Build Around the Parent: Dave Simon on Pricing & Groups

Dave Simon has seen the music school industry from almost every side. Over 17 years he grew his side gig teaching bass lessons into a 350-student rock school. He created the Kids Rock and Junior Rockers group programs, which schools around the world now license. He hosted the Music Lessons and Marketing podcast, and today he works with Ensemble Performing Arts on the acquisition side.

In this episode, host David Martin and Dave talk about what it takes to build a school that can run, and sell, without you. Dave explains why owners should raise their school the way a parent raises a child to become an adult. He covers why so many schools undercharge for lessons while overpaying staff, and how putting group programs first changed his margins. He also shares the first thing he'd do if he opened a school tomorrow: build it around the parent, not the owner.

• Raise your school to leave home: Your job is to prepare the school to run without you. Owners who build with an exit in mind run their schools differently from day one.
• Get your name out of the boxes: Draw your org chart and count how many roles have your name in them. Then rank which ones to hand off first, so you can lead like a coach instead of playing quarterback.
• Price for the experience you deliver: Dave recommends keeping 50–60% of lesson revenue with the school. He often sees schools sending 60–70% or more to teacher pay.
• Retain teachers with culture, not just pay: Belonging, a raise ladder tied to student retention, and public recognition of great teaching all keep good teachers around.
• Flip the model with groups first: Every new student aged 4–11 at Dave's school started in a band program. About 70% of students ended up in bands, and private lessons became the destination for the most driven students.
• Speak to parents' real worries: Talk to parents directly, then reflect their concerns in your messaging, including their child's emotional well-being. Make every touch point feel premium so your price confirms the impression.
• Don't sit out AI: Dave compares holding off on AI to the schools that waited too long to get a website or email. Falling behind limits your ability to impact kids.

Whether you're stuck doing everything yourself or planning an exit, this episode gives you a clear framework for building a school that's more valuable, more profitable, and less dependent on you.`