Toowoomba Grammar School music tutor and professional musician Melissa Buchholz launches custom backing track business

An experienced musician and teacher has launched a new business to help performers get the most out of their music, and help others across the Australia and the world learn and perform.

For the past 10 years, music teacher and professional performer Melissa Buchholz has recorded backing tracks to help fellow musicians learn their craft, perform on stage and pass their exams.

Now the Toowoomba Grammar School music teacher has taken the plunge and launched her own business offering custom recorded tracks.

Ms Buchholz, a teacher of more than 30 years, said she has travelled across regional Australia over the years to help provide accompanying music to teachers and performers that otherwise would struggle to hone their craft.

Music teacher Melissa Buchholz creates custom backing tracks for performers. Picture: Nev Madsen.

“I first started recording the backing tracks to cater to teachers that didn’t have an accompanist, and I would often travel to different places that didn’t have a pianist in town so that choirs could perform or so singers could take an exam,” she said.

“I’ve still got a lot of teachers that need an exam type repertoire and choir teachers that don’t have pianists in schools so I can record parts that can be teaching and performance aids.

“I’ve been doing the backing tracks for 10 years or so with a handful of clients asking me to do them, and I really wanted to extend the business further but work has overtaken everything the past few years but I finally took the plunge this year and since then had a huge response.”

Ms Buchholz said she can record custom-order backing tracks to suit the needs of the client, depending on what they need from the music.

“People audition for a musical theatre performance for instance often either need their own accompanist or a custom backing track to be a certain length of time or in a certain key, so I can record something exactly to their needs,” she said.

“For me it’s a really great use of creative energy to try and create something great for each person which I really enjoy.”

To find out more visit https://melissabuchholz.com.au/