About Us

Cadenza Music has been in the same neighborhood since 1974, when we purchased "Harry Blon's Music Center." Since then Cadenza Music has expanded twice, moved down the block, added a repair shop, and added more teaching studios. We've sold music, guitars, band and orchestra instruments, repaired them, and taught both children and adults to play them. One of the nicest features of Cadenza Music is the sense of community between the staff and the customers. Part time saxophonist, full time humorist, and long time Cadenza customer Elmer Pierre says, "If you can't have a fun conversation with a staff member there's sure to be a customer in the store who knows something about a topic you're interested in, or better yet, some tasteless jokes."

Being involved in the school music business means that we are advocates for music education. From the early 1980's when we attended our first school board meeting, to speak against a plan to cut school music, to an advocacy report we wrote in 2002 showing how the useful life of school owned instruments could be extended, to 2009 when we suggested cost savings a district could make to save elementary band, we continue to do all that we can to make music education available and affordable for students in the Twin Cities. [Star Tribune, March 6, 2009]

We believe in "music for everyone," a philosophy I learned from an employer of mine who used to say "anything worth doing is worth doing badly." He would then go on to point out that he loved to play the piano even though he wasn't very good at it. Dorothy, who started the store with me, often says that we should take the arts back from the artists. Not everybody needs to be a professional! Making music is fun, helps the young brain grow more flexible, and keeps the older brain healthy. Check out the research from the National Association of Music Merchants.

Welcome to Cadenza Music!

Sincerely,
Eugene Monnig,
Owner