Best of Business 2017 – Frisco Style Magazine

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We are thrilled to announce that NAMS has won the Best of Business 2017 award for Building a Winning Team in Frisco, Tx. It is an extreme honor to have support from the city and the mayor in our pursuit of music and art. Read the full article below:

 

Building a Winning Team – Neighborhood Art and Music School

Teamwork is an important attribute that is instilled in us early on, and Neighborhood Art and Music School (NAMS) is no stranger to this notion, as it is being recognized with this year’s Building a Winning Team Award. NAMS qualified for this award based on an “ecosystem” they have built that fosters and supports great team members, their encouragement and support for travel and new education for staff members, and their formula used for inspiring team members through regular communications.

The owner, Levi Bradford, began teaching at the school in 2010. He acquired the business in 2012 after submitting a business proposal to add a recording studio to the school, which fatefully turned into an offer from the then-owners to sell the business to him. He recalls, “To my amazement, I sat at the coffee shop while the owners asked to sell me the whole business. I was 22 years old. Looking back, it was one of the most unusual events of my life. It was pure serendipity!”

In the past five years, NAMS has been able to share the gift of music and art with thousands of students. “We have been able to invest the resources from education back into building a world-class recording studio in the heart of Frisco. We have been able to integrate the school with the recording studio, releasing music with Capitol Records, INgrooves Music Group and Dream Label Group. We have been nominated for the GMA Dove Awards and have witnessed students in the school distribute recorded music to more than 1,500 Walmart stores across the country. It has been amazing to watch how the school and recording studio have been working to support each other.”

Much of the success of the school and students is due largely to a focus on the staff working together towards a common goal. Mr. Bradford explains, “Building a winning team cannot be underestimated. We live by one major guiding principle: You have to get the right people on the bus before you figure out where to turn the wheel.” At NAMS, the team stands by the principle that people do their best work when they are most empowered. Mr. Bradford continues, “Once you can empower your team members to understand the business is equally as much theirs as it is yours, you have unlocked the greatest asset to your organization  — enthusiasm. When students are learning and music and art are being cultivated, we know we have built the right team and designed the right environment. Our message happens to be rooted in sharing the gift of music and art with others  — a responsibility we do not take for granted!”

Mr. Bradford says he and his team use a strategy focused around three conversation points when talking with team members, including catching up on one’s personal life, addressing immediate work needs and closing with a vision casting (allowing all to be a part of forward motion). “These conversations can happen daily, weekly or monthly, depending on scheduling. We are old-school and prefer face-to-face conversation, but we fully adapt to all methods of the ever-changing technology at our fingertips to stay in touch,” Mr. Bradford says. At NAMS, team members value each other and all victories by Celebrating All Wins (CAW!) and supporting each other fully.

“Here at NAMS, our mission is to share the gift of music and art with others. NAMS operates on a non-curriculum-based lesson format, so the students’ imaginations can drive the behavior of lessons. This also means each team member and educator is empowered to have freedom in how they instruct,” Mr. Bradford shares. “In our line of business, you absolutely have to get the right people on the bus, because they steer the wheel for the individual success of each student.”

 

Full article here:

http://friscostyle.com/stories/2017-best-business/

 

We invite you to learn music from the best team in Frisco, Tx. Give us a call at 214-436-4000 to get plugged into lessons!

-Your friendly NAMS staff.