Today we’d like to introduce you to Arthur Dunk.
Arthur, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It all started with my father, who gave me a love for music in my earlier years. As young as I can remember, my dad would play a variety of music from Gospel, Reggae and Soul, to name a few. Most notably he introduced me to my favorite artist of all time Donny Hathaway through singing “A Song For You” to my sister and I. I’ve always loved listening to music from various artists including Donny Hathaway, Brian McKnight, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurklin, Teddy Pendergrass and many more.
Around the age of 5-7, I started banging on my Grandparents’ piano. Shortly after, they gave my parents an upright Whitney piano. I started putting it into use when my first teacher and Mentor became the music director of my grandfather’s church. At 12, I started taking lessons from Glen Johnson, learning everything from the fundamentals of reading music, music theory and playing by ear. At 15, after incurring a left wrist fracture playing basketball, I was forced to not play basketball for most of the summer. During that time with my cast on, I started to really develop a passion for music. The first song that gave me that spark was a YouTube tutorial by DIBeats that taught how to play John Legend’s “Ordinary People.” After that point, I started to dig in learning various genres and honing in on my craft. I did this over the years through playing in church and for my high school chorus. While playing for Piper High School chorus under the guidance of Traci Fuller, I received my first piano student.
After doing so, I learned that I had a huge passion for teaching piano and seeing students grow to different levels in the process. This all culminated into making my business, Musiq Express Inc. While in college at Florida International University, I was able to take jazz courses more specifically, with the late great Grammy Nominated professor, Mike Orta. During that time doing courses with him, I was able to learn various things in jazz theory, rhythm and jazz tunes. It took my understanding and playing to another level. I’m so thankful to Mike Orta for giving me the opportunity to take courses with him. He stated that I had the skill and, most importantly, showed the desire to learn. He always encouraged me that learning music is a lifelong journey that has always stuck with me.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No business has a completely smooth journey. In business, there are peaks and valleys. The key in business is to weather the storms that come and find ways to adapt. Some of the struggles along the way included getting equipment for my in-person lessons segment of the business. I started off by getting the study materials needed and thankfully had some keyboards to begin with. Through funds I saved up through in-person lessons, I was able to invest in a laptop and software for my online lessons segment of the company. Then using those funds to invest in equipment for the performance segment of the business. Any of the struggles that I have faced have served as lessons and opportunities for growth.
Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Musiq Express Inc is a business with an array of services including piano lessons, performance, online courses and more. I’m proud of teaching students of various ages and skill-sets. To see those students go on to play for their churches, bands, and for themselves is truly a joy to see. I’m happy to have taught students that it does not matter when you start, but it is important that when you do, know that learning music is a journey.
Through our performance arm, I have played in banquets, graduations, weddings, restaurants, and other events of up to 3,000 attendees. We have reached over 100,000 channel views on the YouTube channel and over 1,000 likes on the Facebook business page. This has been done through hard work in posting tutorial content online over the years. Through online lessons and tutorials, we have reached individuals from all around the world from countries, including Brazil, the United Kingdom, Australia, Jamaica, and Cuba to name a few. Having a student come down from Brazil to Florida to meet me and do an in-person lesson was an amazing moment for the company.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
In the future, we plan on growing each sector, but more specifically, the sector of the online course. Through this, we will be able to reach out to a broader market and teach more students.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://musiq-express.teachable.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musiqexpress
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusiqExpressInc
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/MusiqExpress
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