Resources

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

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

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

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

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”?

Customer Success Story

In this testimonial, Christopher Luis Jorge of Seven Drum City shares how Opus1 reduced scheduling workload and empowered students. He highlights the flexible features and improved experience compared to Mind Body.

FREE DOWNLOAD

January and February flood music schools with new families ready to sign up — but most schools fumble the opportunity by showing up without a plan. This free worksheet, developed by David Martin (who scaled his music school to multiple locations and 1,000+ students), gives you a simple framework to make the most of that surge: which marketing channels to double down on and which to drop, what offer actually converts interest into enrollments, and how to follow up in a way that keeps leads from going cold.

FREE DOWNLOAD

January and February flood music schools with new families ready to sign up — but most schools fumble the opportunity by showing up without a plan. This free worksheet, developed by David Martin (who scaled his music school to multiple locations and 1,000+ students), gives you a simple framework to make the most of that surge: which marketing channels to double down on and which to drop, what offer actually converts interest into enrollments, and how to follow up in a way that keeps leads from going cold.

FREE DOWNLOAD

Most music and dance school owners assume the path to more students runs through more leads. It doesn't. The real bottleneck is almost always follow-up — and this free video + quiz, developed by David Martin (who scaled his music school to multiple locations and 1,000+ students), helps you find exactly where your system is leaking. In about five minutes, you'll know whether families are slipping through the cracks, whether your process is creating friction instead of removing it, and whether your growth is quietly capped by a system that can't scale.

FREE DOWNLOAD

Spring is here, and for most music and dance schools, that means one thing: the summer slump is coming. The Performing Arts School Retention Playbook was developed by David Martin, who grew his own music school to multiple locations and 1,000+ students, and the Opus1 team. It gives you a clear, actionable system for keeping students enrolled, engaged, and showing up, even when the season works against you.

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR

The difference between full studios and empty spots isn't increased marketing spend — it’s follow-up. Discover how successful music schools convert more inquiries into paying students.

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR

How to stop losing students you've already worked hard to win and build a school they don't want to leave.

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR

Practical steps to make your next recital your best enrollment, retention, and growth driver.