Bach to Rock Expands to Philadelphia With New Franchise Agreement

"At Bach to Rock, we've experienced tremendous success serving the greater Washington, D.C. area, and we are excited to expand our footprint to Pennsylvania. This is our seventh franchise unit in development since we began to franchise the concept earlier this year and we couldn't be more excited," said Brian Gross, president of Bach to Rock. "We are confident that the Philadelphia metropolitan area, with its thriving music and arts scene, will embrace the teaching methodology and philosophy of Bach to Rock, which is learning to play music while having fun."

For Leonard and Good, music has been a part of their lives since high school. Leonard has been interested in education as a second career for nearly 15 years, having been certified as a public school teacher. Both he and his wife owned their own businesses for more than 20 years before deciding to combine their love for music and education and open their first Bach to Rock.

"As life-long music lovers, we are thrilled to bring Bach to Rock's unique teaching methods to families in the Philadelphia area," Leonard said. "We love Bach to Rock's focus on a wide range of instruments and variety of music, from 60s rock classics to contemporary artists like Taylor Swift and One Direction. When students are passionate about the music and instruments they're learning to play, they have more fun and will dedicate the time needed to practice."

Leonard, a United States Army veteran who served in Korea in the 1960s, is taking advantage of B2R's veteran incentive program, which launched in March. As part of the program aimed to create more entrepreneurial opportunities for veterans, Bach to Rock waives its franchise fee and offers a 50 percent royalty fee reduction for the first year of operation for all honorably discharged veterans. The total savings is estimated at approximately $49,000.

"We love that Bach to Rock encourages people coming out of service to become entrepreneurs through its veteran incentive program," Leonard added. "Music brings us joy and we never had the opportunity to develop it into something full-time until now."

Co-founded by a Juilliard-trained middle school teacher, B2R transformed music instruction five years ago into a team sport by coupling rigorous individual instruction with "jam sessions" that keep students motivated by playing in a group. The first corporate-owned location in Bethesda, Md., opened in 2007; B2R now has six corporate-owned schools, including two in Maryland and four in Virginia. In 2012, Inc. magazine named Bach to Rock as one of the fastest growing private companies in America for the second consecutive year and the Washington Business Journal named it the number one company to watch in 2012.

Bach to Rock is currently seeking candidates to open franchise locations along the East Coast, from New York to Florida, and plans to broaden its efforts into additional markets across the country. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to build a business that is dedicated to helping children, seniors and adults learn to play the music they love. While music experience or ability is not necessary, candidates should be able to build a strong team of committed musicians to ensure the school's success.

To learn more about ownership opportunities with Bach to Rock, contact Ralph Rillon, vice president of franchise development, toll-free at 855-B2R-7570 (1-855-227-7570) and franchise@b2rmusic.com, or visit www.b2rmusic.com/franchise.

About Bach to Rock 
Bach to Rock (B2R) is a music education school for students of all ages from early childhood through high school and beyond. The B2R method is based on the belief that learning music is fun and students learn best when they play music they enjoy. Weekly ensemble instruction and jam sessions lead to public concerts, Battle of the Bands and recording sessions in B2R's professional recording studios. B2R builds technique, fosters teamwork and enhances self-esteem through private lessons, band instruction, and public performance. B2R schools are currently located in Maryland in Bethesda and Gaithersburg, and in Virginia in McLean, Herndon, South Riding and Landsdowne. The franchise-owned Port Washington, NY location will open in November 2012. The company was voted "Best Music Instruction" in 2012 by Washington Family Magazine. For more information, visit www.b2rmusic.com.