Learn the ins and outs of Roper Music. Check out the video tour of the store on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ropermusicsales.

Today it always seems like everyone is in a hurry. We all rush around and are too busy for this and to busy for that, making it hard to find time to just take a breather and relax for a while. It is also seems even harder to do something just for yourself or at least build those human connections with friends and family members. That is why social networking sites are so important in todays fast pace lifestyle. These sites help people connect with not only their immediate circle of friends, but it also allows you to reconnect with friends or family members you haven’t seen for years. Today you would be hard pressed to find someone that didn’t have a profile on one of these sites and it’s the fastest and easiest way to build these connections. Here at Roper Music, by being apart of these sites not only have we been able to let our customers know when we have deals on their favorite music or instruments, but it has also allowed us to communicate with our customers on a more personal level. It helps us build and maintain these relationships that are so important to us. Without the high speed Internet that Qwest provides to us it would be impossible for us to stay connected through this new form of communication. At the end of the day, it teaches us that in this hectic day and age, it’s about the connection you make with people that is really important.

Qwest is helping Roper Music with social media in exchange for our honest views on Qwest services.

In the world today there are a wide variety of different musicians. For this reason we get a lot of requests for some very unique items. These requests can range from a forgotten score by Mozart to the latest pop craze hitting the charts. Like just today we got a request from one of our regular customers to order in a piano solo that she heard at a convention. We didn’t know if it was a new song or an old one that had been revamped, but we were able to do one quick search and find it for her. In addition to getting special requests we also get some new music in from up and coming artists. For example, the other day some new music came in and there were three books by one artist who none of use had ever heard of before. So lucky for use we hopped on the Internet did a quick search and found out all we could ever want to know about this particular artist. Without this Internet service that Qwest provides to us we wouldn’t be able to find the unique facts about those up and coming artists our customers are looking for.

Qwest is helping Roper Music with social media in exchange for our honest views on Qwest services.

Over the summer a customer came into the store and had 30 minutes to get several songs he needed to play at a wedding. He was from out of town and had forgotten his music. Some of the songs were your typical wedding songs like “Pachebel’s Canon” and of course the “Wedding March,” but there were a few contemporary songs that we didn’t keep in stock on a regular basis. It usually takes at least a week for special orders to come in, so back when the store opened in 1956 the customer would just be straight out of luck.

However, fortunately, through the use of our high-speed Internet we are authorized by our publishers to download and print sheet music for customers on-demand. In this case we were able to help our customer find the remaining songs he needed, and he was able to help create a special moment in two people’s lives later that day by playing at the wedding.
Internet connection through Qwest we are authorized digital dealers allowing us to print off music in the store for our customers, making our customer’s lives a little easier in stressful situations. Not only has Qwest helped improved business operations with technology to us, but it has also helped us provide speedy quality service to our customers.

Small businesses face challenges like this everyday. At Roper Music one of the biggest challenges we face is competing with online ordering sites. However, thanks to our high-speed

Qwest is helping Roper Music with social media in exchange for our honest views on Qwest services.

We’ve all heard it before. Social media in today’s day in age is kind of a big deal. Almost everywhere you go you hear people saying things like, “O did you see that event on Facebook,” or “Did you hear about so-and-so’s Tweet” you even see companies say, “Just find us on Facebook,” in their advertisements instead of just promoting their own website. Even if people don’t have a Facebook profile they’ve still at least heard about it. Social media has become such a huge part of our daily life that most people check their status update before they even check their email.

All this said the road to figuring out the best way to use social media for a small music store in Grand Junction, Colo. that has been around for fifty years has been like fine-tuning a busted oboe. I’m not saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, after all in order to stay in business you need to be adaptable, I’m just saying that in order for anyone to fine-tune an oboe you need to be adaptable.

That is why we would just like to take some time to thank Qwest Small Business for helping this small business, market our business online. Not only do they provide us with great phone and Internet service but they’ve also taken time to help us get involved with the social media that our business needs. Like I’ve said before of course everyone knows about the new social media and the importance of having a Facebook profile but with Qwest’s help we’ve learned that little bit of extra information that really makes these advances in technology that much more valuable. I mean because lets face it, who wants to hear an out of tune oboe, especially on the Internet

I’m telling you all this because Qwest is helping me with my social media in exchange for my honest views on Qwest services. You can learn more at Qwest Small Business

Qwest is helping Roper Music wit hsocial media in exchange for myy honest views on Qwest services.

Throughout history there has always been a type of music that defines a generation. The first and broadest of these styles was classical music that painted centuries of music with a feeling of grace and prestige. It was this style that set the foundation for all other music genres to come. The next most well recognized style was jazz and swing that oozed from the nation in the 1920s. The smooth rhythm and chords that drifted from nightclubs made it easy to get caught up in the tone of an era that was redefining all the rules. Then with the rise in popularity of one hip shaking pelvic thrusting man and four boys from Britain, the music scene erupted. Not only did music provide an escape with its upbeat rhythm and poppy sound, but it also represented a cause. Music as a whole no longer could be classified as one specific genre. Now music consisted of styles from rock to folk to pop. This one swirling swooping line of music lead to the styles that we hear today, and it is safe to believe that these new genres of music will define our generation as well.

Yet, looking back on music with every style there comes a name. Names like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. Irvin Berlin, Elle Fitzgerald and Lewis Armstrong. Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan. John Mayer, Madonna and Lady Gaga. A genre of music just doesn’t come to be all on it’s own. It is shaped and molded by musicians like those mentioned above who us music as a means of expression. To describe a feeling or a moment when words alone just won’t cut it.

At the same time, these musicians that helped define and create a style didn’t just pick up an instrument and play like the legends that came before them. As with anything it took time, dedication and most importantly practice. There is a reason after all why Carnegie Hall’s slogan is what it is. In order to be a great musician you have to start somewhere.

That is why here at Roper Music we believe in the power of music education. We are not your average music store here on the Western Slope. We provide opportunity for any musician at any stage to be captivated by the music. Whether it be through helping a sixth grader just starting, pick out his or her first band instrument through our rental program or fixing up an old clarinet that has been passed down through the family in our repair shop or simply finding a piece of sheet music for a veteran player. Whatever it may be, and every week in this blog we will discuss everything and anything that as to do with music education. We are just the start. We are just the start to helping any individual build a foundation of music to not only enrich their personal life but to enrich the lives of those around them.