School of Rock, the leader in performance-based music education, kept the music going in 2020, fostering connection and community to students around the world with loud success during the global pandemic.

The music school adapted its business model to offer virtual one-on-one music lessons and delivered exclusive access to some of the world's most famous musicians, new curriculum updates, virtual concerts and more. Expansion into Taiwan and Ireland, alongside 17 school openings, ended the year on a trajectory of continued growth and global expansion for the award-winning music franchise.

"School of Rock defied the constraints of the pandemic to unlock breakthroughs that have strengthened our concept, competitive advantage, and our culture," said Rob Price, CEO of School of Rock. "I am inspired by the creativity of our franchisees and school teams in the face of unprecedented challenges. Our community has sustained momentum through innovation and an unyielding commitment to enriching lives."

Highlights for the year include:

• Launched School of Rock Remote, offering its students virtual one-on-one music lessons;
• Augmented remote learning with introduction of Artist Sessions providing students live access to some of the world's most famous rock stars;
• Enhanced curriculum with Songwriting Program teaching the fundamentals of songwriting, arrangement and music theory to help students compose original works;
• Updated curriculum to feature more music created by Black artists; published on its website a series of articles and interactive content on the historical contribution of Black artists to Rock and Roll;
• In celebration of Bob Marley's 75th birthday, debuted a video of Skip Marley performing Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" in collaboration with the School of Rock 2020 AllStars;
• Provided support to Independent Venue Week, which recognizes and celebrates all that independent venues have done for the live music scene;
• Presented the Winter of Rock Festival in partnership with Universal Music Group, Hollywood Records and Edgeout Records;
• Awarded master franchise agreement in Taiwan; franchisee to open 20 schools in Taiwan over next 10 years;
• Awarded new area development agreement in Ireland;
• Opened 27 new schools, 18 domestically, and 9 international including a new country launch in Paraguay;
• Inclusion in Entrepreneur magazine's 2020 Franchise 500;
• Media coverage for the brand in Forbes, Entrepreneur, USA Today, Global Franchise, and more.

School of Rock provides students of all ages an exciting and engaging learning environment for taking guitar lessons, drum lessons, bass lessons, keyboard lessons, and singing lessons. Drawing from all styles of rock and roll, School of Rock students learn theory and techniques via songs from legendary artists such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Frank Zappa. Thanks to the school's performance-based approach, students around the world have gained superior instrumental skills and confidence on the big stage, with some moving on to record deals and larger platforms such as American Idol, The Voice and Broadway.

For more information on School of Rock, please visit www.SchoolofRock.com.

School of Rock helps aspiring musicians master skills, unleash creativity, and develop tools they need to thrive in life. Founded as a single school in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1998, School of Rock has become a rapidly growing international franchise with over 350 schools open and in development across 15 global markets. Since 2009, School of Rock has grown student count from 4,000 to over 30,000. School of Rock offers a wide variety of music lessons, including guitar lessons, singing lessons and piano lessons.

Follow School of Rock on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SchoolofRockUSA and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SchoolofRockUSA.

For more information on School of Rock visit www.SchoolofRock.com or call 866-695-5515. To learn more about School of Rock franchise opportunities head to http://franchising.schoolofrock.com/.