School Of Rock Debuts New Online Platform for Performance-Based Music Education
Since 1998, School of Rock has aided aspiring musicians to master their craft, unleash creativity, and develop the tools they need to thrive in life. Earlier this year, the music education institution launched its newest innovation, School of Rock Online™, to expand access to quality music education for all.
Established as a single school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it has grown over the last 24 years to include 300 open schools and 200 more in development across 15 countries. By offering lessons in multiple areas, including guitar, piano, and singing lessons, the company has also grown to include a sales component that markets instruments and gear to its legions of patrons.
Earlier this year, the NAMM Member launched its virtual music education platform, School of Rock Online, as an expansion of its patented School of Rock Method™. The platform is designed to “enhance the experience of online lessons, significantly improving audio quality compared to other online video solutions to ensure clarity for all students and teachers on every instrument.” The educational establishment began exploring the potential of an online component to its traditional in-person model before the pandemic. However, the plans were put on hold in 2020 with the shutdowns and stay-at-home orders so School of Rock could adequately address the safety of its existing programs. Sam Dresser, School of Rock’s Chief Innovation Officer, said, “As you can imagine, the conversations about building our own platform resumed quickly. The benefit to all of this was that we now had a ton of experience with all the challenges and shortcomings of traditional video conferencing solutions, particularly when trying to use them for music education.”
The platform allows “students to safely and securely connect with their School of Rock instructor for online lessons.” It also includes innovative features and functionality, like a built-in metronome, scale and chord generators, tuner, and virtual keyboard built intentionally for music lessons. In addition, the NAMM Member brought on another NAMM Member, MatchMySound®, integrating its Method App™ to allow students to connect seamlessly and safely to their remote lessons.
On the successful launch of the platform, Dresser said, “It means everything to us. Our true north and our reason for existing is to enrich lives. Our performance-based music method happens to be a great way to do that. While we know that our unique approach to teaching is the best way to ensure musical proficiency, what brings us fulfillment is the knowledge that we’ve been able to enrich lives through music. Our online platform allows us to extend that enrichment even more.”
Since its debut, School of Rock Online has experienced widespread success, with nearly 27,000 students participating in remote lessons. The platform has also garnered positive attention with a 2022 Franchise Innovation Award for “Most Innovative Use of Customer-Facing Digital Tools.”
For more information on School of Rock Online, please visit www.schoolofrock.com/music-programs/online.