CREDIT: PROVIDED BY ZACH HAVENS
Fanshawe Music Industry Arts (MIA) alumnus, Zach Havens created a unique music business at miistro.com.

Miistro.com is a startup tech company centered in London that gives students and music teachers a platform to connect, a concept unlike any other in the industry.

“There was a big gap in the marketplace between students and teachers getting connected,” Zach Havens, founder of miistro.com, said. “I realized there were a lot of students out there that didn’t know where to find really great local music teachers.”

Havens has an impressive background in music, including studying classical piano growing up, teaching piano, and playing in a band that toured across the country on multiple occasions. He is a graduate of the Music Industry Arts (MIA) program at Fanshawe.

The process for using Miistro is quick and simple. Students sign up on the website and identify where they are located, their age, what instrument they want to learn how to play and what times during the week best suit their schedule. That information is then used by Miistro to connect the student to a teacher that best fits their needs.

Not only is the company a solution for students looking to find the perfect music teacher, but also for qualified individuals who want to teach music.

“I had a lot of friends that would graduate from music programs from different colleges and universities… then they’d have to turn around and get non-music related jobs,” Havens said. “These people would be interested in teaching, but number one, where do you find students? And number two, a lot of teachers are intimidated by the thought of having to run their own business.”

The problem sparked an idea for Havens.

“I thought, there’s got to be some way of connecting teachers and students through a platform… everyone is familiar with these ‘shared economy’ business models,” Havens said.

Havens said he had a clear idea of the business he wanted to create and where he wanted to take it.

“I just started asking questions, meeting as many people as possible,” Havens said.

As such, miistro.com was launched just over two years ago and is fully operational, but the vision didn’t end there. There are big plans in store for Miistro in the near future.

“We’re putting the finishing touches on a brand new web platform that will basically be the ‘Uber’ of music lessons,” Havens said. “It’s very hightech, it’s very scalable, and it will allow us to grow outside of London to Toronto, GTA, and across the country, and eventually worldwide.”

In addition to the vision to grow, the company has a philanthropic focus as well. One dollar from every music lesson is given to music education initiatives in under-privileged communities worldwide through Compassion Canada.

“We’re trying to make a tangible difference in the lives of people around the world,” Havens said. “For us, music lessons are about more than just the music lessons, they’re about improving the lives of people in so many different ways.”

Discover more about Miistro by visiting miistro.com.

Connect with @miistromusic on Twitter and Instagram and Miistro Music on Facebook.