Oct 2, 2020 | Featured, Franchise News
Beyond the Film, An Expanding Global Brand: The first question people ask about School of Rock is which came first, the school itself or the 2003 Jack Black movie, which over a decade later gave rise to the Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway musical of the same name. Originally launched as a single location in Philadelphia in the late ‘90s called The Paul Green School of Rock Music, School of Rock has developed into a trademarked brand and global phenomenon, operating and franchising after-school music instruction schools in the U.S., Canada, South America, South Africa, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, the Philippines and more.
They are also launching in Europe later this year. According to Chief Marketing Officer Elliot Baldini, there are currently 274 locations in 10 countries worldwide (with more countries coming soon), teaching over 50,000 students per year. While the school offers adult lessons, most of the programs are designed for children age 4 and up. The company has expanded exponentially under the auspices of a Chicago-based private equity firm, Sterling Partners, that specializes in educational investments.
The School of Rock Aesthetic: Driven by a leadership team that combines business savvy, a passion for music and a drive to help children succeed, School of Rock teaches guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals through a groundbreaking multi-faceted performance-based approach. The program sets itself apart from traditional programs that generally focus solely on one-on-one instruction and rarely teach students how to perform with other musicians. The trademarked School of Rock Method™ combines one-on-one instruction with group rehearsals and live performances, an approach which allows students to learn techniques, theory and sight-reading, and quickly apply those skills performing with other musicians.
Global Franchise Opportunities: Another unique aspect of School of Rock––and a factor contributing to its immense brand expansion––is its status as a Recognized Global Children’s Franchise offering franchising opportunities throughout the world. Among its distinctions are being named the No.2 Best Franchise in its investment tier by Forbes and earning Entrepreneur magazine’s No.1 Child Enrichment Franchise in the world. Many successful franchises are former or partially retired musicians or music industry execs, but others are successful entrepreneurs from other industries. There are also parents who were impressed how School of Rock transformed their shy, isolated kid into a self-confident musician, finding his or her identity performing with a band onstage. All franchisees have one thing in common: a deep connection to music and appreciation for the opportunity to improve the lives of children in their local communities through the power of music. For more information: franchising.schoolofrock.com.
Click here to read the full article on MagazineConnection.com.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 by JONATHAN WIDRAN, MUSIC CONNECTION MAGAZINE
Sep 21, 2020 | Featured, Franchise News
Broomfield, CO – AUGUST 31: Vocal teacher Kaz Marie, top, instructs students, from left, Izzy Coons, 11, Oona Schnatwinkel, 9, and Suhawn Dave, 10, while the four of them stand behind clear partitions during a Rock 101 class at School of Rock on Aug. 28, 2020, in Broomfield, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/Staff Photographer)
Owners of several Broomfield businesses whose in-person operations shut down in mid-March shared how they weathered the COVID-19 storm and flourished in challenging times.
Some of those business owners participated in a webinar from the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce’s Education Series “Re-Focusing and Pivoting Your Business During a Crisis,” on Thursday afternoon.
Jennifer Moriarta, owner of Broomfield’s School of Rock, was one of the featured panelists in last week’s session. School of Rock’s corporate office was helpful in offering guidance on how to work virtually and with setting up a remote lesson platform right away, she said.
By St. Patrick’s Day, it was able to hold its first remote lessons with teachers instructing from home. Part of the challenge was making sure teachers had a safe and quiet place where they could set up equipment to hold effective lessons, Moriarta said.
“So much of what School of Rock is about is the band and band rehearsal,” she said. “That’s what makes it special.”
Vocal teacher Kaz Marie disinfects a microphone after teaching a Rock 101 class on Monday at School of Rock in Broomfield. (Timothy Hurst / Staff Photographer)
Instead of having students play songs together, students started individually recording songs at home with their iPhone or whatever equipment they had, which they then submitted to their directors. Teachers then put the songs together using software they were well-versed in, Moriarta said. The finished product was impressive, she said, although not perfect because the sound quality wasn’t professionally recorded.
“It was heart-warming when the songs came together and to hear what they came up with,” she said. “It was a lot of work to do in that couple of months.”
