Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. For David Morgan (BA contemporary music 2006; MRecordArts 2007), this maxim certainly holds true.

Funnily enough, Mr Morgan didn’t set out to do an arts degree at Macquarie University.

"I was actually enrolled in a Bachelor of Business,” he says. ‘Macquarie was – and still is – well known for its business school. I was already a sole trader teaching music, so was thrilled to be accepted into my first choice of university and degree.”

Even though Business wasn’t his passion, Mr Morgan loved his first year at the university.

“My lecturer Alex Malley was inspirational – he made accounting and business exciting, which surprised me given the stereotypes around these subjects,” he says. “He was really big on creative thinking too, and his passion has influenced me in my own teaching.”

Still, by second year Mr Morgan was increasingly drawn to his real joy.

"I knew I wanted to pursue something in the arts, and have always loved music,” he reflects. “I probably feel my most free when I’m just playing, not thinking.”

This is a feeling Mr Morgan discovered at age four, when he started putting music books up on the piano in his family home and pretended to read music, playing as he went.

“My parents thought, let’s explore this, and I loved it. I’m very fortunate they’ve always been so supportive – they’ve encouraged me and my brothers to just be ourselves and pursue our interests,” he says.

“I was lucky my parents decided to have a piano in our house – neither of them had that opportunity. Mum was one of seven kids, and growing up in the Philippines, she didn’t get the chance to play an instrument. Dad grew up here in Sydney but preferred the rugby field to music.”

Flexible learning pathways

Considering his start in business before pivoting to music, Mr Morgan praised Macquarie’s flexible approach to learning and building a degree that suits you.

“I loved that I wasn’t locked into just one learning pathway – I could do different courses in different faculties, and it would still complement my main area of study. It was a big plus for me.”

And so, in his second year, Mr Morgan started working toward a Bachelor of Creative Arts, with some units in education. In his third year, he officially changed to a Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Music, where he could focus on playing, creating and recording music. Once he graduated, his positive experience at Macquarie compelled him to pursue a Masters.

"I was doing something I loved and wasn’t quite ready to finish, so went on to do the Masters by coursework,’ he remembers. “It was a lot of fun. I was one of only six students, and there were lots of interesting instruments, there was the world music department as well, so we could record Indian instruments, for example. It was more than just your standard rock music.”

Mr Morgan said the practical nature of his studies was very beneficial, and even though technology has changed, he still always draws on the skills he learned while at university. What’s more, the learnings Mr Morgan garnered in his foundational year of business has also been intrinsic to running and growing his own music school, Morgan Music Academy.

It all began with tutoring other students as a 14-year-old and, with an ABN under his belt, he continued to work around his university studies. To meet demand, he employed other music teachers to visit students at home. ‘It was very time inefficient,’ he recalls, and soon moved on to holding classes in a church hall.

The first big move for the business was signing a three-year lease with Westfield Hornsby, and in time it flourished and outgrew this space, expanding out to two new locations across Sydney, and Morgan Music Academy now has two locations in Sydney – Epping and Hornsby – along with numerous school partnerships across the Greater Sydney region, and beyond.

“There’s something so exciting about building community in these physical spaces,” he says.

“We’ve recently expanded into Brisbane, taking over a school that caters to children on the spectrum or with learning difficulties – it’s really important to us that we maintain that focus, which the previous owner established.”

Staying true to your values

It’s a long way from where he began, but Mr Morgan always knew he wanted to run his own business and make his own opportunities. He’d seen his dad work for himself and knew it was the life for him too.

"I love the idea of maximising the return on my effort,” he explains, adding that by the time he was 25 – when he really started to lean into his business – he’d already had about ten years of experience.

"I was always thinking, where is this going to take me? It was my dream to scale the business to support my family while keeping true to our values, which is helping students learn and discover the joy of music. We’re not in business at the expense of that.”

Of course, it hasn’t always been easy. But, as Mr Morgan explains, ‘Doing something you love and are passionate about creates a drive to make things work, that sustains you when things are tough, or when you must make risky decisions.

“I’m comfortable with risk. When I see an opportunity, I assess it carefully and if the numbers stack up, I jump on it. I don’t like to hit capacity before I start moving to the next level – and often, the potential upside is so much greater than the potential risk. You learn from your mistakes too, of course, but it’s also about knowing you can trust yourself. And having that financial background really helps too.”

COVID was another turning point for the business, and Mr Morgan personally.

“We lost half our students in the second lockdown,” he recalls. “That was a huge change in my role – it was no longer just about growing a business and teaching music, it was about supporting my team of teachers and protecting their livelihoods as well.

“I’m proud we didn’t have to let anyone go. No-one was out of work, and we did what we could to support our staff. Of course, like many businesses, we had to move to online, but it’s made for a sustainable business model.”

In fact, Mr Morgan says, “We’re now beyond where we were before COVID in terms of the business, which is a great place to be. It’s a wonderful encouragement to know you can actually follow a different path – you can do what you love, and make it work.”

Prioritising the personal

With the music school now the size it is, Mr Morgan says he doesn’t have to be at work all the time – he has realised his dream to support his family.

“It means I can be there for my kids – I can drop them off at school, I can go to my daughter’s school assembly. And my wife, who’s a physio, can work how she wants too. It’s given us that freedom.”

In his spare time, Mr Morgan still enjoys playing live music in bands with friends most weekends, from the silly and costume-filled ‘Bad 80s Band’ to the more traditional ‘Party Latte’ for corporate gigs and weddings.

“I’m cutting back now because I have three young kids. But again,” he adds, “it’s doing what I love, doing it with my friends, and getting paid to do it – it’s fantastic. I see myself as incredibly fortunate.”

Practice makes perfect

“I’m focused on what I love, so it’s easier to become proficient at it. Whether it’s music or something else, I always encourage people to pursue their dreams. I guess it’s the teacher in me.” he says.

“You can do more than you think you can – don’t just see you where you are now, look at where you can be in the future.”

So, where does Mr Morgan see himself?

“I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life! Even as an old man, I don’t even know if I’ll retire,” he laughs. “It doesn’t sound like work at all.”

David Morgan's bio

David Morgan graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Music and a Masters of Recording Arts. He also has a Diploma of Music Teaching from the University of Southern Queensland. He is a member of the Music Teachers Association NSW. In founding his own music school, Morgan Music Academy, he supports students to develop a lifelong joy of music.