Marshall High School student fiddlin’ with new business concept

Submitted photo
Marshall High School junior Mark Rabaey is launching a business that involves playing his violin at area events. He first began playing the violin when he was 8 years old.

MARSHALL — When it comes to his violin, Marshall High School student Mark Rabaey means business.

He’s starting a business that involves playing his violin at events in the Marshall area. So far he’s played four times — at two weddings, a funeral and a Christmas party at the Marshall Golf Club.

The business is also earning him school credit. He’s enrolled in the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities class, which offers high school students experience in starting and operating businesses.

Rabaey decided to use his violin as an individual business project because of the countless hours he’s spent practicing.

“I’ve invested a lot of time in my violin,” Rabaey said. “I thought it was a good foundation, and that a business concept could be a way to build on it. We were told to choose a business idea that would involve something that interests us, something where we already have knowledge.”

He began to play the violin at age 8. His first instructor was Marshall music teacher Diane Wright. He started out by practicing for 30 minutes every day, then increased it to about an hour a day.

He now practices whenever he gets an opportunity. It averages out to about five hours a week, enough to keep his skills at their current level. He plays with both the Marshall High School orchestra and the Southwest Minnesota Orchestra.

He said one of the reasons he likes the violin is that it’s a challenging instrument to learn. He finds that the investment of time leads to good rewards.

“There are so many aspects to the strings and bow, so much that goes into producing a good sound,” Rabaey said. It’s worth the time. The violin has a sound that most closely resembles a human voice. I can really put emotion into my music.”

For the CEO class, he and other class members launched an apparel business this past winter. They secured $9,000 in start-up money. In the past few months they made back all of their start up money and earned a profit of $2,600.

He created his own business plan for the spring violin project. He also started a social media page and is working on a website.

He is completing his junior year at MHS. He plans to apply to the United States Air Force Academy and is also considering small private colleges. He wants to major in either engineering or biology.

He hopes to build up a strong client base in the Marshall area. He expects that his violin will continue to serve as a business venture when he moves away for college.

“It’s likely to be a tag along thing,” Rabaey said. “I’m hoping to make money with it to help cover my expenses. It will depend on how much time I have.”

Marshall faculty member Shanda Walker, who serves as Rabaey’s CEO adviser, said his violin project is succeeding because of a combination of talent and hard work.

“Mark is a dedicated student who always thinks about ways he might be able to improve,” Walker said. “He rolls up his sleeves and takes responsibilty. He works well with his fellow class members, which is very valuable in the business world. He’s an excellent student and a great kid.”