The school opened doors for in-person rehearsals around June 1, she said, because while teachers were working with students, she was working on readying the space for safe use. It involved a lot of cleaning supplies, Plexiglass, stocking shelves with masks and removing furniture to accommodate students without overcrowding the building.
On June 20, the school hosted a live performance without an audience. The school worked with Dog House Music in Lafayette to professionally live stream the show with students playing while socially distanced in the studio.
“It was awesome,” Moriarta said. “Even though we didn’t get to play for a live audience, it was on Facebook and people from all over the country could watch it. Family members who normally couldn’t come to a show could watch the live performance.”
At that point, every band in the world was forced to live stream to get their music heard, she said, even the Rolling Stones.
“I told them ‘you guys have really pulled through in this difficult time, but you know have this experience,’” she said. “We’ve never thought we’d do anything like that.”
The school is kept only 50% occupied at all times now and has extended its hours to seven days a week.
The business understandably lost students in March and April, she said, but it is surviving. Over the summer they gained back some of the students who were lost or who took a break, and new students since have joined.
Enrollment is down about 15 to 17%, she said, which, considering the alternative, is not too bad. School officials and students have also learned new ways of doing things, she said, and now have the experience of live streaming and recording under their belt, which included learning about things such as license requirements. They also now know they can go to virtual classes in the event of inclement weather.
In the meantime, teachers are still teaching remote lessons for those students who are not comfortable coming into the studio or who live with people whose health is compromised. The school currently serves about 175 students; before March that number was more than 200. It had dropped as low as 130 during the shutdown.
“I feel like there are some silver linings to all this,” she said. “There are still a lot of difficulties, still worries about what’s coming in the next couple months, but we also have successfully pivoted and found new ways of doing things.”
Broomfield, CO – AUGUST 31: Music teacher Callum Neeson helps student Izzy Coons, 11, keep rhythm 1on drums during a Rock 101 class at School of Rock on Aug. 28, 2020, in Broomfield, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/Staff Photographer)
The school will host on a fundraiser for Broomfield FISH with a show from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in the School of Rock parking lot. Younger students and the house band, which is traditionally taken to Red Rocks Amphitheater, will perform.
Click here to read the full article in Colorado Daily.
Aug 11, 2020 | Franchise News
Global Franchise Magazine featured School of Rock in its Behind the Brand segment of the August 2020 issue.
As School of Rock comes hot off the heels of a recordbreaking year, the musical franchise favorite shifts strategy to weather the COVID-19 storm.
NAVIGATING UNCERTAIN TIMES
With the rise of a global pandemic and ‘stay at home’ orders being issued earlier this year, School of Rock has taken swift action to offer students new ways of staying engaged with music. School of Rock Remote, the brand’s online one-on-one music education program, allows students to take music lessons online. This program continues students’ musical journeys in a way that prioritizes well-being through social distancing. As restrictions are lifted and some School of Rock locations are able to re-open for in-person lessons, the brand has instituted strict safety policies such as required face masks, mandatory hand sanitation, social distancing guidelines, along with physical partitions between students and rules precluding students from sharing instruments.
Read the full article on Global Franchise Magazine.
Aug 10, 2020 | Franchise News
School of Rock was recently named as one of the Top 100 Education Franchises in Franchise Connect’s Education Franchise Industry Report 2020.
“The mаrkеt оf child eduсаtiоn frаnсhiѕеѕ iѕ еѕtimаtеd to have an аnnuаl rеvеnuе of more than $3 billiоn. If уоu’re intеrеѕtеd in thiѕ induѕtrу, invеѕting in ѕuсh a frаnсhiѕе buѕinеѕѕ саn bе аn еxсеllеnt сhоiсе, grеаtlу ѕimрlifуing thе ѕtаrt оf buѕinеѕѕ аnd оffеring аll thе frаnсhiѕе bеnеfitѕ. Child eduсаtiоn frаnсhiѕеѕ respond to аn inсrеаѕing dеmаnd fоr аftеr-ѕсhооl lеѕѕоnѕ in ѕubjесtѕ ѕuсh аѕ mаth, fоrеign lаnguаgеѕ, рhуѕiсѕ, аnd аlѕо in аrеаѕ whеrе еntеrtаinmеnt iѕ аѕѕосiаtеd with еduсаtiоn—rоbоtiсѕ, рrоgrаmming, muѕiсаl inѕtrumеntѕ, drаmа, оr асtivitiеѕ fоr toddlers’ соgnitivе dеvеlорmеnt. Pаrеntѕ аrе inсrеаѕinglу thinking аbоut аftеr-ѕсhооl асtivitiеѕ for thеir kidѕ, оn thе оnе hаnd undеrѕtаnding thе vаluе оf соmрlеmеntаrу аdditiоnаl education, аnd оn thе оthеr hаnd dеvеlорing thеir сhildrеn in a ѕосiаl, сrеаtivе, аnd сulturаl wау.”
