Google was attractive because they offer free tools, and now we’ve stayed with Google Workspace because it works so well for us.
Heidi Garner
Partner & Chief Marketing Officer
While teaching piano at University of Northern Colorado, Aaron Garner saw some students fall behind while others raced ahead. He dreamed of finding a way to inspire individuals to learn at their own pace. So in 2008, he and his wife, Heidi, created Piano Marvel. Their subscription-based software assesses each student’s current level and then helps them set and reach their goals, with the help of a massive library of 29,000 songs of all genres. The Garners manage their successfully growing business with free tools from Google Workspace. “We love that we can share files, spreadsheets, documents, videos, and so much more via Google Drive,” says Heidi. And they communicate and market their business with email campaigns using Gmail. Today, Piano Marvel has grown into a thriving business, with over 17,000 active subscribers with a premium account and over 310,000 free trial accounts. It’s also a family affair, says Heidi: “Our kids grew up with Piano Marvel, so they're all pianists.”
Joel Shifflet, Heidi’s cousin and Piano Marvel’s VP, uses Google Analytics to track growth trends and traffic to the Piano Marvel website from all over the globe. YouTube is where Aaron shares instructional videos and interviews, and where students share their performances with each other and the over 6,000 people who subscribe to the company’s channel. Staying rooted is central to Piano Marvel’s mission, which is why Aaron still teaches group piano classes in Colorado. Piano Marvel also gives back to children from underserved communities by offering free student subscriptions through groups like the Itiah Angels for Learning in Haiti and Club Vallarta in Mexico. “I absolutely love this part of our company,” says Heidi. “We've had the ability to give back and pay back now. It's been amazing…and we love making it possible for everyone to learn to play the piano and have the gift of music in their lives.”