Long & McQuade Reviews

Pros

Working with musicians, getting to know lesson attendees of all ages, plenty of downtime (good for students)

Cons

Very dated technology, some dealing with angry parents, not very high wage

Pros

Really easy and casual job. Fun to work with other musicians. Low-stress. Get to interact with lots of interesting (in a good way) characters throughout the day. A lot of the time it doesn't so much feel like work as it does just hanging out with customers and making conversation (which is actually part of their model; internally it's called the "Long & McQuade hang").

Cons

- No real opportunity for advancement. Family-owned (basically run by nepotism). - Low pay and no actual increasing payscale (they add 5% per year. Whether or not that's after inflation I think depends on the individual's willingness to bring it up during their annual pay meeting). - A lot of the co-workers can be kind of weird, especially the ones that have been working there for a long time. It's a whole mix of people. Can get kind of annoying at times. Not a huge deal if you just drown it out and focus on the work though.

Pros

Your coworkers are all specialized in every avenue of music imaginable. Many people have pursued music degrees.

Cons

The pay is very low

Pros

The discounts we receive is generally pretty good. Aside from a yearly limit though. Management can be pretty forgiving if you need to leave for reasons or just need to step away for a bit.

Cons

I would say the pay is not the greatest in today's market. I think making under 20$ an hour almost anywhere doesn't really cut it in today's economy.

Pros

Very good and fast service, easy to work with other Long&McQuades, fast communication. Very good employee prices. Monthly team bonus can go up to 200$.

Cons

Pay is not the greatest for the amount of responsibilities. Dress code standards are a bit too high for the type of company.

Pros

The people are great, I'll miss the awesome people I worked with at L&M. Discounts were nice for most items. But came with limits on how much you could buy. Some of the benefits are better than most retail jobs. Vacation time is fairly more generous than most work places if you get over 5 years there. You can meet some great customers who work in the music industry. Prove your self to those people and they will give you opportunities when the time comes to move on. The paid trips to Toronto are nice, especially if you can get the ones where your basically just the training audience leading into NAMM. I had some unforgettable moments as a result of some of the trips I took there through L&M.

Cons

I was forced out of employment with this company due to a mental illness I developed as a direct result of the mistreatment I received from management. The same individuals responsible for my mental decline made that choice for me. I cant say if this is the case at all locations but post-pandemic work culture had become very micro-managed. I use to be able to make choices in dealing with difficult situations but near the end of my employment every choice I made to solve problems was questioned. Opportunities at L&M are very lacking. And often make no sense when they happen. If you want to be promoted than I recommend you work in guitars. There is an apparent bias for those that work in that department to be given opportunities past department head positions. Pay raises are kind of weak, especially the past few years have been incredibly short in keeping up with rising cost of living. And forget about negotiating, they wont. Especially when it comes to promotions.

Pros

As far as full-time jobs with benefits for musicians without advanced education or business experience, L&M is probably among the best options in Canada.

Cons

Lessons Coordinator is the position with the highest rate of turnover in the company. You're expected to wear too many hats and largely ignored unless you've done something wrong. There is no consistent guidance, nor established systems even for some daily tasks. The managing of relationships with contracted teachers can be a nightmare and there is little support. If you have the skill set to do this job well, then you can find a much better job with better pay. Although there's generally a good, musical vibe in the stores, L&M has a problem with some management level employees. I experienced two extremely unprofessional situations that can only be described as harassment. I've never experienced anything like it in any other job. I chose not to take action in either case to protect others who I respected, but it's those two people who inspired this review.

Pros

They were able to fill my schedule pretty fully compared to other schools. They offer a competitive rate compared to other schools. It was a good side gig while pursuing a career in music.

Cons

My schedule was still not as full as I would like it to be. Not enough schedule or income stability for what I needed. I didn't really feel appreciated by the end or like they had my back even though I worked there for five years. Teachers are dispensable to them and their priority is profits.

Pros

Casual place to work. Administrative work is limited, could be familiarized completely within 4 months or less.

Cons

Lack of support from Manager once they're off the clock and you are the only employee in the lesson centre.

Pros

Busy environment, friendly staff, good hours for family life, paid vacation, benefits and pension, staff discounts.

Cons

None I can think of right now.