The SmartMusic Customer Support team is made up of a great variety of musicians. Among our ranks are guitarists, percussionists, singers, and brass and woodwind players. We have degrees in audio production, music composition, music performance, music education, and more.
Supporting SmartMusic and Finale requires a broad skill set well beyond expertise in SmartMusic and Finale. The lion’s share of our training is done in-house, leveraging years of experience accrued by our staff, as well as help from consulting firms.
We’re delighted to be able to provide you with great support and also very proud of our excellent team. As a result I’d like to occasionally feature a member of the team so you can get to know us better.
Let’s start with Travis, who’s been with MakeMusic since June 2008. Travis is a trombonist with a degree in music education. In addition to his regular support duties he’s also a frequent contributor to the SmartMusic forums.
James: What did you do prior to coming to MakeMusic?
Travis: I taught elementary, middle school, and high school band for eight years in several districts in Iowa and Minnesota.
Do you remain active musically?
I currently play bass trombone in a community concert band and a brass quintet, and as a freelance substitute player in other groups.
If you had to learn a different instrument from scratch, which would you try and why?
That’s a tough call, but I would probably choose clarinet. It’s my favorite woodwind instrument and then I’d get to play the melody a lot more often!
If you could have a super power, what would it be?
I’d love to be able to stop time for the world around me while I continue moving. It always seems like there are not enough hours in the day to do everything I want.
What is your favorite piece in SmartMusic?
Holst’s First Suite in Eb, especially Movement 3. It’s such a melodic bass trombone part and so much fun to play!
What do you enjoy most about working at MakeMusic?
I most enjoy being around people who care about music as much as I do: I’ve played church gigs with co-workers and I’ve run into others at rock concerts. I feel like I am always learning new things about SmartMusic, Finale, and music in general. I’ve also been inspired to do some arranging for brass quintet, something I’ve always wanted to do but never accomplished until coming to MakeMusic. It’s just a great feeling for me to work here!