Music151 Celebrates Grand Opening

FP Music Academy recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its first retail location, Music151, in Fairfax, Iowa.

FP Music Academy is a music school designed for students of all ages and abilities, offering both in-studio and online lessons. According to company president Mike Nemeth, Music151 will aim to support its local community with quality, teacher-approved instruments, books and accessories.

“We needed visibility, especially to the local area that a physical location offers us, and so not only do we have a physical location, we offer a teaching studio and retail spot,” Nemeth said. “We have guitars, saxophones, brass and woodwind instruments. We also have drums, keyboards, digital pianos and a selection of pro-audio cables, amplifiers, microphones, speakers and headphones.”

Music151 has incorporated community events in order to build and strengthen its customer reach, including starting a sheet music exchange where customers can bring in old sheet music and exchange it. The store also accepts donations of used instruments to include in an instrument lending library. Customers can participate in the store’s “music of the month” that spotlights a popular instrument.

“We want Music151 to be a fun place,” Nemeth said. “We want it to be a place where people can try out different instruments and see what’s right for them, and enjoy making music together and be able to bring those people together who want to repair or extend their instruments.”

Nemeth said the staffers do their best to keep their cost competitive.

“We watch major online and local suppliers and make sure that what we’re offering is price-competitive,” Nemeth said. “We stock items that are price competitive and have the performance that a student needs to succeed in their studies.”

— By Kimberly Kapela

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