We want to help people be part of the magic.

“I like music.” That was my response when someone asked me more than 20 years ago if I wanted to help with sound at the church we were attending. “Sure, why not, I like music.” Sometimes a little phrase like that can completely change your life.

It was true. I had always liked music. I listened to a lot of it growing up. I had a pretty extensive collection in high school, but I’d never been a part of it. I was a fan, but I was outside. Making the music wasn’t for me. I never understood it, but I liked it all the same, even if I couldn’t be a part of it.

Helping with the sound ministry was really the first time I got to be part of it on any real level. I wasn’t making music, but I was shaping it. I started to understand it. Why it worked. Why it affected people. How to change the way it affects people.

A few years later, I decided I wanted to do more than just shape it. I wanted to help create it. I started playing acoustic guitar. I was shockingly bad when I started. I’m still learning, but I’m actually creating music.

See, that’s the thing. I was always a little afraid of music. I thought it was magic; as I said, it wasn’t for me. Over the last 20+ years, I’ve found out I was wrong. Music is not magic. The way it connects to us can feel like magic, but it can be learned. You can learn it. Just because you never have before doesn’t mean you can’t start. You can be part of it.

My wife’s story is different. She was always a part of the magic. She grew up with music constantly playing and started learning piano in first grade. Her school had music in every grade up through middle school and she was a part of band and choir. That’s why we got our kids involved with music early. They’ve been learning the magic of music since before they could talk and have had excellent music programs from kindergarten through high school.

That’s the vision behind Downbeat. We want to help people be part of the magic. So, we’re opening a store. Or, at least, we’re starting the process of opening a store. We want this store to be a gateway to everything music. If you want to rent an instrument to join the high school band, come to Downbeat. If you need someone to run the sound at your band’s concert, call Downbeat. If you need a new guitar, come to Downbeat. We’ll help you figure out which guitar you need along with the amp that goes best with it and anything else you’ll need to get started.

Music should be accessible, not a mystery, not just magic. If you don’t know how to get involved, come see us at Downbeat.

We like music.