Episode 24
Thibaut Bannelier grew up inside a music school. When he was 10, his dad opened one of the only private music schools in France, a small-group-focused alternative to the country's conservatory system that has since grown to 1,200 students. Two decades later, Thibaut opened his own school in Chicago, expecting his father's proven playbook to translate. It didn't, at least not all of it.
In this episode, Thibaut joins host David Martin to unpack what happens when a strong vision meets a different market. He shares why the small-group model that thrives in France was painful to sell to American families, how a simple makeup lesson experiment lifted both retention and conversion, and what he's learned about lead quality, delegation, and the critical first 90 days of a new student's journey. It's a look at the difference between sticking to your vision and getting stuck in it.
Season 1 | Episode 23
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Marla Morrison, founder of Forte Academy of the Arts in San Diego and Missouri Music Academy. Marla's shares her candid story: when she and her husband Keith moved their family from Missouri to San Diego to launch Forte Academy, they moved into the studio with their three boys and stayed for nearly a year to make it work.
What followed is a masterclass in resilience, resourcefulness, and relentless vision. Marla grew Forte from that handful of students to 427 before COVID hit, eventually scaling into a 10,800-square-foot location with a performing arts auditorium and 20 teachers. Then, she decided to open a new studio in a new state, applying every hard-won lesson from the first school to build something even bigger. In this conversation, she and David cover the scrappy marketing strategies, hiring philosophy, leadership frameworks, and daily mindset that made it all possible.
Season 1 | Episode 22
Tong Liu's path into music school ownership was anything but conventional. Raised in China, Tong spent years homeschooled and practicing piano 8 hours a day before moving to the U.S. at 17. She started teaching lessons out of her townhouse to fund graduate school, got reported to the city by a neighbor, and eventually rented her first commercial space. What followed was a series of deliberate decisions to build, grow, and sell music schools in a way few owners ever attempt: buying undervalued schools, systematizing operations quickly, and scaling enrollment before moving on.
In this episode, host David Martin sits down with Tong to unpack her unique model of buying, growing, and selling performing arts schools. From negotiating a $180,000 asking price down to $32,000 to running a school 12 hours away, Tong shares hard-won lessons on marketing, teacher hiring, SOPs, and the financial metrics that actually matter. Her perspective is refreshingly direct, and her story is one of the most distinctive entrepreneurial journeys the podcast has featured.
Season 1 | Episode 21
Jeff Homer didn't grow up in music education. He came from 10 years in finance, investing in small and mid-size businesses, before a job in Denver led him to a music school owner looking for a business partner. That chance encounter sparked something he couldn't let go. Today, Jeff is the founder of Ensemble Performing Arts, a national roll-up of music and dance schools with an audacious goal: 250 locations by 2030.
In this conversation, host David Martin sits down with Jeff to unpack the business model behind Ensemble's growth, what Jeff looks for when acquiring schools, and why an outsider's perspective turned out to be one of his biggest assets. From valuation methodology and acquisition process to teacher retention, marketing strategy, and the power of follow-up, Jeff brings a clear-eyed, data-driven lens to an industry he has come to deeply admire.
Season 1 | Episode 20
John Kozicki has one of the more unconventional paths in the music school world: corporate marketing background, punk rock touring years, two music schools built and sold, and now co-host of the Rock School Proprietor podcast. In this episode, John joins David Martin for a wide-ranging conversation about what it really means to build a music school around community and purpose. John shares his philosophy on what he calls "the rock school secret" (why students in band programs stay longer and engage more deeply than those in private lessons alone) and makes the case that the instrument is really just the conduit for something much bigger. He also gets candid about brand identity, the importance of knowing who your school is actually for, and why copying another studio's marketing is a fast track to churn.
Season 1 | Episode 19
What’s Working in Music School Marketing — Kaena Miller on Ads, Creative, and Optimizing Your Budget
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Kaena Miller. Kaena is the founder of Red Blind Media, a digital marketing agency that has developed a specialty working with music schools across North America.
What started as a COVID-era project quickly grew into a full-time agency, and Kaena brings a rare, data-backed perspective on what's actually driving enrollment growth today: which ad channels are working, what creative performs, how to measure results, and what most school owners are getting wrong when it comes to their websites.
Season 1 | Episode 18
Premium Pricing, Strong Retention, and the In-Home Advantage — Nicole Kovar on Building Piano & More
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Nicole Kovar, founder and executive director of Piano & More, a Northern Virginia–based in-home music school, and creator of the nonprofit initiative Play It Forward. What started as a side hustle after grad school quickly turned into something much bigger. Nicole didn’t set out to build a school. She simply filled her own schedule with in-home lessons, and, when her waitlist grew, it was parents who encouraged her to hire and train other teachers in her approach. Today, Piano & More serves families across Northern Virginia with a premium, highly structured in-home model and strong student retention to match.
