DEA Music & Art Offers Students Confidence-Boosting Music and Art Education, As Well As Valuable Micro-Schooling for Parents

The first DEA Music & Art studio was established in 2003 in the Rosebank neighborhood of Staten Island, New York to meet the demand from parents who were seeking high-quality music and arts education for their children. DEA Music & Art caught on with families in the area, growing from only eight students to needing multiple instructors to keep up with the demand. Over the past 15 years, founder Magi Kapllani has opened two additional studios in the Staten Island area and established a loyal following. In 2019, with a dream to help others open their own studios, Kapllani decided to start franchising the DEA Music & Arts brand. 

DEA Music & Art was originally named in honor of Kapllani’s parents, Dizdari Education Academy, to pay homage to the classical training she received as a young child, which helped her develop a love of the fine arts before she was even in elementary school. Kapllani’s parents are well-known, classically-trained musicians in Albania, and they established a popular music school and center for culture in the area, named DEA Center of the Arts.

“In 1999, I came to the U.S. to attend the piano performance master's program at the University of Illinois and performed all over Chicago,” said Kapllani. “After moving to New York City, I decided to utilize my classical experience to establish my own school where students could receive the absolute best music education possible, like my parents did in Albania.”

Premier Supplemental Education

DEA Music & Art studios are run by musicians and artists who have dedicated their lives to performing and teaching. In both one-on-one and group lessons, each and every student benefits from tailor-made music and art instruction that is designed to match their specific aspirations. 

As opposed to the usual music schools, DEA Music & Art offers a wide range of programs in music, visual and performing arts, including Pop Idol, Rock Band, Virtuosi, Visual Arts, Chorus, Theatre and individual instrument lessons for Piano, Violin, Guitar, Drums and Vocals. Students can also enjoy summer camp and book birthday parties at the studios.

“No other competitor in the area offers our diversity and cross-pollination of programs — every prop that you see on the stage during a musical production is made from our art department students,” said Kapllani. “We also focus heavily on a classical approach to music education, which very few competitors do.” 

Post-COVID Offerings

In order to adapt to COVID-19 from a consumer standpoint, DEA Music & Art has implemented virtual classes to provide students with all of the professionalism, opportunities and excellence of the school from the safety of their home. Moving forward, the brand is going to continue offering virtual classes, as it allows enrollment of students from all over the country.

In addition to virtual offerings, DEA Music & Art is rolling out micro-schooling programs. “If students will be going to school virtually this fall, we are inviting parents to drop their kids off at our studios — which will have all of the social distancing and sanitation protocols in place — where our staff can help students connect to their virtual classroom and assist with additional work,” said Kapllani. “Micro-schooling can make life easier for working parents. Plus, during the downtime, we have the expertise to provide fun activities such as music instrument lessons, visual arts and rock band practice. This also creates an increased source of revenue since owners will be opening doors at 8 a.m. versus 3 p.m.”

Confidence-Boosting Performance 

Kapllani notes that her classical experience with piano performance is another key differentiator for DEA. “I’ve always believed that practice is only half of the work — performing is the other half,” she said. “Through carefully constructed performing and exhibiting platforms, students learn how to overcome their fear and handle themselves confidently in front of other people. Our students achieve public speaking skills, confidence and high self-esteem, which they can utilize to become anything they want to be in life.” 

These performances aren’t just the usual music school recitals — they are once in a lifetime opportunities. Each year, Kapllani’s students perform as the opening act for the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular™ at the prestigious Radio City Music Hall and sing the national anthem at Madison Square Garden and other sporting events. They have also performed at Opera America Center and other special venues throughout New York and New Jersey. They have performed in nursing homes for the elderly, at Christmas Tree Lightings in several locations and have even performed two times in London, winning numerous prizes and awards at international competitions. 

DEA Music & Art also produces two full musicals each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. According to Kapllani, all performances will be held virtually for the time being — the school had its first virtual recital in June, and it was received well by parents.

Now, Kapllani is looking for franchisees who can help bring DEA Music & Art to more communities throughout the East Coast and beyond. Looking ahead, Kapllani notes that she’d love to see 25 to 30 locations open within the next five years.

“Growing up, music was around my siblings and I all the time — our second home was the opera house,” Kapllani said. “Now, I am excited to share the benefits of premier music education and performance with more and more students as we continue to expand the brand. Our students not only learn the foundations of music and arts — they take home experiences and memories that last a lifetime.”

The start-up fees range from $136,700 to $215,400, including the initial franchise fee of $39,000. For more information, visit: https://franchise.deamusicandart.com