violin from years ago.
Also, very proud of all of the great and caring teachers we have worked with over the last 20 years. Their dedication to help each and every student individually is incredible. Our teachers are employees (not contractors) and we work together as a Faculty.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
When you reach a certain size as a small business, you realize that you need help from professionals. We have worked with several business coaches over the years, some focusing on general business practices and some who help arts businesses. This has been huge for us, to get advice and ideas from people who can look at a business from above and help us see the perspective and grow.
The Frisco community is so supportive of the arts! Many local arts groups and especially the Frisco Association for the Arts, Visual Arts Guild, Movie Institute (Camp Hollywood), have been our partners for years. May I just say that our student families are our biggest cheerleaders and advocates!!! They have trusted us to help them and their children grow and learn and reach their goals for success. Choosing our school means the world to us. Their loyalty has helped us grow and remain Frisco’s largest music and arts private school.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9255 Preston Road
Frisco TX 75033 - Website: www.FsmFspa.com, www.FriscoPreschool.com
- Phone: 214.436.4058
- Email: lessons@friscoschoolofmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frisco_school_of_music/, https://www.instagram.com/friscocreativeartspreschool/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FriscoMusic, https://www.facebook.com/friscocreativeartspreschool
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/friscomusic?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/frisco-school-of-music-frisco-3
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq8eZninSez0SgVVLcVSJpg?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
FSMPA Staff
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