
“The SBDC was extremely useful in the preparation stages of Vivaldi Music Academy,” said Pavlovic. Smith played a vital role in helping Zeljko Pavlovic, Founder and CEO of Vivaldi Music Academy, start and expand his business. Vivaldi Music Academy opened its first location, West University area, in 2013-with the assistance of LeeVera Smith, business director of the Houston Center Small Business Development Center (SBDC). This premier music academy is dedicated to providing a comprehensive, robust music education and live performance opportunities to children of all ages, while fostering confidence and creativity in the areas of piano, violin, guitar, cello, voice and early childhood development. They also offer group voice lessons/choir/ensemble/chamber lessons for experienced students and early childhood development classes.The sound of music is heavily present at the Vivaldi Music Academy. Vivaldi Music Acaedmy offers music lessons in piano, violin, guitar, cello, voice and singing, flute, drums, clarinet and more. We are looking forward to what the next couple of months of the class has in store for him. In the short amount of time that he has been going I can see that his musical ability has improved, he sings along to songs in the car and can harmonize with songs that I am singing. The latest lesson was on learning the musical notes, and I observed Emilio singing has he was reading sheet music with pictures he called “T T and Ta Ta”. In the 4 short weeks that he has been going, he has loved his teacher Caitlin and I have been so impressed when she invites the parents to come in to the class to demonstrate that day’s lesson. I enrolled him in their Seasons class, he started with their Autumn class for 3 and 4 year olds. Now that he is 3.5 years old, I knew he was ready for his own music class and was thrilled when I learned there was a Vivaldi Music Academy just up the street from us. When he was a toddler, I made sure to always have instruments around that he could bang on or strum, his favorite was a dulcimer that a family friend sent him. I brought him along to his older brother’s music classes as an infant and would hold him on my lap I could tell he was enthralled with what he was hearing. Emilio has always loved music, he would listen in utero with headphones on my belly while I played various composers that would vibrate my stomach with different tunes and melodies.
