Musical entrepreneurship strikes the right chord

Meghan Diemel

Contributor

October 6, 2025

DE PERE – Kayla Peeters – owner of Kayla Peeters Music Studio in downtown De Pere – said music has been a consistent presence through the many phases of her life.

Peeters said her first meaningful connection to music came when she began piano lessons at just five years old.

She said it was a special experience – one that deeply moved her and sparked her lasting passion for music.

From that point on, including throughout her teen years, Peeters said she was “consistently submerged in music in some way, shape or form.” 

Peeters said she participated in piano competitions, sang in choir for more than 12 years and began composing her own music as a teenager.

By age 18, she said she had published her first solo piano album.

When it came time to plan her next steps and the traditional path didn’t align with her goals, Peeters said she chose to forge her own.

“With me being in piano for so many years, I knew I wanted to teach, but I knew I wanted to open my own studio,” she said. “Going on to a… four-year university for a music education to be used in a school wasn’t really my path. My path was becoming certified as a piano teacher through the Federation Music Club and taking some business classes at the tech school, just to help me understand everything I needed to know about running a successful business.”

Peeters said the ability to forge her own path was a character trait that was ingrained at an early age – developing a solid work ethic alongside her musical prowess.

She said she stayed disciplined and stayed the course.

“I come from a very conservative upbringing, and we had to work for what we wanted…,” she said. “I knew if I wanted to make a life as a musician or teacher in a small community, I really had to work hard for it.”

Finding harmony in entrepreneurship

When she started her business in 2006, Peeters said it was “complete chaos.”

“I was just graduating high school, I was travel-teaching and I think I was charging like $10 a lesson,” she said. “But I think through many, many years of trial and error, I grew so much. One thing that helped me tremendously was surrounding myself with like-minded individuals by joining local music clubs and shadowing a lot of our seasoned teachers in the area – putting myself out there to really see people who are actually making a career in this industry locally, and picking their brains.”

Peeters said she also worked to supplement her income while building her roster of students, waitressing as she tried to grow the studio through word of mouth.

She said it was hard at first to prove herself as a musician and business-owner.

“I feel like once I finally was able to achieve that, it was almost like I passed this threshold and it just started to feel so much easier,” she said.

Peeters said what began as a home-based studio has since grown into a fully established space in downtown De Pere.

This fall, she said she and her instructors are celebrating one year at the 327 Main Ave. location.

Peeters said the growth of her studio – and the addition of new instructors – has allowed her to focus more on shaping the business’s long-term vision.

“I have a full recording studio in our new house in Ledgeview, and I still teach my advanced students in my home,” she said. “I also coordinate the other location in De Pere for our four teachers. However, my workload went from about 60 students to a nice 15, so I’m definitely on more of the administrative side now – focusing more on the business versus teaching so much.”

Teaching to the beat of her own drum

Peeters said she would describe her personal style as “neoclassical crossover,” blending traditional classical music with contemporary elements.

She said she loves all styles of music and encourages her students to explore a variety of genres.

Peeters said she and the Kayla Peeters Music instructors provide lessons in piano, voice, violin, guitar, songwriting, audio engineering, ukulele, banjo, accordion and cello through a variety of individual, group, rotating and travel lesson packages.

Peeters said her studio offers a fun learning environment that stands apart from traditional music schools – an approach inspired by her own experiences as a student.

“We offer a completely different technique to our students and to the community,” she said. “We like to call ourselves unique, because we have this very different approach – something that’s a little bit more classical, but contemporary with a new-age flair to it.”

Peeters said instructors meet students where they’re at.

“I’ve always been able to play by ear and write music from a young age,” she said. “I really struggled with my very orderly instruction for many years.”

Peeters said she told herself that if she had the opportunity to teach, she’d be different – noting that she wants her students to be comfortable and know there isn’t just one method for taking in information.

She said it’s common in music to learn from a generic curriculum, using generic methods, because that’s the way it’s been done for centuries.

But Peeters said she used her own experience and knowledge to build something different for the students at Kayla Peeters Music.

This approach, she said, helps her stand out from other businesses and instructors.

“I just create my own method, per se, or curriculum as I go,” she said. “My students are very talented and just amazing kids. I’m so lucky to be able to work with such talent. And my teachers… have that similar approach, and they really take pride in that.”

Finding a creative rhythm outside of business

As a creative, Peeters said she avoids burnout by tweaking the way she does her job and exploring performances and music opportunities outside of her teaching and business administration roles with Kayla Peeters Music.

“On top of teaching, I also perform,” she said. “I sing and play piano, and I also do dueling piano, so that’s been really, really fun… Dueling piano is something totally different than what one would expect in a solo piano show – very different types of experiences. So, I think that makes things fun and switches it up.”

At the end of the week, Peeters said she makes a conscious effort to completely disconnect from work and take a break.

“When I’m trying to disconnect from work in general, I just have to hard stop and shut it down,” she said. “That’s been really successful for me. I shut the piano lid, walk away and tell myself, ‘Okay, we had enough for today. You can come back another time.’ [It’s] just knowing that boundary, [and knowing when] to stop.”

Having the opportunity to see music positively change the lives of her students, Peeters said, keeps her motivated.

One of those students, she said, is now one of the studio’s teachers and is “phenomenal” at what he does.

“I’ve been teaching him since he was nine years old, and he came to me with musical knowledge from his grandmother, because she’s a church pianist and very talented,” she said. “They just wanted a newer, hip teacher at the time.”

Though a challenging student in the beginning, Peeters said she found it exciting because she recognized his talent early on – adding that she especially loves when students push her boundaries.

“When kids try to challenge me – I love that, because it’s that fire to be successful,” she said. “And now, he’s teaching his own students and is very successful.”

Orchestrating a family balance

As she continues to pass on her love for music to her students and staff and embraces this next phase of entrepreneurship in the new studio location, Peeters said her appreciation for business ownership has shifted as her family has grown.

Though she once loved being her own boss and the accolades that came along with that, now it’s about how her business works alongside her family’s needs.

“Now that I’m 37 and I have two little kids and a husband, [the best part of entrepreneurship] is definitely being able to control my at-home structure, along with everything else,” she said. “I just love being able to be available for my kids.”

For more information about Kayla Peeters Music, visit kaylapeeters.com.