Hannah Langtry ’15: From Small Town USA to USA’s Leading Music Retailer
Hannah Langtry ’15 grew up in the small town of Gouverneur, New York – a town of 4,000 residents in
St. Lawrence County that is affectionately known as the Marble City for its nine marble
quarries. But aside from her small town charm, there’s nothing small about Hannah’s
passion for music or the music industry.
Hannah graduated from SUNY Corning Community College in 2015 with an A.S. in Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. During her time at SUNY Corning, Hannah fine-tuned her musical skills as a pianist, while learning to play the guitar.
After SUNY Corning, Hannah transferred to SUNY Potsdam and in 2018 obtained a B.S. in Speech Communications with a minor in Music Business. From there, Hannah earned a Master of Arts in Audio Arts from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University in 2019.
Upon graduation from Syracuse, Hannah went to work at the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) – based in New York City – before landing a job in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as a sales engineer for the nation’s leading music technology and musical instrument retailer, Sweetwater.
We had the chance to talk with Hannah to learn more about her career in the music industry and how SUNY Corning helped build a foundation for her professional success.
You are a sales engineer – what does that job entail?
I run my own music retail business, essentially! I have more than 3,000 customers
who I serve one-on-one in my book of business (so far, my goal is 5,000). They know
me by name, have my contact info, and reach out to me when they have needs. Sometimes
it’s as simple as them needing new guitar strings or asking what type of keyboard
they should get. Other times, it’s churches or colleges who call and need me to design
an entire sound and lighting system for their space. I had to take more than 350 classes
in audio, instruments, sales, and phone communication with graded assignments for
this position so that I can call myself an audio gear expert and my customers can
rely on me. I am essentially an audio/instrument advisor.
What would you say is the best part about your job?
Building relationships with my customers and hearing about the projects they’re working
on with the gear I sold to them. I love listening to the music of my customers, and
I love when they send me photos of their kids opening their first guitar on Christmas!
I love running my own business because I have the ability to make someone’s day and
send them free things when I can.
Were there any classes at CCC that helped prepare you for Potsdam and eventually your
current job?
My music theory classes with professor Will Wickham and the piano lessons I took with Lou were what fueled me to want to study music
further. I also loved being in choir with professor Lou Bleiler!
Is there anything a CCC professor did that helped you realize where/what you wanted
to do after CCC?
Lou and Will were helpful mentors of mine. They believed in my musical abilities and
helped fuel confidence that I didn’t have in my skills before college. Will asked
me to play keyboard in the Muse of Fire show “Jekyll & Hyde” and it challenged me
to step outside of my comfort zone, which was important because getting a career in
music was out of my comfort zone at the time.
Did you have a favorite class at CCC? If so, what was it and why was it your favorite?
Will’s music theory classes. It was a small class size, so we had a lot of individual
attention and time to ask questions and help each other out. I loved that we were
tested aurally and he provided a variety of different types of assignments. I remember
being quite challenged, but never felt like I couldn’t figure something out.
While at CCC, did you have an opportunity to grow your musical talents?
It was the time where I concentrated on it most in my life. I was taking piano lessons
with Lou, singing in choir, and learning guitar. I got credit for my lessons with
Lou – which was especially great, because piano lessons paid for out of pocket is
a lot of money – and credit for Guitar 101 with Melvin.
Do you have other passions within music outside of your job role at Sweetwater?
I still practice classical music on piano. I’m really into musical theater, mixing
and recording, and recently, I started a vinyl collection. I’m a huge music production
nerd.
What advice would you give to a student who wants to pursue a job in the music industry?
Remember why you wanted to go into the music industry in the first place. It’s a grueling,
competitive, and tight-knit industry - anyone in it will tell you this - but being
a musician will get you very far in it because not everyone in it can say that they
are. Your ability to empathize with artists/musicians because you are one yourself
is quite valuable. Take time to practice your own skills even after you’re in the
industry and keep your passion alive.
Could you give those who eventually read this either your top-5 favorite songs/albums?
The hardest question ever! Some albums that I think have my favorite writing and production:
Fetch The Bolt Cutters - Fiona Apple
The New Abnormal - The Strokes
How to be a Human Being - Glass Animals
The Wall - Pink Floyd
Folklore - Taylor Swift