(Adams, Elizabeth. “EDUCATION FRАNСHIЅЕ INDUSTRY RЕРОRT 2020.” Franchise Connect, Jul-Aug 2020, pg 15)
Read the full article and see the full list in Franchise Connect Magazine.
Jul 8, 2020 | Franchise News
School of Rock President & CEO, Rob Price, recently sat down with Zack Fishman, CFE of MODRN BUSINESS to talk about what drew Rob to the brand originally, the great new ideas that came out of COVID-19 (and will continue on as things return to our new normal), how School of Rock uses a fusion of technology/curriculum to gain an edge and what goals School of Rock has for the rest of 2020.
Listen to the Podcast on SoundCloud.
Jun 19, 2020 | Franchise News
School of Rock describes itself as ‘the leader in performance-based music education’—but when COVID-19 hit, in-person live performances suddenly became impossible. The franchised music school immediately jumped to using Zoom for online video lessons, but varying internet speeds and lagging also put online performing off the table. So the brand revisited the idea of a formal songwriting program and pushed it through the finish line.
“As it turns out, the move to remote and online learning actually lends itself really well to songwriting,” said Sam Dresser, vice president of education at School of Rock. “With songwriting, it’s more about the process of creating a song than performing that song…we can teach kids the fundamentals of songwriting, and they can start to write their own songs and collaborate together without needing to be in-person playing together.”
Dresser, whose primary instrument is the saxophone, received his Bachelor of Arts degree in music with a focus on jazz from DePaul University in Chicago. In addition to his executive role at School of Rock, Dresser has started taking bass guitar and drum lessons at the school and is in his own adult band.
Dresser noted how most music schools take a very academic approach to songwriting, “which can be very dry, dull, slow and lack creativity and inspiration.” School of Rock, however, gamifies the learning process and makes it more fun.
“There’s a power in the balance between the two—leveraging the organic way that people learn music like a language, and marrying that to teaching theory and technique in a way that’s applicable, inspiring and more fun,” Dresser said.
A partnership with Hal Leonard—a music publisher and distributor of Avid Pro Tools, the industry standard for music recording—allows School of Rock franchise locations access to Pro Tools at no cost, so they can set up an in-school studio where students can record. The school’s new songwriting program will culminate in students recording their own demo-quality songs and learning the basics of mixing levels and editing.
“The songs you hear on the radio today, that’s how they all started, with someone recording into the voice memos app on their phone or Garage Band to get their idea captured,” Dresser said. “Then they take it into a professional studio where it’s polished.”
Another differentiator between School of Rock’s songwriting class and competitors is that their prerequisites for students are minimal—they only require students have a basic competency on their instrument so they can better express themselves in their songs.
“We’re introducing students to the fundamentals of songwriting and showing them how easy and approachable it can be just to get started,” Dresser said. “You don’t need to be super knowledgeable about music theory. It’s even debated how much the Beatles knew about music theory.”
The ultimate goal of the songwriting program aligns with the school’s mission statement of enriching lives, Dresser said.
“The process of writing a song is very enriching—putting something out there that hasn’t existed before, that the world has never seen,” Dresser said. “There’s lots of power in doing that, especially in these times with a pandemic and civil unrest and racial inequality. Songwriting is a really healthy outlet to get emotions out there and express your point of view, which has been the case for centuries.”
Songwriting as a career
Another benefit of the songwriting program is the potential created for School of Rock students who hope to have a career someday in music. An NBC show called Songland premiered last year, where rookie songwriters compete to turn their songs into hits with top producers. Other shows such as The Voice and American Idol prove the public’s continued passion for music and songwriting, Dresser reasoned.
