The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 25

to meet young professionals outside of the station, as
well as work with people who are committed to improving our community. She's also thrilled with the running
groups, who welcome any and everyone who wants to
try it. She's completed the full Blue Ridge Marathon, and
when her friends come to visit, they're taken on a trip to
the Mill Mountain Star. Or rather, they're running to it.
"My friends hate me for this when they come visit,
but that's what we do," she says unapologetically. "We
run up the mountain to the star, then take it easy for
the rest of the day with pancakes and maybe going out
later that night for beers!"
For her days off, she'll take one day to relax and hit
the reset button; for the second, she wants to be out and
about. Jackson lives downtown and loves the ability to
walk out of her building right into the busy downtown.
She enjoys the nightlife when she can, but it's especially
fun to be right in the thick of things during events and
festivals and still walk back home.
Jackson laughs when asked about getting recognized
while out and about, sharing that many times people
don't realize she's on television until long after the fact.
To her, it feels good to be known in a community, not
because of popularity, but because no one here is a
stranger.
"It feels like Roanoke's theme is community. We're
family-based and friendly, and truly live that rather than
just say it. It's such a welcoming community and while
it's not where I'm from, everyone's made me feel like
it's home."

CANDACE Blair
Treble Makers Music
31 years old

To traveling music teacher Candace Blair, music is much
more than just music. In a music class, preschoolers can
learn about cooperation, how to follow directions and
interact with other children, have a social and emotional
outlet, and get their energy out. It's thanks to Blair that
there are several opportunities in Roanoke provided to
do just that.
Blair is the children's music director at Covenant Presbyterian Church, as well as the preschool music teacher
there. She conducts private lessons in the church's studio
for 34 children, is an assisting teacher at North Cross
and is also a preschool music teacher at Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church. She teaches piano, clarinet, flute and
saxophone, and sees more than 200 kids on a weekly
basis. She also occasionally donates music lessons for
charity auctions or other good causes.
"It takes a lot of organization, but I love it. It takes
time learning everyone's names, but they're my family,"
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Blair says with a laugh. "I found music with little children was my calling."
Blair's been giving private lessons since she was in
high school, teaching middle schoolers out of her parents' basement. Originally from Virginia Beach, Blair
has a music education degree from VCU. She began
her career in the public school system and moved to
Roanoke for a teaching position at the Roanoke Valley
Montessori school, gaining her certification as well. She
offered music classes for an after-school activity, which
steamrolled into something bigger. In 2014, she started
her own business, Treble Makers Music.
She's worked with a full range of ages, but finds the
younger children to be her favorite because she loves
being the first one to introduce them to musical instruments and watch them create their first note. As a kid,
she was shy, but when she started playing music at 11
years old, it gave her an outlet to make friends. Her dad
asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, and
she told him she wanted to be a music teacher. Even now
as an adult, she still wants to be one when she grows up!
"Music just helped me so much to come out of my
shell," she says. "Many music teachers won't take a private lesson students until they're older, but I really enjoy
tapping into that young brain. I think a lot of preschoolers play alongside their peers, but might not have figured
out how to play with them. To see that child go to an instrument basket and share with another child or sit with
us and sing along or laugh is a really important thing."
Blair plays all the instruments she teaches, and is a
classically trained musician. She can strum chords on
a guitar, but is "definitely a woodwind player" in addition to her love for piano. She calls her career a "dream
come true" and will host her first-ever studio recital in
March. She's excited for the experience, and to share her
students' hard work playing an instrument and sharing
it with their loved ones.
"The parents of my students, I've had some for a long
time so they know me well," she says. "They know their
kid is my family. I want to be in their lives even after
they move on from my classes. They're my kids!"
When she finds time for a day off, she loves to do
yoga and go on girls' hikes with her friends. Recently engaged, she's planning her wedding for later this year. She
adores attending the Roanoke Symphony, citing Music
Director David Wiley as a huge inspiration, and has
admired his work from afar during every concert. Not
surprisingly, she has friends in the local music scene, and
will often try to catch their shows around town.
"That's one cool thing about Roanoke, we do have an
eclectic mix of artists and people trying to create art in
this community, whether it's music or painting or yoga
classes. There are so many cool, different entrepreneurs
here," she says.
MARCH/APRIL 2017 | 25

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The Roanoker March/April 2017

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