Brianna Parker

I started Whitney Academy of Music (WAM) in June of 2018 when a friend asked me to take over her school in Agoura Hills because she was moving to Nashville to start a family.

Though I had many longtime students elsewhere and it was difficult to leave them even in the best hands, I felt compelled to make sure her students had somewhere to learn.

She was orchestrating a countrywide move with her new husband and I was a month away from my own wedding in Florida (my home state), so it was a bit of a mad time for both of us, but we were determined to make it work for everyone.

Over a year later, she has a beautiful baby boy named Robert and WAM is going strong as a small business.

Though it's often financially tough in these beginning stages of a new business, I'm continually striving to create the best circumstances and opportunities for our students.

As most teachers do, I spend much of my own income on anything and everything the school and its students need or should have. I view this as par for the course of owning a small business, but also of the double-edged nature of teaching and running any classroom.

(I feel that's safe to say as someone who hails from a family of teachers and a network of fabulous teachers across our country, which includes my husband who also hails from a family of teachers.)

All this said, it feels a bit strange to ask for what feels like so much from people I may or may not know, but my mom has been telling me to create this profile and go big for some time now (and moms are nearly always right), so here goes.

Thank you for your time and your consideration.
Our school thanks you too! I started Whitney Academy of Music (WAM) in June of 2018 when a friend asked me to take over her school in Agoura Hills because she was moving to Nashville... read more