“We want to empower our students through self-expression, but songwriting is also a way that musicians can make a living,” Dresser said, “Whether writing songs for your own band or others, or even commercials and businesses—it can be a very lucrative career.”
In addition to learning song form, chord progressions and how to write lyrics, School of Rock students also learn how to actually copyright their songs and about licensing and intellectual property.
“This is really exciting because the music world is changing so much—with how musicians can become discovered, to the role of the music label and manager,” Dresser said. “If we can provide tools for these kids to market themselves but also make sure they’re protected along the way, that’s really powerful.”
Additionally, School of Rock doesn’t own the songs that students write in their programs—the students do.
“I’m proud of that because that’s not the case with other music schools, where they own that song and can do whatever they want with it,” Dresser said. “That doesn’t align with our core beliefs.”
Since being founded in 1998 as a single music school in Philadelphia, School of Rock has grown to 280 schools open and in development internationally, with more than 40,000 students.
View the full article on Franchise Times here.
Jun 11, 2020 | Franchise News
School of Rock, the leader in performance-based music education, has launched a new Songwriting Program this month teaching the fundamentals of songwriting, arrangement and music theory to help students compose original works. The program will become available to schools throughout the month.
As part of the program, students will have one weekly private lesson on an instrument of their choice where they learn concepts, technique and theory. These principles are then applied in weekly group lessons where students work together on songwriting exercises and lyrical workshops. Every few months, Songwriting Program students will take the stage to perform their original compositions at a local music venue. Or, for those taking the program online, they will remotely record their original songs to produce a demo of the music.
“Our goal is to build the world’s largest community of songwriters,” said Rob Price, CEO of School of Rock. “Our global community of music teachers will teach students a wide variety of songwriting principles to help them express their musical ideas. Topics include chord progression theory, song arrangement, overcoming writer’s block, songwriting collaboration, lyric construction and more.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, School of Rock launched School of Rock Remote where students use video conferencing during their regularly scheduled lesson times to gain access to their skilled music instructor. That has expanded with entire groups of students collaborating online together from their own remote locations. The idea of embracing songwriting will take that experience to a whole new level.
School of Rock provides students of all ages an exciting and engaging learning environment for taking guitar lessons, drum lessons, bass lessons, keyboard lessons, and singing lessons. Drawing from all styles of rock and roll, School of Rock students learn theory and techniques via songs from legendary artists such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Frank Zappa. Thanks to the school’s performance-based approach, students around the world have gained superior instrumental skills and confidence on the big stage, with some moving on to record deals and larger platforms such as American Idol, The Voice and Broadway.
Read the full article at Global Franchise Magazine and Franchising.com.
Jun 8, 2020 | Featured
Forbes recently interviewed School of Rock CEO Rob Price to discuss the new Remote program and virtual Artist Sessions which gives School of Rock students access to their music instructors and famous musicians around the world via video conferencing.
Mark Schulman is a member of the rock band P!NK.
School of Rock is the world’s leading music education company. At the end of 2019, it had 270 franchises operating in nine countries serving 40,000 students. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, like all schools, this one had to shut down in-person instruction. Immediately, the company launched School of Rock Remote, giving its students access to their music instructors via video conferencing. Then one day, the company arranged for its students to speak with Jay Weinberg, the drummer of Slipknot. 1,600 people signed up and the chat room exploded.
This clued President and CEO Rob Price into the fact that he’d tapped into a big idea. It led to the launch of School of Rock Artist Sessions, connecting music students to their idols via online tutorials and Q&As. Musicians with Sum 41, The P!NK Band, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, Guns N’ Roses, Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder already have participated. Furthermore, these iconic performing artists are donating their time to help raise awareness for School of Rock’s philanthropic partner, the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide.
“During the Coronavirus pandemic, artists are clamoring to create and share and connect with fans. We’ve got a community of students who are looking to engage and eager to learn,” says Price. “These famous musical artists are going beyond the flash and sizzle to talk about the substance of their careers.”
School of Rock was built on an audacious idea – that the traditional model of music lessons needed to be shaken up. One-on-one lessons are complemented with performance training. Students are assembled into bands and work for 10 to 12 weeks at a time on full-scale shows, which are put on at real venues. They gain a combination of technical proficiency and life skills as a result.
