“One of our students, who I started on piano, was Oliver Steele, and he made the top seven on American Idol about three seasons ago,” Karen explained. “He grew up in the store from the time he was little, and his dad worked for us back in the 1980s. Oliver was always hanging out here — so much that people thought he worked here. He’s gone on to do great things.” Lessons aside, Shiloh’s repair department, which is headed up by James, sees a lot of touring and session guitarists’ instruments pass through. “We’ve got about five techs here working on guitars and amps, and we’re very well- rounded with great turnaround times,” James said. “Being a warranty center for Martin and Fender, and soon Taylor, brings in a lot of business. People with a Martin guitar call Martin with a problem, and Martin tells them to ship it to Shiloh. I get guitars in from all over the country. “We’ve always based the business on service,” James continued. “It’s the same with lessons. It’s all about recommendations. We do a good job, people see it and they recommend us. Most of it is word-of-mouth, and word-of-mouth is king.” Shiloh Music Center uses plenty of scru-
care about the families, we care about the teachers and if I get a bad feeling in my gut while interviewing, we politely de- cline them.” For Karen, technical ability alone isn’t enough. The right teacher has to fit the family atmosphere. It’s a philosophy that’s paid dividends over five decades. Some of the store’s current students are the children of parents she taught to play years ago. “I have several families where I taught the mom or the dad, and now I’m teaching their child,” she said. “That’s really fun because it shows the legacy of what I’ve done over 50 years.” Even with its new title of “Best Music Lesson Program” from NAMM, Shiloh Music Center’s growth hasn’t slowed. It’s actively hiring a dedicated bass teacher and eyeing a possible cello instructor, pushing the faculty roster past 13. For a business that started with two studios and a few of guitars hanging from the ceiling, the numbers might be the least interesting part of the story. “Watching these kids become musicians is really something,” George said. “That’s the most special thing.” MI
Karen Hedges with Shiloh Music Center’s award for “Best Music Lesson Program.”
tiny in choosing its roster of teachers. Karen, who oversees the music school, said every instructor is hired with culture in mind. “I think one of the things that sets us apart from other studios is how deeply we care about our students,” she said. “We
36 I MUSIC INC. I SEPTEMBER 2026
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