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Name: Francis A. Varrichio

Type of business: Musician, guitar teacher, composer, records performances in production studio, and provides live performance ensembles for events

Address: 110 North Fourth Ave., Highland Park

Telephone: (732) 246-7281

Web site: www.favguitar.com

Number of employees: One to 30

Founded: 1976

Top officer: Frank A. Varrichio founder, owner, and operator

How would you describe your business?

"In my studio in Highland Park, I give instruction in classical and Spanish guitar, vocal instructions to students who live mostly in Middlesex County -- East Brunswick, Highland Park, Edison New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Piscataway, and Woodbridge.

"As a composer and arranger, I've created soundtracks for commercials and films for many corporations. I've also performed as a soloist, especially of Spanish classical guitar in concerts for many special events. For instance, I performed at the Jacob Javits [Convention] Center (in Manhattan) for a large conference on digital media that ran for a week. As a soloist I was being recorded to demonstrate all their newest equipment.

"I also provide ensembles of up to 30 musicians to perform in live performance from Bach to jazz to bebop at any affair -- weddings, anniversaries, birthdays."

What makes your business special?

"What makes it special is that I work with the public in many venues. As a teacher one-on-one, teaching children 6 years old and up and adults until they are well into their retirement years. As a performer I have the opportunity be a soloist or play with others and perform in many venues.

"But whether in performance or instruction, what is special about our work is keeping the concept of live performance as a vital part of the community. People aren't accustomed as much to go to a live performance or have an orchestra subscription.

"More than any other activity playing music stimulates you intellectually and physically and does more to enhance your brain function. At the very least, music is a strong developmental tool. People who engage in music tend to be healthier with lower blood pressure, and happier in expressing themselves in music. Children who play an instrument tend to do better in school and seem to be more social and outgoing."

What goals do you have for the business?

"To continue to teach, perform, and compose. To continue to use the craft of music to express the human condition through performance and instruction, and use my skills in business and marketing. What I'd like to do is make participation and performance much more of our culture than it is. A lot of people think that music comes from a machine or iPod -- I want more people to be involved with the process."

How has your business changed?

"What I do hasn't changed. Society has changed. We have greater digital tools for recording and composing. It's easier with a computer to make a score rather than using a quill and paper. It's easier to record digitally. I started playing classical music on a Spanish string guitar no different from one used five centuries ago. Now I also play on an Archtop modern guitar that is fully acoustic."

What was your most important deal?

"I've had many important deals. One of my earliest students was very upset when her parents told her they were moving to California, and she no longer would be having lessons with me. The girl, 7, told her mom that she wanted me to play at her wedding. Twenty years went by and I got a call from the mother that the wedding would be in San Francisco. I had a performance in Manhattan the night before the wedding and wouldn't be able to make it. The family moved the wedding from San Francisco to Rutgers University campus and held the wedding there.

"I've worked for the Spanish embassy in New York highlighting Spanish culture at a special event at Gusastavino's Restaurant in New York City. It was a fundraiser for the James Beard Foundation highlighting Spanish food and Spanish culture, where 20 Spanish chefs were brought over to cook. I was performing solo and with a quartet to play contemporary Spanish music for five hours."

What changes do you expect in your business in the next 10 years?

"Now I see a more adults studying music. It used to be a teacher would be teaching mainly children, but now I teach a large number of adults. Since there is more documentation based on benefits music has on health, my hope is to see more people studying music.

"Music had a bigger presence years ago when there were 54 venues in New York City; today there are only 25. People would go to dance halls and dance to live music. You don't see that today. It's time to turn off digital media and interact with a real music performance and be more active."

What is the most important thing you've learned in your business?

"I think there is no substitute for the pursuit of excellence in what we do as a musician. You earn your worth as musician one note at a time, and then work on a daily basis to develop your skills. Classical music is timeless and expresses the human condition and will always be an inherent part of our culture."

What advice would you give to someone considering your line of work?

"They would have to have love and passion for the craft. It's not your job or career -- it's your life. It's an indelible part of who you are. But it is difficult to be a musician -- you have to use all your talents as a performer and as a marketer and businessman."

Is there anything else you would rather be doing?

"Miles Davis once said, ‘Music is inside of my head and I have to find a way to bring it out.' I'm glad I'm doing this as a professional. I'm happy I've done it. It's like climbing a very big mountain, but once at the summit, it's worth getting up to. I don't plan to retire."