Natural Ear Music Inc.
103 Krebs Lane
Austin TX 78704-7122
(512) 447-5910

Known as Michele Murphy, by age 22 she was recording with Bill Josey at Sonobeat here in Austin. Bill is remembered for recording Johnny Winters at the Vulcan Gas Company and releasing his first album. She performed at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1973, when it was still held at Schreiner College in Kerrville. She was also working full time at Meridell Achievement Center, working with groups of emotionally disturbed adolescents. Many of her childcare skills were learned from working closely with these kids.

She formed several bands with the purpose of performing original music. She has played gigs at the Armadillo Beer Garden, Broken Spoke, Green Mesquite, Liberty Lunch, Continental Club, Ravens, and all over Texas with Alvin Crow's Pleasant Valley Boys as 'the occassionally pleasant valley girl', playing rhythm guitar and covering classic country as well as her own originals.

Mike has taught music since the age of 13. She opened her first full time studio in Liberty Hill, TX in 1975, teaching simple piano lessons, acoustic guitar, and tap dancing (!). Throughout the years that she raised her own two boys, Gabriel and Micah, she continued to teach at home and various studios in Liberty Hill, Bertram and finally in Austin, at Westlake Preschool, which was then called Lamplighter.

Natural Ear Music Camp began during a long ago Spring Break, when Mike, her son, and a young friend spent the entire week practicing together in a tiny apartment in Westlake Hills. The group played at the Saxon Pub a few weeks later. That summer, other friends' children joined the fun, which moved to a bigger house off South Lamar. Natural Ear Music Camp was named and registered in Travis County as 'doing business' in 1991.

By summer of 1992 there were so many participants that the action moved to the Austin Rehearsal Complex, home to the ARC Angels, and home away from home for almost every touring act to hit town. Campers were able to solicit help from world class musicians: they had NIN guitar techs working the shows; they had cheerleaders including Doug Sahm, Joe Ely, Jerry Jeff Walker, Charlie and Will Sexton, Chris Layton and all the other musicians who roamed the halls at the ARC.

Over the last ten years, the different groups have performed (no adults allowed onstage) at the Saxon Pub, the Broken Spoke, Aquafest, Green Mesquite, Continental Club, Antone's, Scholz' Garten, Budafest, and at several Austin area schools. Redheaded Stepchild recorded a CD and appeared 2 times live on the Austin Music Channel, where you can still occasionally see them, even though this version of the band is no longer together.

Her camp has had the help and support of the best of Austin's musicians. Teachers have included Alvin Crow, Corey Keller, Eric Hokkanen, Paul Pearcy, Ted Roddy, Charlie Prichard, Brent Wilson, Speedy Sparks, De Lewellen, Tracey Crossett, Mike Cross, Will Knaak, John Moyer, John X Reed and Will Sexton.

We have a no-nonsense approach to teaching music. We depend on direct musical information, not words or paper symbols. We use a number system similar to that used by Nashville session players to communicate the patterns of each song. Cooperation toward a common goal is the path of these bands, not diva grandstanding. At the same time, our teachers demand that every player stretch themselves to the limit, setting standards that draw comparisons to great artists. Nobody gets baby songs here.

The growing business demanded new headquarters in 2006, and Natural Ear Music moved to a new rehearsal and recording complex just off South Congress at 103 Krebs Lane. At our new school, we have year 'round band rehearsals, private lessons, summer camps, and homeschooling for a few young musicians. We all enjoyed the recent movie "School of Rock" which is obviously based on similar concepts of learning!