Steve Held

Steve Held was involved in music retail beginning when he was a teenager working at the Music Corner in Waterloo, Iowa. He later worked for West Music in Iowa City for well over a decade and then had his own piano store with his business partner Jim Hall. In the early days, Steve was trained in the Wurlitzer Way of selling musical instruments and throughout the years enjoyed the training support that manufacturers offered for their respective instruments. Along the way, Steve created a special philosophy in approaching a family coming into a store for the child’s first instrument. Steve would first spend time with the child sparking their interest. He would then discuss the benefits of a music education with the parents. He found that igniting the child’s passion would give them a far better chance of staying with the instrument than first approaching the parents about the cost. Steve’s own love and enjoyment for music kept him teaching privately for years after he retired from music retail.