The Performing Arts School Entrepreneur

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...

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 deci...

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...

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 phi...

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 actu...

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....

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. Jasmine is an internationally trained violist (UC San Diego, San Francisco Conservatory of Music) with a performance career spanning orchestras in the U.S. an...

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-mounta...

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-teache...

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-changi...

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 . Talonda's journey is a story of bold decisions, constant reinvention, and the kind of leader...

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 internationa...

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...

In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast , host David Martin talks with Chris and Hannah George , 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. What began as...

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 whe...

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. What started as a few private lessons a...

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. What started as a simple idea to make music accessible to every child has grown into a 20-year movement — serving over 400...

In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast , host David Martin sits down with Benjie Kushins , co-founder of Art & Soul School of Performing & Creative ARTS, to unpack how he and his wife Lauren built a thriving multi-disciplinary arts school from humble beginnings teaching in local classrooms. Benjie shares the lessons learned through 20 years of growth, grit, and creativi...

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. Mike shares the key lessons that shaped his growth and leadership: 🎸 How he taught himself business by...

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." Michael shares hard-won lessons every music school owner can use: Scaling...

In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast , hosts Sam and Rory talk with Ulf Geist , drummer-turned-entrepreneur and owner of four thriving music academies across Los Angeles. Ulf shares his journey from touring musician to multi-location school owner — and the lessons he's learned about steady growth, team culture, and leading with purpose: 🎵 Scaling from 120 to 1,500+ s...

In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast , host Sam and Rory talk with Justin & Jenna, co-founders of Kid Row Music School (LA)—touring musicians turned school owners who've grown from a handful of students to ~400 across multiple neighborhoods, while also running a rehearsal facility that doubles as a proving ground for young bands. Justin & Jenna share playbooks music s...

In this episode of the Performing Arts School Entrepreneur Podcast, host Sam (Opus Music Studio; CEO of Opus1) and Rory talk with Laura Porter, owner and director of Bloom School of Music & Dance and co-founder of LessonMate, about practical strategies to not just survive—but thrive—during the summer months. Laura shares what she's learned about designing summer programs that fill, keep teachers e...