Every music school leader we talk to is asking some version of the same questions. Am I priced right? Why do students leave? Where should my next marketing dollar go? Why is it so hard to find good teachers? This year we pulled together answers from two sources: the live operating data of independent schools on Opus1, covering more than 175,000 active enrollments, and a new survey of 80 school leaders on what’s working, what’s challenging, and where they’re headed.

Join Rory Cain, VP of Sales & Strategic Partnerships at Opus1, for an exclusive first look at the full 2026 State of the Music School Industry Report. Rory works with schools of every size every day, and he’ll connect the numbers to what he sees in the field: why time, not money, ends most enrollments; what growing schools do before a dip shows up; and why full teacher schedules solve more than you’d expect. Come ready to compare your school to the data, and leave with a clearer plan for the year ahead, so you can spend less time guessing and more time inspiring students.

Key takeaways

  • Separate myth from fact. See why cost accounts for only about 6% of recorded cancellation reasons, and what that means for your next rate decision.
  • Know your numbers. Compare your retention, student lifetime, and growth to industry benchmarks.
  • Build growth on purpose. Learn when new families join, where they find schools today (Google, referrals, and increasingly AI assistants), and what the best schools do before a dip shows up.
  • Fill your teachers’ schedules. See how teacher load affects retention and how your growth and staffing problems connect.
  • Hear from your peers. What 80 school leaders say about their biggest challenges, AI adoption, and Fall plans.
  • Leave with a plan. Build a one-page scorecard of the metrics to review monthly.

Our Speaker

Man smiling in a green shirt at a music school industry report meeting - Opus1: Everything You Need to Run Your School in One Place

Rory Cain

VP of Sales & Strategic Partnerships at Opus1

Closer with a teacher’s instincts. Rory leads the team that walks new schools through the switch, often with a current customer on the call to vouch.

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About Opus1

Opus1.io is the modern end-to-end Music and Performing Arts Management Platform for growing schools.

Founded by music school owners and built for music school owners, Opus1.io empowers performing arts schools to operate efficiently and grow.

The Opus1 platform delivers the capabilities needed to manage schedules, billings, payments, teachers, communications, marketing, and more. Our advanced technology is ideal for any type of learning format, including individual or class-based learning.

Operate and grow your business more efficiently with Opus1.io.