We had the good fortune of connecting with Donato McDermott and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Donato, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
The Evolution Music Conservatory exists to show people how to fall in love with music, and how that participation can transform their lives. Some things (most things?) I believe are cliche because they’re true, and the same goes for that old saying about music and its power– that it can extract and illuminate the life force from a human being through a mystical process I still can’t exactly quantify. I’ve been a professional musician and teacher my entire adult life, but growing up I didn’t have access to this power. I didn’t have anyone sit me down and say, “What song makes you feel alive?” and then teach me how to play that song immediately. Eventually, I learned that when this happens, when someone (children especially!) learns to access the intangible joy and visceral experience imbued in the knowledge of music-making, they embark on a journey toward their highest selves. They agree to be challenged and inspired and fortified by their own budding love of music, and it is this love that has the potential to carry them through the meat of their lives with grace and meaning. This is our goal for each of our students and one we’ve been fortune enough to offer our community. It is our hope and our honor to bring music’s power to those we live alongside, and we feel lucky everyday to be able to ROCK with each of our students as they grow.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I obtained my degree from The Musician’s Institute because as a kid who grew up in Modesto, CA, I knew I wanted to follow a path in music and teaching. Ever since I was a teen I was playing bass and guitar and making bands and working out who I was through music, but I was never fully quenched. I wanted to throw myself as deeply as I could into as many musical art forms as I was able, which led me to The Musician’s Institute, where I was intent on learning how to teach music. That’s where I understood that anything was possible. I became obsessed with performing and playing and participated in several successful bands after graduating (Legs on Sale, Royal Heist, Dondo and the Mothership), all the while teaching at music schools and falling in love with the art of inspired instruction. Teaching actually became this revelation for me, both on a professional and spiritual level. After teaching in as many schools as I did, I grasped the formula for a successful school and wanted to bring the joy I was unleashing in my students to an entire school of my own. I wanted to create a new type of conservatory that didn’t exist yet, one where kids and adults alike were STOKED to come to class. And I wanted the teachers to feel valued as artists and to give them all they needed to create a real-world musical experience for their students (whether that was recording, performing, or writing their own music). When it came to my students, I wanted to take their perceived boundaries to learning as a personal challenge to edit their curriculum and get each one engaged no matter their skill level or ability. It wasn’t easy and it took years to build out the Evolution Music Conservatory to where it is today, with fifteen teachers and 150 students. We overcame the challenges of building our school by gaining one referral at a time. Someone would be inspired by our class and tell their friend, and with each new student I dedicated myself to discovering what exactly they needed to fall in love with music. That’s the EMC brand, and that’s what we want every student to feel at our school.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When we have friends or family visit us here in Montrose, Amy Nadine and I always take them to our favorite spots: Descanso Gardens for a walk through the beautiful grounds (and a train ride for the kids), Penelope’s Cafe Books & Gallery for the best ice coffee and sandwiches, and a stroll down Honolulu, i.e., the main drag. On Honolulu there’s everything from the world best Indian food via Cardamom to the best house plant slash record shop slash antique book store via Lost Books. Basically, we have our friends park their cars and get everywhere we need or want to be on foot, which is our favorite thing about living in Montrose.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The people who deserve the most credit when it comes to the success of EMC are Harry and Elaine McDermott. Together they were this unwavering bedrock to my every effort in life, including helping me finance the school where they could and helping me puzzle through how to be a young business owner. When I first started out I was a single father and countless times Harry and Elaine would drive hours just to sit behind the desk at EMC and take phone calls or bring me food. I can see this more clearly now than ever, and not just because they both passed on last year. I can see their belief in me and love for me radiate through everything I do, and because I was lucky enough to have them, my entire community now has access to the dream they helped me realize. EMC’s offering to Montrose, CA is further facilitated by my best friend J.D Neilson of LA’s Print Renegades, and my band-mate in Born to Dream slash fellow artist Amy Nadine, both of whom work as my business partners and creative visionaries. As the school evolved, Amy Nadine was able to transition away from her full-time career in academe and focus all her energy on helping our school survive through and thrive after the Pandemic. She believed in EMC’s mission in the world and wanted to be a part of it, and ever since the school has flourished. That’s what I cherish about EMC– it’s a community endeavor.

Website: www.evolutionmusicconservatory.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evolutionmusicconservatory/about/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/evolution-music-conservatory-glendale-3

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPD95scXkpz0yctYF-Wuu7w

Image Credits
Image (man with guitar/woman with bass): Donato McDermott and Amy Nadine

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.