Teddy Mueller’s Blog

Hello my Friends,

I hope you all had a great “Thanksgiving”! We sometimes forget the things we really should be thankful for! Family, and Friends, as crazy as they can be, are part of us!

Today, I would like to review the “Monster Learning” program, and talk about knowledge! If no one has ever told you knowledge is power. If you are a graphic artist you need to know Photoshop and all the up to date softwares. If your a musician, you need to know keys, notes, chord progressions, etc. If you are a marketing person you need to know, where to go, and what to do, if you do business you must know all the basics and more…! KNOWLEDGE-the Key.

I was very impressed when I went to “Monster Learning.Com”. You can get a degree and NOT one that means nothing, online. All of us have different times, situations, and blocks that keep us from moving forward. I always loved the idea of online education. It, to the regret of the past made it look like we bought the education, we did not work for it. Yes, there are people from the past that just took the money. That has changed and it seems “Monster-Learning” has helped to make the dream of education real inside your home! You can get a real degree, and feel proud you have knowledge and it is respected in your community, and with potential employers. Go for it…! Learn…

I was a pretty good student, my parents told me if I don’t get the grades my drumsicks will be taken away. I was not going to let that happen. My drumsticks took me to a place you can’t get to without the creative love, and knowledge to get there. I had to practice, others were doing sports, choirs, painting/drawing whatever creative feelings flowed within you. It is ALL good. Whatever makes your heart fly, you know what it is. Yet it still comes back to knowledge in what you are pursuing. Do what you love? That is the hardest question out there. I was going to make it playing drums! Times change, everything changes. If you are young now, you have not seen this, you will! I still play and always will, it is hard now to make a living at it. Games, phones, and more has taken Music away except for some. Now I look at all the other knowledge I have gained through the years, and it is a pleasure to see. Until we look hard we don’t see. If you need to move on look at Monster Learning. Knowlwdge = Power. Get it, use it, make it work for you. Get the knowledge you need to move ahead. Now, you can do it at whatever time you need to. I wish you all the best! After all you are my new friends and I will always talk to you sincerely!

Thanks,

Teddy Mueller Nov. 2007

Hello My Friends,

I Love you and think of you everyday! Today I have a question for my musician friends!

Can you tell me who wrote this without searching for the answer, remember without searching for the answer. Please let me know if you were one who had the answer!

Say the word and you’ll be free, Say the word and be like me, Say the word I’m thinkin of, have you heard the word is Love. It’s so fine, it’s sunshine, it’s the word Love. In the beginning I misunderstood, but now I’ve got it, the word is good. Spread the word and you’ll be free, spread the word and be like me, spread the word I’m thinkin of, have you heard the word is Love. It’s so fine, it’s sunshine. The word Love. Everywhere I go I heard it said, in the good and the bad books I have read! Say the word and you’ll be free, say the word and be like me, say the word I’m thinkin of, have you heard the word is Love! It’s so fine, it’s sunshine, It’s the word LOVE…! Now that I know what feels must be right, I’m here to show everybody the light. The word Love. It’s the word I’m thinkin of and the only word is Love, It’s so fine, it’s sunshine it’s the word LOVE, Say the word Love, say the word Love, say the word Love, say the word Love…..!

Please, Give me the answer, and listen to those words…!

Teddy Mueller November 2007

Hello My Friends,

Hope all is well and you are enjoying the journey! Today I must talk about friends, after all I am getting older and I have learned alot about this subject. I will though be careful for I am not a doctor and I don’t know everything, only what I have seen! Now that this is clear, we can move on.

Friends is a tricky subject, the most of trickiest subjects. Are they friends, acquaintances, novelties, wanna be with you, showcases, or true till the end friends? That is the question you must ask yourself for the rest of your lives! This is one of life’s realities you cannot ignore, push aside, or not try to figure out. Unless you are extremely ignorant! Don’t be!

I have a great number of real friends, let me say that again. I am lucky to have some good friends. I will not mention them for they already know who they are. I do have two new friends who have adopted me and we’ll see how that works out. For I put them through something I didn’t think I had to go through, yet I did, because that’s what happened and your friends help you when you need it. If they are true friends.

For the youth of America, look at your friends, are they true? There is no way you will know for years to come. But if they help you through today they are on their way to being a true friend. A true friend is something earned nothing else, earned! My car broke down will you pick me up, I’m really ill, I had a accident will you pick me up, I was arrested please come get me, one of my parents beat me come get me, or whatever disaster you are going through will they help? If they do it, they are on their way to being your friend. The journey takes many roads, how many will your friend travel with you. They might have roads they have to take! Do they stay in touch, do they call, do they ask how are you? If they do, they are on their way to being your friend. The roads of life take you many miles, your friends will travel those roads with you, even if they are not there. True friends will always stay in touch.

