Ask Steve Jaz about the big love of his life and he’ll tell you it’s music. The 34-year-old Point Cook resident, pianist and singer is managing director of the Universal School of Music he started five years ago. He talks to Charlene Macaulay about his love of music and plans to franchise his business.
Tell me about your musical background?
It began when I was 11. An uncle was a musician and he gave me the opportunity to listen, and be inspired by, amazing artists like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. I made a deal with my parents that if they bought me a piano, I would do whatever they wanted.
How did you turn your love of music into a career?
In year 12, I auditioned for the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and thought that was my way into the industry. I did four years there but about two years in realised I wasn’t really where I’d expected to be. I was really learning my craft but not seeing how that could turn into results as a career.
I finished uni and started doing casual piano bar work and corporate gigs. But I was without a full-time income, so I applied for a job at Telstra and ended up climbing my way up through the ranks for five or six years. I thoroughly enjoyed it but came to a point where I realised I wasn’t happy doing a nine to five job that wasn’t directly aligned to my highest values. About two to three weeks after that, I was made redundant. It was a blessing in disguise.
I started teaching students from home, and I noticed a lot of students coming to me with what I saw as common gaps in traditional music teaching methods. These students had hardly ever performed, had hardly ever written songs, they’d hardly ever recorded songs or improvised. I did some calculations and realised that I could probably open a school where the kids were shown music in all it’s beauty.
Do you have any expansion plans?
We’re about to franchise. Our first campus will be in Coffs Harbour, which will open in the next few months. We want to have up to five this year and between 20 and 30 franchises in the next two years.
This year, you started running the Rising Star competition, the western suburb’s answer to The Voice. Why?
I wanted to bring awareness into what the west has to offer from an arts and music perspective. There’s some fantastic talent out here.
What’s your favourite musician or song?
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. When I first heard that, it changed my life.
