My Music Lessons Expansion Rally!

Ten years ago, I went all-in. I invested everything I had into starting a little music school. I started with one student teaching out of my living room, and now My Music Lessons has a location in downtown Oak Park with 4 private lesson rooms, and we've have the privilege of teaching over 500 students. We have grown to 10 instructors and teach 128 students. We also give private music lessons at two local Montessori schools.

Along the way, we've donated water to Flint, MI,


given away thousands of dollars of free private lessons via fund-raisers for various organizations including but not limited to Alcuin Montessori, Northbrook High School, Oak Park Art League, and donated many coats to Sarah's Inn supporting victims of domestic violence. We are creating an extraordinary, independently owned and locally run company!


Our vision is to realize a company of purpose and spirit. One that not only brings the gift of music education to our community but also one that leads by example as it lights the way forward via hope and compassion.


I'm Philip Sheaff, a rocker-musician/entrepreneur from Chicago and owner of My Music Lessons. I've had MML located on a 2nd floor office-space in downtown Oak Park for about 7 years, but I've decided to move to a first-floor location with better parking, a lot more space, and custom built sound-proof rooms; the start-up costs of this venture are no joke.



We need $21,000 for construction, $4,000 for a high-end sign out front, and about $1,500 for a custom-made awning, and another $3,500 for acoustic-panels and other decor, and $2,000 for a video-security system to be installed.


All together, we need $32,000 to build this new awesome location.

                                            WE CAN DO IT!!!

We need to have the money by Feb. 1st, because my previous lease is up as of March 1st. Construction must be finished, and location must be move-in ready by the end of February. So we have to really hustle!!

Getting funded for this project would mean so much to me because I've dedicated my life to music; to teaching music to the next generation of students. I believe music is an important tradition that needs to be prioritized, and it is NOT being prioritized by public schools. I feel My Music Lessons should be supported because we pick-up where the public schools leave-off. We make music more fun than any public-school music class I ever attended. Kids love us, and our parents adore us, and by-golly, I feel like we deSERVE to have a location that is beautiful, sound-proof, safe, and convenient.

We will be so thankful if you help us get this done. You have no idea how amazing this would be to us. It would give our students a more professional learning environment, we'd finally have a decent sized room for rock band class (right now we're packed like sardines), we'd have better parking for parents, we'd go from a second floor location with no sign to a downstairs location and have a sign!!!  I mean, it would be an amazing upgrade and would allow us the opportunity to teach more students than ever!

I would be so humbled by your support. So enormously thankful. Making it as an entrepreneur is not easy. I've been through a lot of heartache and trials throughout this process, and until now, I've done it all by myself without so much as a line of credit. To "get by a little help from my friends" on this project would mean the world to me, and just imagining this campaign succeeding makes me so happy I feel like I would just cry tears of joy.

So what do you say? Will you help us turn this dream into a reality in the name of music education? Please make the generous decision to contribute right now. Any amount helps! Don't be shy if you can't give much!




Thank you in advance and all the blessings in the world to you!!!!


-Phil Sheaff