For our inaugural (November, 2013) Entrepreneur of the Month feature, Project Jumpstart interviewed JSoM alumna Diana Smith Nixon, who started her online business here in Bloomington while still at IU.
She is now founder of Mpingo Studios, on the board of directors of Roundabout Opera for Kids, and initiated Tunaweza Kimuziki (Swahili for “Through Music All is Possible”), a music teaching and exchange program in Kenya, which recently involved JSoM faculty Kim Carballo and Jeff Gershman.
Jumpstart: What inspired you to start Mpingo Studios?
Diana: Well, the short answer to that is I wanted to make money! I got close to finishing my degree and found myself gradually getting more and more glued to staying in Bloomington (family, friends, B-town vibe), so I started looking around for ways to make money while living here. I have also half-joked that the driving force in my life is my desire to Not Be Bored! So I have this sort-of constant insatiable need to keep challenging myself. This is one reason that entrepreneurship is so attractive to me – I have this highly creative need to keep finding the next thing.
Jumpstart: How did you come up with the business concept for Mpingo Studios?
Diana: My bachelors degree is actually in computer science, not music. So I’ve always been sort of fascinated with the latest tech gadget. And I’ve been working one way or another in distance learning for over twenty years. So it was sort of a no-brainer to want to use the latest technology for the purpose of music education.
Jumpstart: Did you have any help or advice from anyone before launching Mpingo Studios?
Diana: Yes! Lots and lots! I talked to everyone I could think of about my ideas. I asked for business advice in particular – there are several local organizations that help with this sort of thing. SCORE-Bloomington helps small businesses get started, including loans. The Small Business Development Center also helps entrepreneurs, and they were also very generous in meeting with me individually several times. And the Kelley School Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has several cross-campus initiatives. I entered my business idea in a competition – I was a finalist! – and received a great deal of useful feedback.
Jumpstart: Can you tell us about the Carnegie Hall Achievement Program and the SmartMusic software and how it integrates with your business?
Diana: I’ve always felt that wind players in particular have a lot of work to do in creating a somewhat standardized pedagogy for their instruments. We all go out and teach after years of performance training, and then sort of learn as we go when we’re out there teaching. I’ve gotten clarinet students from other teachers who I thought were woefully under-educated in one aspect or another of playing – a typical area is music theory. And then when I went to Kenya, I was reminded of the lovely ubiquity of the ABRSM in Britain and British colonial countries. It’s a standard of music pedagogy that everyone follows. If you say you’ve passed your level 5 in flute everyone knows about where you are in your flute playing. The Carnegie Hall Achievement Program is our answer to this.
Smartmusic is software that accompanies students as they play. It has two really useful aspects for aiding instrumental teaching: One is that the amount of music available is quite remarkable – thousands of scores for each instrument. Another is that you can send the assignment to the student online, and then they record it and send it back to you.
Jumpstart: How has your experience at the JSoM shaped your career?
Diana: Jacobs did what a truly world-class music education is supposed to do: my education made me a professional-level performer and educator. I can give a master class in my sleep (and jet lag can make you feel like you’re in your sleep). I know the repertoire for my instrument cold, and more than a smattering of the repertoire for other instruments. I can teach whole areas of musical knowledge without any prep whatsoever. That’s what Jacob did for me, and I’m very grateful for the disciplined instruction I received.
Jumpstart: What inspired you to go to Kenya to teach music?
Diana: Really I just fell into that. My daughter Elizabeth, now 20, has always been fascinated by Africa – I really have no idea why – and learned Swahili while still in high school. Her grandmother gave her the high school graduation present of her dreams – a trip to East Africa where she could speak Swahili. And I got to go along. The step I made is that I thought, well, I really ought to see if I can use this to my advantage and connect with some musicians. So I asked her Swahili teacher if she could connect me with a university musician in Kenya. She connected me to Dr. Henry Wahkungu in SPEA here on campus, who connected me to Dr. Henry Wanyama at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya, who connected me to Dr. Wilson Shitandi at Kenyatta University in Nairobi. All this through email. I corresponded with Dr. Shitandi by email for a while, and he invited us to the Kenya National Music Festival in Nakuru. Finally the day came when I met him and later had dinner with him, along with my daughter, my son, and my mother. We hit it off and hatched the plan to return and teach. I asked Kim Carballo here at IU if she was interested in coming, and we went in March of 2012 and had just an amazing experience. 
Then for the next year we invited more people – Dr. Jeff Gershman here at IU and Dr. Lisa Wong at The College of Wooster. We all went in May of 2013 to an even bigger and longer workshop with more students and educators. And now we’re planning for a Kenyatta University ensemble to return the favor and visit us in February. We’re also planning workshop number three in Kenya next May, and Skyping in the meantime.
One thing I think about is the kindness of people in just reading their emails and for no benefit to themselves whatsoever trying to help. This is a very Kenyan thing to do: if someone asks you for something you just do it if you at all can. Kenyans have the reputation, rightly so, for being extremely generous. Sometimes I think in the States most people ignore emails if they at all can. Read your emails, people! Try to help!
Jumpstart: Can you describe your experience in Kenya in three words?
Diana: Eye-opening – it’s just very different from what I imagined. Generous – everyone we met is unbelievably generous with everything they have. Humbling – Kenyans usually don’t have much in terms of stuff, but they live rich vibrant lives with what they have.
Jumpstart: Do you have any words of wisdom for JSoM students who would like to start something entrepreneurial in music?
Diana: Yes! So many! So glad you asked!
1) The time to start thinking like an entrepreneur and a professional is now! Seriously. Your fellow students in your classes and your ensembles are your future colleagues. Think that way. Treat them that way. Don’t wait until you have a diploma – think that way now.
2) Be open to opportunities. Life is a really a big mess – don’t force your dreams to work a certain way (they won’t, and you’ll be miserable in the process). Look around for the opportunities and open your mind to the possibilities.
3) And for those of you already doing 1 and 2: Don’t forget you can’t do everything. There are lots of us creative people who have a hard time actually getting things done (because they get distracted by the next idea). Make smart choices and let go of a few ideas to focus on the top priorities.
Jumpstart: Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your wisdom with us!
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