Season 1 | Episode 17
From Patchwork to Platform — Lawrence & Jasmine Yu on the Systems Shift that Helped Symphony 9 Scale
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Lawrence & Jasmine Yu, co-founders of Symphony 9 School and a powerhouse duo blending elite musical training with modern school leadership. Together, they share the unlikely origin story of Symphony Nine: a six-month negotiation during COVID that took a school’s asking price from $250,000 down to $15,000 — and a “no transition” handoff that dropped them straight into ownership on January 1, 2021. What followed was a crash course in policies, systems, teacher leadership, and the reality of building a culture families and staff can trust.
Season 1 | Episode 15
Rethinking Piano Education: Tim Topham on Creativity, Modern Students & Teaching That Actually Works
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Tim Topham — international speaker, author, and founder of TopMusic, one of the world’s most influential platforms for modern music educators. Through books, courses, membership programs, and global teacher training, Tim has helped thousands of piano teachers rethink how they teach in a fast-changing world.
Season 1 | Episode 14
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin talks with Katie Crist — founder of The Music Box in Lafayette, Louisiana — a school she grew from a one-room vocal studio into a full-scale academy known for its elevated design, polished systems, and extraordinary student experience. Years later, she sold the Music Box at its peak, in a rare “top-of-the-mountain” entrepreneurial exit — and today she coaches studio owners across the country.
Season 1 | Episode 13
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Jen Hickle — founder of Rogers School of Music, creator of Never Alone Coaching, and the visionary behind the VA Academy. Over 25 years, Jen built her Minnesota-based music school from three neighborhood piano students into a seven-figure, 600-student operation, powered by systems, delegation, and a relentless commitment to excellence.
Season 1 | Episode 13
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Jon E. Gee — touring bassist for John Mellencamp, former bandmate of Ted Nugent, co-founder of Carmel Music Academy, and one of the most seasoned working musicians to ever appear on the show. With a career spanning 50+ years, Jon has played every kind of stage — from smoky bar gigs to international arenas — and has taught students who now tour in national acts across the country.
Season 1 | Episode 12
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Rory Cain, Opus1’s Vice President of Sales and Strategic Partnership and one of the industry’s clearest thinkers on marketing, enrollment systems, and predictable growth. Together, they unpack a powerful question: Why do some performing arts schools grow rapidly while others feel stuck — even when they’re doing “all the right things”?
Season 1 | Episode 11
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin welcomes Ruthie Smith, founder and CEO of Music Speaks Studio in San Diego, CA — a fast-growing music and arts school serving 300+ students through private lessons, group classes, and visual arts programming. What began with a few piano and vocal lessons in her living room has grown into a thriving multi-teacher, multi-program studio with deep roots in the local community.
Season 1 | Episode 10
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Dr. Talonda Thomas — founder of the New York Musician Center, one of Long Island’s largest and most decorated music schools, now serving over 1,100 students and preparing for national franchise expansion.
Season 1 | Episode 9
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin talks with Chris and Hannah, founders of Onstage School of Music in Charlotte, NC — a husband-and-wife team who went from professional orchestral performers to leading one of the largest privately owned music schools in their region, now serving nearly 1,000 students across three locations.
Season 1 | Episode 8
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin talks with Tracy Morris, founder of Morris Music Academy in Jacksonville, Florida, about his journey from teaching out of his home with no money and no plan to leading one of the most recognized music schools in his city — and taking students all the way to Carnegie Hall.
Season 1 | Episode 7
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin talks with Jonathan Jacobs, founder and executive director of Rawkstars, Inc., a nonprofit that provides free instruments, lessons, and performance opportunities to kids who need them most.
Season 1 | Episode 6
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin sits down with Benjie Kushins, co-founder of Art & Soul Music and Dance, to unpack how he and his wife Lauren built a thriving multi-disciplinary arts school from humble beginnings teaching in local classrooms.
Season 1 | Episode 5
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host David Martin talks with Mike Lowden, founder of Loud & Clear Music School and Nine Muses Digital, about his journey from a gigging guitarist with a $700 buy-in to leading a two-location school with more than 800 students.
Season 1 | Episode 4
In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur podcast, host David Martin talks with Michael Hemsworth, founder of New Song School of Music, about his journey from teaching three students in his living room to building a multi-location school with hundreds of students, a performance hall, and even a “Music Bus.”
