My Capstone Project

    Ever since I can remember, I have always been in the front row watching my dad, Dean Altstaetter, play piano at his music gigs. Growing up I’ve seen him play in various of bands, teach piano lessons, perform personal shows, and so much more. When I was younger I remember telling my friends at school that my dad was “famous” from all the interactions we would have with strangers coming up to us in public to praise my dad on his music skills. You’d think I would get tired of listening to him play for hours on end practicing and performing but to this day, he impresses me more and more. 

    Within the last two years, he has been building his own company called Play It Blue. His services include: Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band, Jazz Blue Trio, Jazz Quartet, Jazz Duo, Jazz Solo, wedding performer, and private piano lessons. On the Play it Blue website, Dean expresses what it means to “play it blue” and says… 

“James invited me to attend worship at the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Elkhart, Indiana, a predominantly Black and African American congregation of more than 100 members. After attending for a short time, James soon invited me to accompany him on piano.  

Before our first duet, I sat nervously in the pew, feeling completely out of my element both musically and culturally. A kind woman next to me noticed, and leaned over to whisper in my ear.

“Don’t be nervous, you’re going to be great,” she said. “Just remember, once you get up there and start playing, just play it Black. No matter what happens, just play it Black.”

Just play it Black… Let go, and let the Spirit take control of my head, my hands, and my heart. Let the music tell the story, through the keys beneath my fingers and the blue notes in between. 

That is, for me, what it means to “play it blue.”

    Dean is requesting help to strengthen his business’s online presence. He wants to update the Play it Blue website by making it easier to understand and more organized. The social media handles, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, needs an overall harmony that has a well structured branding. Dean has also requested a professional band photoshoot to build a portfolio of photos and videos to show people for future booking. There is also a possible ideas of merchandise including tee-shirts and jazz themed items. 

    Using both, my major in graphic design and my minor in social media, I can help the growth of this company with a strong online presence. This can be accomplished by creating content calendars for all social media platforms, an overall togetherness across those platforms, a well organized and updated website, and a professional portfolio of past music performances. I am so excited to get started on this project and can’t wait to perfect my dad’s dream business.