ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - s4story -- Working Musicians Academy today announced a strategic partnership with Black Dog Music Partners, the music industry division of Black Dog Venture Partners, to help working musicians build independent, sustainable careers in music. Working Musicians Academy trains musicians as certified instrument repair technicians and music sales professionals — skills the music industry is actively short of. Black Dog Music Partners adds the business layer: funding access, business development, sales and marketing support, and executive coaching.

The partnership addresses two problems at once. The music products industry cannot find enough qualified repair technicians, and school music programs lose students every semester when a broken instrument sits unrepaired. At the same time, musicians who want to stay in music are rarely given a path to income they control. WMA's answer is a trade first — a real, certifiable, in-demand skill — and then the business capability to build something around it.

"A musician who owns a skill that pays gets to keep making the music they actually want to make," said Lisa Canning, founder of Working Musicians Academy. "That is the whole point. We start with the trade because the industry needs technicians right now and because it is honest work a musician can build a living on. But the goal is independence — musicians who are not waiting on a gig, a contract, or somebody else's permission to express themselves. Partnering with Black Dog is how we put real business resources behind that."

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Working Musicians Academy currently offers:

• Certified woodwind instrument repair training — clarinet, saxophone, and flute — delivered virtually across Levels 1 through 4, with tools and supplies included in tuition
• Music sales and retail training for musicians entering the music products industry
• A curriculum developed with Bruce Marking, former Head of Woodwind Repair at Buffet-Crampon, giving every WMA certificate manufacturer-level credibility with retailers and music stores

Through the partnership, WMA students and graduates gain access to Black Dog Music Partners' ecosystem — business development, strategic partnerships, investor introductions where appropriate, executive coaching, and connections throughout the music and music technology industries. Black Dog Music Partners is a division of Black Dog Venture Partners, a business accelerator supporting high-growth companies through a broad network of investors and business partners.

"Musicians deserve more than just great education—they deserve access to the business resources that help transform talent into thriving careers," said Scott Kelly, CEO of Black Dog Venture Partners. "We're excited to partner with Working Musicians Academy to help artists and music entrepreneurs navigate today's rapidly changing industry."

Working Musicians Academy has trained 259 paying students across all 50 states, ages 16 to 70, with an 88% student success rate. Graduates work for music stores and have opened their own repair shops. The organization's work has been recognized with:

• Top 100 Small Businesses in America — U.S. Chamber of Commerce (2024)
• Top 500 Female Founders — Inc. Magazine (2025)
• Inc. Midwest Regional Fastest Growing Company — 2025 and 2026
• Innovation in Education Award — 2.0 Conference, Las Vegas (2026)

Enrollment for Working Musicians Academy is open now. Musicians interested in certified repair training, music sales careers, or the business resources available through the partnership can visit the websites below.

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About Working Musicians Academy
Working Musicians Academy is a workforce development organization that trains working musicians as certified instrument repair technicians and music sales professionals. Its mission is musician independence: equipping musicians with skills that generate income they control, so they can keep making the music they want to make on their own terms. WMA has trained 259 paying students across all 50 states, ages 16 to 70, with a curriculum developed alongside Buffet-Crampon's former Head of Woodwind Repair.

About Black Dog Music Partners
Black Dog Music Partners, a division of Black Dog Venture Partners, helps music businesses, music technology companies, and artists accelerate growth through funding access, business development, strategic partnerships, sales and marketing support, and executive coaching.

Media Contact

Working Musicians Academy
Lisa Canning, Founder
773.756.2163 ext. 700
lisa@lisasclarinetshop.com
WorkingMusiciansAcademy.com

Black Dog Music Partners
Scott Kelly, CEO
480-206-3435
scott@blackdogvp.com
BlackDogMusicPartners.com