As we all grow, we realize our business acquaintances are not all friends, some steal our ideas, tell us we don’t fit in, try to destroy us, because they realize we have life experience, or presence, or personality, that they will never have no matter how hard they try. Friends, as you get older changes! Look for true heart, people you see who do care, trust your instinct, it’s usually right. Believe in yourselves, I know you have heard this before, yet it is true, believe in yourself! As time passes you will know who your friends are. Remember, to watch out for you, no one else will except a true friend!

Teddy Mueller November 14th 2007

Hello my friends, we need to talk about things that touch the human soul. Music is what I know about and that’s what we will mainly talk about, yet there are the arts, painting sculpting, poetry, and more. Music is what I know so that is what I want to focus on.

Back in time not long ago Music was what we were all about. Writing, playing, living, was all about our human existence. We listened with our minds, hearts, and souls to help us understand what the meaning of life was, and to open our minds to what we did not understand all to become better people. We did become better. More understanding, more knowledgeable, more open to what we did not understand, and more true to ourselves and others, with a gracious nature. In 2007 we have definitely lost what we have learned before. For some reason it has not been passed down. The youth today are beginning to search it out. They do see a lifetime of music that taught all to come together and understand, even though they were unsure as to what they were learning. They knew it touched the soul. You will either get what I am saying or not. I hope you do.

I ask the youth of today to pick up a guitar, a bass guitar, drums, a piano, a clarinet, a tuba, a saxophone, any musical instrument and learn to play it. Let it touch you, maybe you’ll change instruments, or add more! Please I ask you to keep the MUSIC ALIVE! It has been around since the beginning of time and it is being put aside for cheap entertainment. Learning, practicing, developing something from nothing is the great challenge of the human existence. Let’s not lose it!

Please pick up an instrument and do the best you can. Music does equal brain power and I have worked with VH-1 and Save the Music, and it is true. You can be in a symphony a rock band, any type band, or in your basement, you do not have to do it for any reason but enjoyment. If you don’t enjoy it you are not going to make it anyway. That is the 1st phase, enjoyment. If you want to go for your dreams be great, I did, but phase one is enjoyment of playing…! If you don’t have that play sports or motocross, or whatever makes you happy. I just don’t want us to lose the music. Anything someone is passionate about, I am for, whatever it is. I am a musician though, so I see that artistry!

Do what your heart tells you…!

Rock ‘N Roll,

Teddy Mueller 2007

Hello my friends,

Today I would like to talk quickly about customer service in a Retail store. I have noticed it seems that companies have cut back on help lately. It must be a financial thing. Yet it is happening. Customer service though is the most important service any store can do, for there are many places to shop these days.

If you work at a store you must greet all customers, make them feel wanted in your store. The next thing is find out what they are looking for with open ended questions. Also be knowledgeable in the products you have in your store. People want to learn, they don’t like to listen to an employee that doesn’t even know as much as the customer. So, study your products or know where they are. The Retail business does Billions of dollars each year, so be a team player and customer oriented or you will fail. Make sure your store looks good a customer does not want to shop a sloppy store. Yet mainly treat the customer with respect and sincerity, the can go elsewhere!

Teddy Mueller 2007

Hello my Friends, I am happy to talk to you again, especially about my favorite subject “Music”! For those of you who have found an instrument, or your vocal chords that you feel is worth being an instrument and pursuing a career in music, God bless you. I wish you the best with your talent. You are blessed with this gift! Yet after watching American Idol alot of you were not blessed. You will be told by others if you have any hope of being successful. It is not a business for the faint of heart. This is a cruel business, people will tell you, “you don’t add up to anything close to talent”. If you ask any major artist they will tell you every record company turned them down. I mean from Boston to Billy Joel to anyone, you have seen Behind the Music on VH-1. The record companies watch to see what the others do. They sit in high rise office buildings, Music is on the streets. What do you think is wrong with this picture? The smart companies are on the streets, watching. On-line business has changed the industry too. Some songwriters are not getting paid. That is sad, they work hard and it’s taken away.

This has been an overview of the basic Industry. Let’s say you have worked hard and you have your group or you are a single artist and hire musicians to back your band. Are you a writer of your own music? If you are you need to get with the copyright bureau of the United States and get copyrights on your material. If you sign a record deal make sure you also make a publishing agreement or you will lose 6 cents a song everytime a Cd is sold. This turns into big money. It breaks down like this: 50% for words, 50% for music, not intros or bridges or Leads, we are talking about verses and chorus’s. If you don’t know as far as song context that I just said, go back and practice more! I will tell you here, Intros start a song, verses tell the story, and the chorus brings the real message home. Bridges are an interlude that expresses more when needed, and endings are obvious, yet make them interesting. That is the basic outlook of a song! Practice, practice, practice!

