was founded in 1961 by Tom Wood when he purchased Noonan Music Co. Tom studied percussion under John Noonan at Illinois Wesleyan University and was the first student to graduate from IWU with a major in percussion performance. Together with his wife Bunny, Tom gradually expanded the store’s departments to include band & orchestra instruments, accessories, sheet music, and repair in order to better
serve the needs of the larger Bloomington-Normal music community. They added staff, started calling on schools in the area, and in 1969 moved the store to a larger location in Normal. In 1973, Tom’s son Randy joined the family business. Like his father, Randy graduated from Illinois Wesleyan with a degree in music/percussion performance. The store continued to grow, and Tom and Randy intensified the business’s focus on service and support to school music education programs. The exploding world of electronic instruments led to the opening of Pro-Sound Center in 1983. Drums and guitars had previously been incorporated into the main sales area of The Music Shoppe, but Pro-Sound brought all combo focused instruments together under a separate roof. Fast forward several decades. Randy continues to own and operate The Music Shoppe. The company has continued its growth, including a move to the current East College Avenue location in Normal, plus the addition of stores in Champaign and Springfield and several rental affiliate stores across Illinois.
