Sometimes the best local spots don't come from a big corporate plan - they just grow out of a genuine love for what you do. Right here in Bloomington-Normal, Hip Cat Music School and its sister art studio, The Little Art School, are giving local families a unique, under-one-roof creative home. If you’ve ever walked into a space and instantly felt like you belonged, you already know the vibe at Hip Cat and The Little Art School. Gil took some time to answer our questions about his journey, how Hip Cat unexpectedly came to be, and what it’s really like running side-by-side studios with his wife, Daniella.
"A Built-In Community Right From the Start"
Gil’s roots in Bloomington-Normal go way back - he moved here in 1973 right after high school when his parents relocated. "I got here in 1973, the summer after I graduated from high school because my parents moved up here," Gil shares. "I basically just stayed in town because I was employed here and a lot of my friends from high school also moved up, so I had a kind of a built-in community there."
Unlike the kids who have their whole career mapped out by eighteen, Gil admits he was one of those people who just had no idea. "I had plenty of other people in college or my friends from high school that went to college and pretty much knew exactly what they were going to do and then just went and got their degree and did it," he says. "But I just really had nothing that appealed to me so much that I would go out and do that. So I ended up just kind of taking the least objectionable form of employment I could find."
Music, though, was always quietly waiting in the background. His earliest memory of a spark was as a 3-year-old at his dad's country church service, totally mesmerized by a visiting band. "They had a steel guitar in there, and I remember that really catching my ear and piquing my interest, and I remember going out into the aisle to get a better look at it," Gil remembers. "So that's my earliest recollection of music kind of connecting with me." After a short two-year stint on trombone, he talked his parents into buying him a guitar - and that was that.
From Unexpected Beginnings to a Thriving Music School
Hip Cat Music School didn't start with a big master plan. In fact, Gil credits a sudden turn of events for pushing him to take the leap.
"I would never have dreamed of opening Hip Cat except that when I was teaching at Kidder Music in town here, COVID hit," Gil explains. When Kidder ended up closing its local lesson studios and eventually its store in town, Gil needed a dedicated spot to teach guitar.
His wife, Dr. Daniella Barroqueiro, was already running her art school upstairs in their current building. Since the building used to be a music store in a past life, there were three small lesson studios down in the basement.
"I was basically just looking for a place to teach guitar because I really wasn't able to teach at home, we didn't have enough space or an extra room," Gil says. "I was just going to teach guitar down there and maybe have a couple other people teach with me and that was going to be it, but it just kind of evolved into what it is now. I definitely never had a grand vision for what Hip Cat has turned into, but it's turned out to be very successful and very rewarding."
Today, Hip Cat keeps its focus right where it matters: high-quality private lessons for all band and orchestra instruments, piano, voice, drums, guitar, bass guitar, and ukulele.
Two Studios, One Shared Roof
Having The Little Art School and Hip Cat Music School together under the same roof makes for a seamless creative setup. Since Daniella moved her studio to the street level, that connection is much more apparent to people.
"We regularly share students, or sometimes one of my students will switch to art, or one of her art students will switch to music, or they will do both," Gil says. "The families that come to our places are most definitely aware that Daniella and I are married and that our business is connected, so there's a lot of overlap there where families will have their kids in both art and music lessons."
For Gil and Daniella, working in the same building brings a great everyday closeness. "The best part of us having our businesses together is just being able to pop upstairs or downstairs to see each other," Gil shares. "We many times go home together, or we'll hop over to Lucca together. It's just the closeness of running businesses together, and we have many common challenges, so we can talk about that."
"Doing Something People Value"
Gil credits the local community for keeping Hip Cat strong - especially word-of-mouth recommendations between local families. He also values strong connections with local university faculty, like Dr. Tony Marinello, Director of Bands at ISU.
"Local families have supported me either by following me on social media and reposting things, or more importantly, by word of mouth - spreading the word about Hip Cat and telling their friends about us," Gil says. "A lot of our teachers come from ISU and IWU, and if I am in need of a teacher, I will reach out to Dr. Marinello and he usually is able to hook me up with somebody that is a good fit for Hip Cat."
"We're so fortunate to have two universities, plus all of the high schools that have marching bands and orchestra and band programs," Gil notes. "Plus all the musical theater and theater in general, there's really a lot of art and music going on in this town."
When asked about the moments that remind him why he does it, Gil points right to Hip Cat's bi-annual student recitals at the Heartland Community College auditorium.
"It's easy to lose track of that when you're just doing all the business stuff that can be exhausting, and you forget that you have made an impact in the community," Gil admits. "But I've had many parents come up to me afterwards and thank me for not only just providing the recital, but also just for what Hip Cat provides to the community in general. That feels like what reminds me that I'm actually doing something that people value."
Gil's Advice for Prospective Business Owners: "Do your homework, take some business classes if it's possible for you to do that. Try to stay true to your vision. Try not to get wrapped up in what your competitors or other people in the community are doing. That can be very distracting if you end up responding to what everybody else is doing. I personally do not follow any of my competitors on social media. I just focus on what Hip Cat does... I feel like if I do that, then everything else will take care of itself."
Local Favorites
- Favorite Spot to Unwind: Lucca Grill. "We both go there probably once a week to unwind or just have dinner and a drink. That's definitely our favorite place."
- Local Hidden Gems: "I love the Farmers Market in downtown Bloomington. It's every Saturday morning when the weather's good and I just really enjoy that. Plus the downtown Bloomington trick-or-treat is always amazing - there's probably 3,000 people that come to that. The Tour de Chocolat is another big one where all the businesses stay up late and have some type of chocolate to pass out."
- Off-the-Clock Hobbies: Gardening and quick getaways. "We both love gardening, although with our businesses we have very little time to actually engage in that like we used to. Our garden was on the Garden Walk seven or eight years ago, back before we had our businesses! We also enjoy going to Starved Rock just to get away and renting a cabin with a fireplace."
Connect with Hip Cat Music School & The Little Art School
Whether you're ready to dive into private music lessons or drop in for a creative art session, both studios make it easy to get involved right under one roof in Downtown Bloomington.
Hip Cat Music School
- Offerings: Private instruction for all band and orchestra instruments, plus piano, voice, drums, guitar, bass guitar, and ukulele.
- Website: hipcatmusicschool.com
- Social Media: Connect on Facebook and Instagram (@hipcatmusicschool) for student performance highlights, instructor updates, and lesson availability.
The Little Art School
- Offerings: Fine art classes, technique workshops, open studio sessions, art clubs, camps, and hands-on projects for youth and adults.
- Website & Registration: Visit their site littleartschool.net or stop by the street-level studio space to check out the current class schedule and register for upcoming art sessions.
- Social Media: Follow on Facebook and Instagram (@thelittleartschool6) for workshop announcements, open studio schedules, and project previews.
Visit the Studios:
- Location: 417 N. Main Street, Downtown Bloomington, IL
A huge thank you to Hip Cat Music School for their continued partnership with Macaroni KID Bloomington-Normal! We love highlighting local businesses that make our community a richer, more creative place for families.
Are you a local business owner or organization interested in being featured in an upcoming Business Spotlight Article? Reach out to us at katew@macaronikid.com or visit mkbnadvertising.com to learn more about feature options!
