An accomplished musician and well-versed music teacher Tory du Plessis launched her private studio, Cherry Blossom Music, which nurtures Durban’s emerging musical talent.
How did your business start?
I’ve been teaching music at high school level for twelve years so far, and have found myself constantly guiding musically talented teenagers. I often meet up with pupils after hours to answer their questions. I train, guide and help prepare them for professional performances or auditions. I realised that talented young people need a place where they can go to for this kind of resource. That was the start of Cherry Blossom Music.
Why did you choose this area to set up your studio?
I set up a private teaching studio at my Durban North home because it’s where I’ve been based for many years and I’ve found this area to be buzzing with talent.
How did you find your premises?
We added a small studio on to our house, which makes it easy for me to teach outside of school hours and be near my children too.
Why is it ideally suited to your business?
Thanks to the close relationships I have with schools in the area, having a home-based studio makes it easy for students to attend lessons. Also, it helps to work from home when you’re a mom of three and don’t need to contend with any late afternoon traffic.
Who are your neighbours?
We’re surrounded by other residential homes, and our studio is well situated, so that no noise disturbs anyone around us.
What are the shop rental/sales prices like in this area?
Having a home-based studio helps us to keep our business overheads quite low. While other private musical tuition services also operate in our surrounding neighbourhood, we offer something quite unique, because we’re not just about providing excellent musical tuition, but about personally investing in our students’ musical journeys too.
What is your business footprint traffic?
At the moment, we can accommodate up to ten students per instrument, per term. That includes performance, singing, piano, guitar and drums.
Do you have any expansion plans?
Our portfolio of services grows in line with demand, so we’re currently hiring additional specialist teachers and introducing new instruments.
Do you operate online as well?
Our website and Facebook page keeps our followers and target market up to date on the latest news and developments.
What’s your most popular item?
Our most popular items at the moment are advanced singing performance, as well as piano for young beginners.
084 626 0604
Words: Cath Jenkin | Images: Diane Cassells Pictures
