Making Lessons a Team Sport: How John Kozicki Built a Rock School

Making Lessons a Team Sport: How John Kozicki Built a Rock School

John Kozicki quit a marketing career and a touring band to teach guitar. He then built two music schools around a single conviction: students play longer, learn more, and have more fun when they're playing with other people. John is the founder of Michigan Rock School in Oakland County, Michigan, and the host of the Rock School Proprietor Podcast. He's built two schools from the ground up, operated both, and sold one. Today he runs a year-round band program, coaches at least one band a week, and is finishing a mixed-instrument beginner band curriculum he plans to release to schools everywhere. We talk about a star instructor of eight years just moved on, tech transitions happening all at once, and what makes his school model work so well. The band program philosophy, the trimester structure, how he thinks about qualifying families at enrollment, his upcoming ska band camp, and what changed in him the night he took his daughter to see Green Day. We discuss the "curse of knowledge..." why the further you are from beginner, the harder things can become, and about what it means to invite your audience in, not just perform for them. This was a very fun chat! 🌊 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @makemusicstudio * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Now MakeMusic Studio!)

Net Positive: The Rebrand, Your People, and Upholding Agreements

In this solo episode, Eric shares three things that have been on his mind. First, the story of Fons becoming MakeMusic Studio, from a 2016 studio management platform built for his own guitar students, through the years of growth, becoming part of the Peaksware brand family, and what the rebrand means for the community who uses it. Second, an encouragement for joining a professional organization, even if you've been on the fence. Eric shares the immense value of being together with your people. Third, something more personal: a practice Eric's been working on around keeping agreements with himself, not just with everyone else. If you've ever felt pulled in a lot of directions as a teacher, this is a reminder that showing up for yourself is critical to becoming the best version of yourself to help others. 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @makemusicstudio * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Now MakeMusic Studio!)

Making a Resilient Living with Jason Sifford

Jason Sifford is a piano teacher, composer, and performer based in Iowa City. He runs an independent studio, writes pedagogical music published by Willis/Hal Leonard and FJH Music, composes original musical theater for a children's theater program that now reaches hundreds of kids across Iowa, and recently joined the MTNA Board of Trustees as West-Central Division Director. He also just launched Piano Blocks, a newsletter for piano teachers on Substack. In this conversation, Eric and Jason talk about building a career rooted in community and curiousity, make the case for 45-minute lessons, and share the origin story of Jason's highly successful theater project.  We also discuss his unique strategy for his latest Substack project. This episode is perfect for any music teacher contemplating the arc of their career. Topics covered: * The 45-minute lesson format and why it works * Leaving academia to go freelance and what that decision made possible * The Aspen moment: finding your place in the club * How a COVID-era theater project became a six-show, 17-employee operation * Composing for students: writing only what doesn’t already exist * A/B testing your music with real students * “Passive income” and why the crank never stops * Piano Blocks: writing for yourself first, audience second * The income quilt, building a resilient career * Work-life balance by the year, not the week Learn more about Jason's work here... * Website: jasonsifford.com * Piano Blocks on Substack: jasonsifford.substack.com * YouTube: youtube.com/@jsifford * Instagram: @jasonsifford * Sheet music: search “Jason Sifford” at halleonard.com 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @makemusicstudio * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Now MakeMusic Studio!)

The Opposite of Anxiety is Creativity with Leila Viss

Leila Viss has spent her career helping musicians find and trust their own creative voice. In this conversation, she shares the philosophy behind Space to Create, what her son’s accident taught her about music and grief, and why the opposite of anxiety is creativity. This episode is a must-listen for creatives, educators, and humans... Here's the blog post [https://www.leilaviss.com/blog/piano-recital-with-live-band] about her recent recital! Learn more about Leila's work here. * Website: https://www.leilaviss.com * Space to Create: https://www.leilaviss.com/space-to-create * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/88pianokeys * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilaviss/ 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @makemusicstudio * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Now MakeMusic Studio!)

Roberto Hermosillo on Building a Modern Music Career

What does a contemporary, thriving music career actually look like? Roberto Hermosillo has built it. He's a GRAMMY-nominated guitarist, studio musician, songwriter, TV actor, and the owner of Roberto's Music Studio, a boutique lessons agency in Santa Monica. In this conversation, Roberto and Eric talk honestly about the multi-hyphenate life: balancing artistry with entrepreneurship, ditching the old music school playbook, and building something that makes you genuinely happy. In This Episode * How Roberto went from independent teacher to running a multi-teacher lessons agency... nine iterations in * The intentional geographic move to Santa Monica and why location strategy matters for music educators * What he learned writing curriculum for a major guitar brand and why he calls it "a free degree in music education" * The GRAMMY-nominated Solid Rock Revival project with Alice Cooper, Slash, and Rob Halford * The difference between followers and fans, and what a real music career looks like today * Why the old music school playbook feels dated in today's world * Turning down an arena tour with one of the biggest Spanish-language artists in the world, and why he has no regrets * The no-physical-location agency model and paying teachers well as a competitive advantage * J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis as the original multi-hyphenates * Building a career you actually want... health insurance, a retirement plan, families who love you Learn more about Roberto's work here. www.robertosmusicstudio.com Instagram, FB @soyrobertohermosillo 🌊 Connect with us: * Join a supportive community for teachers & creatives at the Fons Family Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/fonsfamily] a supportive community for teachers & creatives * Follow on Instagram: @makemusicstudio * Learn more about Fons [https://www.fons.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=440_launch] (Now MakeMusic Studio!)