John Loughton

Composer, musician, and sales manager working in music retail and private education, managing customer service, sales, and communications.

Manassas, Virginia, United States

About

Musician, music teacher, and composer with customer service, inventory, and communications experience. Current position with Music & Arts focuses on sales and service in a music retail/educator environment, with an emphasis on developing expert product knowledge and connections with the local music community. Composer and recording artist for various sound art and visual media, including works for instruments, voices, electronics, field recordings, and manipulated photography and video. Explorations of the cerebral and vector qualities of sound, literally and metaphorically: its shape, direction, movement, and communication. Digital manipulation generates not artificiality but new and very real qualities to the actions of listening and seeing.

Experience

  • Music & Arts ()
    • Manager
      Dec 2019 - Present · 6 yrs 8 mos

      • Manage sales team by coaching, problem solving, training, and motivation to help meet their sales objectives, including full product knowledge and sales technique training • Stay current on financial data, store inventory, supply orders and logistics • Responsible for all store presentation, merchandising, and inventory • Oversee and manage payroll, recruiting, hiring and training of store employees, including sales staff and over 20 private music lesson instructors • Responsible for executing operational tasks related to institutional sales and rental services on a daily basis for all accounts assigned • Promote the Music & Arts lesson program and assist teachers with scheduling, availability, and communication with human resources services • Build and maintain relationships with music educators, institutions, school programs in local area through both organic interactions and outreach initiatives

    • Lesson Coordinator
      Mar 2019 - Dec 2019 · 10 mos

      • Driving and meeting sales goals for instruments, accessories, print media, repair services, both in-store and for showcase events • Managing/selling lesson program, coordinating student and teacher schedules, with focus on growing lesson studio through recruitment, performance events supporting the store manager • Assisting in teacher and associate interview process, via phone and in person • School instrument rentals, including assisting students in choosing instruments, matching local educator preferences, rental contracts both in-store and at school events with educational representatives • General retail operational duties - cash handling, store maintenance, customer service, etc.

    • Senior Sales Associate
      Dec 2018 - Mar 2019 · 4 mos

      Full-time sales associate, responsible for meeting personal sales targets, lesson program promotion and sign-ups, customer service for all lesson, rental, and sales customers as needed, and general retail duties

  • Composer at Self-Employed
    Aug 2012 - Present · 14 yrs

    Extensive experience with composing, recording, and producing original music in a wide variety of styles. My most notable releases have been as my solo project/pseudonym, Veii. My other composing projects include scoring several completed and in-progress independent films, incidental music for two full length original plays, electronic music, musique concrète, and a variety of works for chamber ensembles and orchestra. My interests as a composer include indeterminism, improvisation, minimalism, and soundscapes. Albums can be found at https://veii.bandcamp.com/ Additional works at https://soundcloud.com/john-loughton See projects for specific albums, performances, and recordings.

  • ICQA/Outbound Fulfillment Associate at Amazon
    Sep 2017 - Jul 2018 · 11 mos

    Inventory Control and Quality Assurance • Consistently exceeded required rates without loss of quality • Unsupervised assessment of inventory for quality and digital/physical match • Selected to perform special audits on work of other associates both in ICQA and other departments

  • Keyboard, Bass, & Guitar Instructor at That Performance Place
    May 2016 - Jan 2018 · 1 yr 9 mos

    • Creative arts educational center • Developed curriculum for theory, composition, and recording with other instructors • Taught individual lessons in keyboard, bass guitar, and electric guitar • Assisted setup and construction of performance space and sound system • Performed bass and keyboard with teachers' band for showcase events

  • William & Mary ()
    • Resident Assistant
      Aug 2014 - May 2016 · 1 yr 10 mos

      Re-hired for three terms of employment Aug 2015 - May 2016 May 2015 - Aug 2015 Aug 2014 - May 2015 • Trained in conflict resolution, community development, handling confidential information • Managed residence keys, building upkeep and maintenance, hall safety • Planned and executed social and educational events at the hall, building, and campus-wide levels with other team members, requiring excellent staff and public communication and advertising • Created a personal digital database of all original programs and informational material, circulated with other team members to increase overall team efficiency both during and after my employment terms

    • Assistant to the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble
      Aug 2013 - May 2016 · 2 yrs 10 mos

      • Conducted ensemble communications - event scheduling, rehearsal planning, logistics questions from performers, audience guests, event planners • Led presentations and information sessions on instruments, repertoire, history • Performed maintenance, kept inventory on ensemble instruments (lutes, percussion, winds) • Graphic and information design of performance programs, flyers, ensemble rosters and advertising, ensemble social media • Managed sheet music, transcriptions, and lyrics for all ensemble members, organized filing and cataloging of over 20 years of repertoire in ensemble archives • Trained in 12 and 15 passenger van transportation, drove for ensemble tours and away performances