The Magic Flute, a privately owned Marin County music store founded in 1976, celebrates 50 years of serving musicians through instrument sales, rentals, repairs, lessons, and community programs supporting generations of local music-making.
-- The Magic Flute, a privately owned community music store in Marin County, California, is pleased to announce its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of serving student musicians, working players, educators, and local families through instrument sales, rentals, repairs, and music education.
Founded in 1976 by Michael Mitchell, The Magic Flute has operated as a locally rooted resource for musicians in San Rafael and throughout Marin County. In 2010, ownership transitioned when Christian Dean, and his wife Tamara Osheroff, purchased the business so Mitchell could retire, maintaining the store’s unique culture and continuing its commitment to serving Marin’s vibrant music community, encouraging and inspiring musicians at every stage. Christian, a retired tenured professor at Dominican University of California, has been affiliated with the business, and a friend of Mitchell’s, since high school.
Operating from a 4,000-square-foot location in the Northgate One Shopping Center in Terra Linda, the store supports a wide range of musicians, from beginners entering school band and orchestra programs, to adult learners and long-time performers, with a full-service repair shop for all instrument categories, and private and group music lessons. The store employs a team of 13, with some employees having served the community for decades and a recent second-generation hire reflecting multi-generational connections to the business.
“Fifty years is a meaningful milestone for a store built around instrument and accessory sales, lessons, repairs, and everyday musicians,” says Tamara Osheroff, co-owner of The Magic Flute. “Families find us when their kids start music programs in elementary school, former students come back as adults, and new residents discover a local place where the welcoming staff is eager to help them choose, maintain, and enjoy playing a musical instrument.”
Instrument rentals and repairs remain two of the store’s most distinct local services, particularly for school music programs that bring new fifth-grade families into the music community each year. The business reports renting upwards of 1,300 instruments per school year and supporting a broad customer base with thousands of active customers. In 2020, in response to demand, The Magic Flute Music Lessons program was launched and continues to grow. The store reports over 350 subscribing music lessons students, including adult learners, supported by a roster of 29 professional teachers. In addition to private instruction, The Magic Flute recently completed its first group lessons program, Pop and Rock Academy, which will continue in 2026 along with group guitar lessons for adults, and a brass ensemble for younger players
Christian Dean, co-owner and senior guitar technician, noted that service remains central to the store’s identity. “Repairs, rentals, and lessons create long-term relationships,” Dean states. “Work done on a bench today often supports a student’s first concert, an adult returning to music, or a working musician preparing for a performance.”
Additionally, community programming also remains a huge part of the store’s ongoing operations and “give back”. The Magic Flute hosts monthly Second Saturday Open Mic Nights in Marin County, going on it’s third year, for kids and adults, providing an opportunity for students and local performers to share the spotlight and entertain family and friends. The store also conducts two annual fundraising initiatives. The Fall guitar and ukulele Restring-A-Thon raises donations for Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, supporting working musicians, while the annual Holiday Music Education Fundraiser benefits children’s music education programs. This year’s recipient is Rise Up! 94965 Foundation, a Marin City-focused music and arts education nonprofit.
As it marks its 50th anniversary, The Magic Flute is proud of its heritage and its prominent place in the hearts and minds of the Marin music community, owing to the culture and reputation established by Mike Mitchell and carried on today as evident in the strong record of customer feedback, with more than 1,600 reviews, over the last four years, averaging a five-star rating across major platforms.
For more information, please visit www.themagicflute.com.
About The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is a stand-alone, privately owned community music store located in Marin County, California. Founded in 1976, the business provides retail sales of musical instruments, accessories, and sheet music; rentals of band and orchestra instruments for school music programs; full-service instrument repair across multiple categories; and private and group music lessons for a range of ages and experience levels. The store also hosts community events, including monthly Open Mic Nights, and supports music-related charitable fundraising efforts through annual community initiatives.
Contact Info:
Name: Tamara Osheroff, Owner
Email: Send Email
Organization: The Magic Flute
Phone: 415-479-3112
Website: https://www.themagicflute.com/
Release ID: 89180435
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