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Music School Flourishes With Technology

  Those who are interested in professional careers in music oftentimes must start young with lessons in whatever instrument they prefer. But lessons these days are nothing like when I took those boring piano lessons decades ago. For example, our next guest owns two music schools in the Midlands where he has installed LED monitors in every classroom that allow students to hook up their mobile devices and laptops, to use tools like the GarageBand app, so they can enhance the level of engagement with their instructors.

Mike Switzer interviews  Marty Fort, who owns the Columbia Arts Academy and the Lexington School of Music.

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After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.