5 Reasons School of Rock is an Emerging Franchise to Watch

Playing music should be fun, not a chore. That is what School of Rock* founder Paul Green set out to achieve in 1996. What started as a one-man operation has turned into a 200-unit franchise system that impacts over 30,000 students each year. 1851 Franchise spoke with School of Rock’s Vice President of Franchise Operations Tony Padulo to learn more about why the franchise has continued to be so successful over the past 20 years.

A Unique Concept

Music lessons generally consist of one-on-one instruction at a teacher’s home or local music store. School of Rock saw a need to ignite inspiration through performance-based instruction rather than memorization. Padulo shared, “On a national level there are really very few competitors -- we are truly unique in our field. Most music schools focus on individual-based lessons, we focus on performance-based lessons centered around forming bands.”

The franchise also negotiates copyright contracts with major music distributors on behalf of franchisees so their students can play the music that inspires their desire to learn.

Filling a Need

It’s no secret that fine arts education government funding has been on the decline since 2008. With units across the world, School of Rock is providing a desired service to students that may no longer have access to in their own school.

“There is a growing demand out there for music education for children -- most school programs focus on sports and not all children are adept at playing sports. We know the creative programs are becoming less and less available in public schools, so there is more and more of a demand for a place where children can participate in performance-based education, where they can truly be themselves and have that creative outlet.”

Growing at the Right Pace

Any franchise knows it’s important to grow at a pace that feels right. Growing too fast could mean you’re not providing your franchisees with the support they need, not growing fast enough may mean losing the momentum of your corporate stores. Padulo knows the importance of recognizing demand and making calculated growth plans from there.

“In 2012 we recognized there was a demand for providing this type of service. We knew the most efficient and effective way of growing was through franchising. From an infrastructure and financial perspective, you can’t just grow. You can take the process and concept that you have developed and share it with franchisees that share the passion we have for changing lives.”

Provide the Right Support

When you franchise is ever expanding, it’s important to keep your franchisees top of mind. Making them feel heard and supported at the level they need deepens their commitment to the brand and helps them be an even stronger partner moving forward.

Padulo’s team is focused on meeting the franchisees where they are at and ensuring they receive the support they need to be successful. “Any franchisee coming into our system goes through robust training and onboarding program. The program is a combination of guidance to ensure this is the right process for them and talking to other franchisees so they understand what they are committing to. Once they sign their contract, we work closely in identifying real estate, support their pre-opening and provide ongoing training.”

The support doesn’t stop once you’ve gone through this process, once the transition is complete, franchisees are put on the experience operations team, which is where veteran franchisees can learn from their peers and receive higher-level support. 

Look Towards the Future

School of Rock is poised to have a presence in their 10th country this year. They have a vision for continued national and international growth, and they know that starts with their current franchisees. Padulo shared, “We are very excited about the future. We already have a solid group of existing franchisees that we are encouraging to grow responsibly and reasonably.”

With a goal to expand to at least one country a year and double the number of countries they have a presence in over the next five years, School of Rock is looking to provide group-learning music education to every child across the world.