Centre Music House Part 2: Present to Future

Last week in an interview with owner Corbit Larson (read here), we learned that, like out of an episode of Survivor, Centre Music House emerged from six local music stores in the 70’s and 80’s to become the number one choice for Framingham residents. Having been at the helm of the Centre Music House ship for close to 40 years, Corbit has anchored the store in the foundation of the Framingham community.

Since before he could walk or say his first word, Corbit’s son Max has known Centre Music House as his second home. He spent much of his early formative years crawling on the floors, banging on the drums, and strumming the guitars at the store. Eventually, taking lessons from Centre Music House instructors and learning to properly make music.

Having grown up in Framingham and spending much of that time at the store watching and learning from his father, Max understands the local community and how Centre Music House can best meet their musical needs. Now, he is poised to lead the family business into the future. After talking with Max for this interview, one thing is certain: Centre Music House is in good hands for the next 45 years.

There are a lot of things to look forward to this year with Centre Music House. Max was more than happy to share those details and his experiences growing up in Framingham and Centre Music House. Enjoy the following interview with Max!

Your father, Corbit, has owned Centre Music House since 1980. It has been a constant presence in your family for almost 40 years. What has Centre Music House meant to you?

Centre Music House means everything to me. It’s like a second home. I grew up here, I worked here in high-school and college. I took lessons here as a kid and still am! This place has given me so much. It’s been a place for me to grow as a person, a musician, a manager, and now a future business owner. And I’m fortunate enough to have the chance to give back and carry Centre Music House into the future. It is my life’s work.

What does your father mean to Centre Music?

He is the heart and soul of this place. He’s been here for so long and his name is basically synonymous with Centre Music House. He is as much of a Framingham mainstay as the business. In the five years that I’ve been on the team full time, I can’t tell you how many people I talk to in person or over the phone who share fond memories with me about Centre Music House and my dad. Whether it’s the first guitar or drum set they ever bought, lessons they took as a kid, they always talk about my dad and remember how much of a great guy he is and how he always treated them with kindness and respect. His example defines the culture at Centre Music House and is something that I live and work by every day. Work hard, do what’s right, treat people fairly and with respect, be nice, smile, and have fun.

What are your earliest memories of Centre Music?

Oh man, so many memories. More than I think we have time for but here is one that comes to mind most easily. I grew up here, so I can remember crawling around on the floor. One memory that really sticks out though… my dad had Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band on cassette in his old pick-up truck and we would listen to that album over and over again. I absolutely loved it. So, when I was in the store I used to find all the Beatles songs on this old sheet music print station that would play a midi preview of the songs. I would play “Within You Without You” which has a very desert vibe to it and I would pretend I was a desert snake crawling around on sand which in this case was just the floor of the store!

Center Music has been a mainstay in Framingham for 45 years. What is it like to run a business in Framingham and keep it going for that long?

I’ll tell you in 40 years, haha! It’s really special. And it’s extremely gratifying, for so many reasons.For one, I grew up here, I love this town now a city! It’s very rewarding to be able to give back to a community that has given me so much. Framingham has provided me with so many opportunities, through the schools that I went to, the connections I made in the community, places I worked, friends I’ve made, etc. So, it’s really important to me that we can provide the families of this community with a place to learn and grow and make connections through music. It’s my way of giving back.

Also, small, independent, family-run businesses are very rare these days and I think our community deserves to have an independent music school whose focus and commitment stays in the community and are not beholden to some faraway corporate board or franchise oversight committee. The other great thing about working for a local mainstay is getting to know all the people who have connections to this place. When I’m out and about grabbing lunch or something and I’m wearing my CMH shirt with the logo people go “wow Centre Music, that place has been there forever!” I hear the stories from people who have been coming here over the past 45 years and the memories they created here. And I see the families and kids coming here today and I think about the kinds of memories these kids are creating today. Way down the line, in the year 2060 I hope they’ll look back on their time spent here and cherish those memories.

What events do you have planned in the Framingham community?

We’ve been hosting an open mic for almost 10 years now and we’re excited to continue this awesome event at a brand-new location. Sofa Café is a beautiful new café right in the booming downtown area, across from City Hall. Anyone is welcome to perform, whether you’re a seasoned pro or this is your first time stepping up to the mic. We’re also working with a local non-profit organization, Downtown Framingham, Inc. which is putting together the first ever Oktoberfest in downtown Framingham. We’re going to provide some musical entertainment which is very exciting for our students.

What can Framingham residents look forward to this coming year at Centre Music?

We’re expanding our Rock Band Adventure which has been hugely successful. Instead of just offering a band experience in the summer, we’re going to run it year-round. This new program will be our premier band, The Centre Music House Band (learn more about the band here). When you see Centre Music House in the community, this is the band that will be performing!

We’re also planning some new events at the store as well like more group classes for the ukulele and guitar. And we’re going to be offering regular Intro to Music Crash Courses for parents who don’t have any background in music and want to know more and be more involved in their children’s music education.

Anything else you’d like to share?

We have an amazing team of teachers and support staff and Centre Music House would be nothing without them. My dad and I are both the type of people who try to take on all the work and do everything ourselves. But we’d be kidding ourselves if we thought we did it alone. The people who work at Centre Music House are amazing individuals with incredible stories and they bring just a wealth of knowledge, skills, expertise, and wisdom to our community. They’re my family and some of my best friends and I am so grateful to work with them.

For more information on Centre Music House:

Centre Music House is located at 18 Main Street, Framingham, MA 01702

By phone at: (508) 875-0909.

Visit their website at https://www.centremusic.com/