IN THE WORLD OF CHILDREN'S FRANCHISES, SCHOOL OF ROCK TURNED THE MUSIC EDUCATION MODEL ON ITS EAR.

You may already be familiar with the movie that bears our name. Yes, we were the little startup that inspired that movie, but the real-life School of Rock is so much more. Originally launched as a single location in Philadelphia in the late ‘90s, School of Rock quickly became a trailblazer in education with our performance-based model of music instruction. Since becoming an education franchise in 2004, we have developed into a trademarked brand and global phenomenon, operating and franchising music schools in 15 countries. 

The conventional method of music instruction is that you must master musical concepts before you move on to play songs that actually inspire you. Our approach is different. You start by learning to play and perform the songs that inspire you, and through that process, you will develop mastery of music theory with the added benefit of knowing how to play with others.

Our unique approach to instruction and our love of rock music helps young, aspiring musicians find themselves, hone their talents, and build the confidence they need in their lives. School of Rock is a safe place for kids to learn, develop friendships with other kids who are into music, and carve out a niche for themselves in a world where they might never have felt a sense of belonging before.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Today, School of Rock teaches music to more than 60,000 students across the globe. We have over 325 franchise units open around the world and are continuing to expand both domestically and internationally. Owned by a private equity firm, Sterling Partners, we are provided with resources a smaller music franchise wouldn’t have access to.

Our performance as a franchisor is consistently recognized in top publication rankings including by Entrepreneur, Franchise Business Review, and Global Franchise magazine. We know our approach is still radical, even after all these years in business, and other companies are starting to imitate the way we do things. That’s okay - the competition is welcome.

School of Rock understands what it takes to succeed as a franchise, and we have a proven track record of over two decades. Over the years, we have developed the techniques, the business processes, and the franchisee-centric culture that provide you with a blueprint for your own success.

WE TEACH KIDS MORE THAN HOW TO PLAY MUSIC

Our franchise is based on a core concept: Kids should have fun when they’re learning to play music. We don’t make them learn the scales first. We don’t even make them learn how to read music before we have them play their first song. That’s because if they love what they’re doing, they’ll dig in to do the hard work with little prompting and want to push themselves.

We then use the songs as a way to teach music theory and other fundamentals. Along the way, our students learn teamwork, discover a sense of self-identity, and gain confidence. We’re unique among music education concepts, and we think that’s what makes us the best music education franchise to invest in.

If you walk into a School of Rock, you’ll see children of all ages — from preschoolers to teenagers and even adults — practicing music like Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” AC/DC’s “Back in Black” or KISS’ “Rock and Roll All Nite.” These are part of a number of songs that make up our curriculum and provide a shared language that is ideal for music education. When you think about the relatively straightforward rhythms and melodies, you can see how it makes sense to introduce kids to music education through classic rock.

HOW OUR MUSIC PROGRAMS CHANGE HOW KIDS LEARN MUSIC

Our performance-based music instruction combines private lessons with ensemble practices. We call this revolutionary approach to music education The School of Rock Method™, which is so successful in building music proficiency that it was awarded a US patent in 2021. It's a combination of our proprietary Method App, Method Book collection, SongFirst approach, and performance-based music curriculum, making learning music fun and effective.

School of Rock music programs are all-inclusive serving children as young as 4 years old through grandparents who want to release their inner rock star. We teach three 4-month sessions per year that culminate in live band performances. School of Rock offers a wide variety of music lessons, including guitar lessons, bass guitar lessons, drum lessons, singing lessons, and piano lessons.

Students will have an opportunity to try out for the House Band, which includes the most talented performers from each school and serves as an excellent community marketing tool for our franchisees. Then there’s the AllStars, our nationally touring band that includes only the top 1% of students in the entire School of Rock system.

MUSIC CAMPS AND WORKSHOPS

School of Rock hosts camps and workshops throughout the year to introduce our Method to new students and allow existing students to spend school breaks sharpening their skills. This is a strong income stream for our franchisees during key times of the year. Some of the artists we’ve worked with include:

• Slash of Guns N’ Roses
• Peter Frampton
• Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jon Anderson of Yes
• Rock and Roll Hall of Famer James Williamson of The Stooges
• Danny Carey of Tool
• Adrian Belew of King Crimson
• Jimmy Chamberlin of Smashing Pumpkins
• Cold War Kids
• Twiggy (Ramirez) of Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids
• Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam
• Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine
• Joey Santiago of the Pixies
• Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Frank Zummo of Sum 41
• Page Hamilton of Helmet

ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE MUSIC GEAR

School of Rock has partnered with the music industry's biggest brands to compile an incredible selection of musical gear. GearSelect is an exclusive program where students can buy new music instruments and music gear directly from School of Rock including drums, keyboards, microphones, recording equipment, amplifiers, effects pedals, accessories, guitars, bass guitars and more.

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