Rob Price is the President and CEO of School of Rock.
Price had careers in consulting, marketing, merchandising and general management prior to being recruited to lead School of Rock. Only here, he says, did he discover what a calling feels like. As a lifelong musician and father to three musical sons, he has a deep passion about the life-changing influence of creative expression. “I never would have imagined being able to integrate my professional and personal interests so completely as I have at School of Rock,” he says.
Intellectual and creative exploration is not the total story, Price emphasizes. There is a pandemic of anxiety and depression that has grown more dangerous over the years. The second-leading killer of young people is suicide. “This puts us on the front lines with our young students,” says Price. Especially now, given how the isolation, anxiety and helplessness of the Coronavirus pandemic, with its subsequent school closures and economic downturn, and widespread protests of racial injustice are fueling a mental health crisis.
To others looking to tap into their life purpose, Price offers this advice. “Determine what you love to do in your free time that gives your greatest joy. It has become too easy to be a passive spectator of other people’s passions. We could spend all our waking hours consuming what other people create – movies, TV, songs, etc. Discovering something you love to create may be the greatest clue as to what you want to help others to create.
“Once discovered, be realistic that few people will have their dream job early in life. But don’t be discouraged. There is an endless amount of need for competent people to put their energies into their passion outside the workplace by supporting organizations and individuals in need of someone who cares deeply about what is most important to them. While you wait for your dream job, hone your passion and skills. Shape your purpose and your portfolio. Don’t wait for the stars to align. Do an amazing job at your job, even if it is boring. As you do, you become more valuable to those who are looking for their dream candidate for your dream job.”
Click here to view the full article on Forbes.com.
May 10, 2020 | Featured, Franchise News
Let’s get the band back together….virtually!
Thanks to School of Rock, students can now record themselves playing using the School of Rock Method App™ and instructors will then compile the audio and video recordings to be pulled together into a full-band recording. Select School of Rock locations have already produced hundreds of group audio and video projects. Most School of Rock locations around the globe will be offering this new opportunity for creative collaboration.
It’s all part of changes the leader in performance-based music education has made in order to keep the music going in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Playing with other musicians is an integral part of the School of Rock educational Method™ and with lessons being held online and gathering in groups limited, this process will reinforce the skills needed to perform with other musicians,” said Rob Price, CEO of School of Rock. “This is just another way we are fostering connection and community during a time when we are asked to stay apart.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, School of Rock launched School of Rock Remote where some 40,000 students can use video conferencing during their regularly scheduled lesson times to gain access to their skilled music instructor. School of Rock instructors around the world are teaching between 7,000-8,000 virtual lessons per week.
In addition, students can use the proprietary School of Rock Method app and Method Books to supplement their learning. The company also rolled out Artist Sessions, providing daily online tutorials and Q&A’s with well-known musicians. Since these programs are available online, School of Rock is now available to everyone who wants to use this time at home to become a musician.
Apr 15, 2020 | Featured, Franchise News
Phil X, who plays for Bon Jovi, was shredding his guitar, demonstrating licks and talking creativity last week in an unusual setting—from his living room in a live Zoom session with School of Rock students.
The new partnership that connects the franchise’s music performance students and their real-life guitar heroes has to be the coolest virtual offering born from the pandemic.
CEO Rob Price calls the arrangement, called School of Rock Artist Sessions, “the harvest of a very thoughtful planting. Over the last few years we’ve thought of School of Rock as a creative community, and that extends outside of the four walls.”
Many of the brand’s franchisees and instructors are performing artists and current or former band members themselves, and know rockstars in their community. “Especially with the performing artists in our community, like Phil and Jay Weinberg and others, they’re clamoring to create and to share,” Price said. “They want to connect with fans, and we’ve got a community who’s desperate to find outlets in our students and our teachers and our franchisees.”
Jay Weinberg, the drummer for Slipknot, kicked off the virtual sessions in late March. “We knew we had something going on. We had about 1,600 people sign up, and the chat exploded so we had to turn the chat off. It was more than the attendance that clued us in that this was a big idea; it was the depth of the conversation,” Price said.
Read the full article on Franchise Times here.
