Ralph White Music

Fred White began a family Music business in Fitzroy, Melbourne in 1929. He was a luthier , a musician and a character. He taught me the trade of guitar making which has been an invaluable skill, and although I no longer make guitars my knowledge of them allows me to work with and repair many damaged instruments. The White clan have lived with music for as long as I can remember. My parents were both entertainers, my sister Julie sang and danced in numberous musicals, one of these, a touring production of the 'King and I'. I was performing at a very young age, my father taught me to play the banjo and I went to 'Tap School' when I was a boy. I graduated to the electric guitar and joined my first band in 1962. We played to crowds at venues such as Myer Music Bowl and Festival Hall, in Melbourne. My first teaching studio was in Melbourne in 1967. I moved to the Gold Coast (after a period of constructing security doors) and opened a small music studio in Currumbin. I revisited my passion for music and returned to the industry I was born into. I started from scratch again with only a handful of students and a small budget to facilitate the purchase of some inexpensive guitars. The business grew which was the catalyst for me to re-located to my Tugun premises in 1998. I enjoyed my time being part of the Tugun community, the shop was only meters from the beach and the atmosphere was warm and responsive the Tugun community are a relaxed group of people, I loved being there. I employed several musicians to assist in teaching the growing number of students. I secured a number of reputable guitar brands and increased the range of instruments taught at the Music School, we taught keyboard, banjo, bass and slide guitar. We stocked instruments including : amplifiers, banjos, pianos, drums and percussion instruments plus all types of accessories. I have taught many young keen students who have reached a level of competance and have gone on to choose musicianship as their profession. Even to this day I am aware of how a little encouragement makes a difference to students with all aspects of their music. At Tugun I arranged several amateur concerts enabling my students to perform in front of an audience, while other students such Mason Rack have organised their own concerts (very successfully). Customer Service as always been a main concern for my business. Musicians are often under pressure to perfom on time with their gear working to the best of its ability. We do our utmost to assist them anyway we can. Where would we be without Music In Our Lives... being able connect people with the sublime experience of playing music is a fulfilling experience. If you buy a product from us you are guaranteed real old fashion service. If we can't fix it here .... we will put you in contact with someone who can. The Rock Shop was opened in December, 2006. Instruments pertaining to the more volitile style of 'plugged in and loud music' are showcased here, the vibes in this shop need to be experieced. Separating the Rock gear from other instruments has proved beneficial by enabling us to group together the different genres of instruments, creating departments within our shops. The staff have become specialized in certain areas and this is also a benefit to the customer. We now include a classical range of instrument on our product list - for instance: violins, violas, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, double basses and a full range of harmonicas'. Keeping up with the the young musicians within the community has enabled me to keep pace with the trends in sound as well as the rapidly changing market place. Each of the shops generate its own unique ambience and I have had much feedback from our customers regarding our unique approach to retail. Keeping one step ahead in business has again prompted some changes to Ralph White Music and its locations. We assimilated the business into one store in 2009, at 1152 Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach. The merging of the Acoustic and Rock shops has benefited our clientele in that we have retained all the expertise of departmental knowledge, with a one stop shop to purchase all your musical needs. This website is one of three site we are currently facilitating, check out http://www.guitars-goldcoast.com/ and http://www.guitarheaven-aus.com/ these two sites are not product based but promote our music school and service centre. Enjoy.