Hopefully you have some great songs by now and you are looking how to move forward! If you have gotten this far, I want to go to my article about Stage Shows, then I want to hear from you in an e-mail-teddy@teddymueller.com You are building, the next step is one of the most important, a Manager. They can make or break you as an artist, they can take all your money, destroy your reputation, and more! This is an important choice, be careful. You must remember too to get your own image together, what you want to look like, what audience are you going after, these things the band needs to do, managers don’t want to deal with this. They want to see the whole package already to go. So spend time on this, after all it’s your career! Also watch any record deal you are offered. You want what you deserve, but remember, Cd’s are only a promotional tool to get people to your shows. Of course you want a good label a good deal and a strong Distribution Co. An Artist makes the real money, with the live show, for that is all your money less expenses of course. You also make the huge money in this day and age with Merchandising, T-Shirts, Hats, any gimmick you can think of. The best one in the 80’s was ZZ Tops Key chain. Everyone at the show had to have one because it became so popular in the videos. Well $4 times 10,000 people=$40,000. That is brilliant marketing!

This is only an article to give you a basic understanding of the Music Business and You.

I only hope that there are some younger people out there are playing instruments and not games. Music is so important to the human soul, don’t let it die. Honor it cherish it, but most of all enjoy it, you’ll find it touching your heart, be it hard rock, jazz, blues, classics, country, big band. Think about Tony Bennett he has kept it all alive. Hope you learned a little something. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me. Practice and enjoy the gift you have been given!

Teddy Mueller 2007

Hello my friends,

Here is another article I must write. I know some of you will relate, and I know some of you will learn, for this is a learning process just like life. Look deep into what is discussed here. There is more than is on the surface.  Look inside yourself, don’t let people dictate who you are. They will if they can, learn from them, yet don’t let them tell you who you are! That is for you to decide, and you will from all that you learn on your journey…!

I grew up in a Midwest town, where most people told me get a factory job and work for your retirement. That was the last thing I wanted. I found my Dad’s drums in his closet, he had dreams, he was a great drummer…Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller he could play all of it. I found his drums and set them up in my room, and started to play. I learned what dreams were made of. Dad had Big Bands, I had Rock ‘N Roll, We had real dreams! Most people never get them or are mean to people that do get them…Why? I don ‘t get it! Why is there so much jealousy, Shouldn’t  you be happy for your friends that have talent? We will now continue with my article, yet I had to set a scene that will come back!

Our Guitarist died in a car accident which broke the band up. I had to go into the corporate world! Like it or not. I joined the Musicland Group. They were a great group of people and I spent 6 years with them.  I really loved that group of people, yet that was the last group of people I would ever feel that way about. I moved to NYC in ‘87 and fixed up a couple stores and then joined the Suncoast Motion Picture  Co. Division part of the Co. I helped assist in opening all the northeast stores, Long Island, Boston, Bangor, Philly,  Woodbridge, the list goes on and on… this co. believed in it’s people! I will never forget them for their participation in developing it’s people! I cannot say that about anyone else I have worked for. My belief is Teamwork makes Dreamswork! It is true!

Corporate life is mostly hell! They work you, don’t care about you, yet they tell you how much they care, don’t believe it, until they show you, they won’t, the only thing they care about is the bottom line, Profit-or Not! Don’t get me wrong, I know we need business to be profitable! That’s the American way. If we cannot be profitable we will fail as a nation, we can’t afford to do that! You also need to treat your people with respect!

 I went through the riots in ‘92, the fires in ‘93, and the Northridge earthquake in ‘94, and I lost everything, and I mean everything….! I had to start over, work with people I did not know time and time again. I helped save over 15 business’s and kept going. Along the way I met all types of people. Some their Dad’s gave them the business and they play golf while their employees do the work, I have seen it time and time again. It makes me sick, because people judge you, and they have all this internal jealousy, it is so obvious to the people out side, yet no one can say anything for fear of their job and it is corporate America! I have seen the gamut of this and it does disgust me. People need to unwind themselves and have a life, because I will find more problems with you than you have never seen or understood they existed, please don’t let corporate life eat you up and spit you out!

Be careful, it is a tough world and corporations are not just looking after you, I wish they were! They sure should be. We are the working people, the front lines, the ones that deal with the customers, Be honest, friendly, dependable,and if you are all of these let your bosses know you are the best, you are the type person they need to be profitable and build clients!  Corporate America treat your people better…!

Teddy Mueller 2007