Detroit School Of Rock And Pop Music Owner's Signature Advice: Stop Practicing, Start Performing

The Detroit School of Rock and Pop Music aims to fulfill a vital need for excellence in musical education in Detroit's suburb of Royal Oak, Michigan. Utilizing an approach that engages students from multiple perspectives and offers an overarching view, Jason Gittinger's school gives the aspiring artist exactly what he or she often needs most to grow: a direct path to performance.

Jason and his wife have a staff of approximately 20 teachers. He is extremely hands-on in every aspect of running the business to ensure the school is the absolute best it can be. His inspiring approach is rooted in the fact that he considers all the individuals in the facility part of something larger. "It's our musical life in a building," said Jason. "It's a community of musicians who are either learning, teaching or doing."

In this interview, Gittinger talks about the level of commitment and personal dedication that allows his business to thrive.

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"Through DTE's green energy recommendations...
we have been able to save over 40 percent
on our electric bills."

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Wow, your music school takes such a unique approach. Could you please tell us about it?

"Effectively, we do with our students what we do as professionals. We have a studio, so we record all the time. We have video equipment, so we make our own YouTube shows. And we play shows in the Metro Detroit area all the time. Just last week, we curated an exhibit for the Detroit Historical Museum. We honored a bunch of sidemen musicians from Detroit who play with artists from all over the world. As professionals, we do fun stuff like this all day, every day, and we want to help other people get to this point too."

How do you find great and dedicated staff, especially talented and professional teachers?

"People often ask us if we take resumes. We don't. If I'm at a show and I recognize a person because I've seen them a few times and they are doing amazing things musically, and more importantly personally, those are the people who should be part of The Detroit School of Rock and Pop Music. Those are the kind of people I want to work for us. We are a big family of musicians and we keep adding more and more people to our family."

What makes attending your school in person better than taking online tutorials elsewhere?

"We have the internet in 20 different computers throughout the building. The internet is no secret. People can go to the internet, but they will never get what we have to offer here. We offer personalized mentorships and teach students how to decipher the good information from the bad. We also offer the ability to turn that information into action to advance someone's learning much faster by actually experiencing music at gigs and performances."

DTE Energy supplies you with power, but like your school, DTE Energy goes above and beyond by offering something more for the community. Could you please share your experience working with them?

"We are very green in what we do here. From my perspective, I see some great things that DTE does for our community. For instance, through DTE's green energy recommendations like energy efficient lighting and programmable thermostats, we have been able to save over 40 percent on our electric bills over other less efficient equipment we used before."

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

"We provide a positive environment for students and families to make music together. Our tagline is 'Stop practicing... start performing,' and our goal is to provide the opportunities that allow people to get better."

Support a local Detroit business and your fellow business owner:

The Detroit School of Rock and Pop Music
Phone: 1-888-988-ROCK (7625)
Email: info@DetroitSchoolOfRockAndPop.com
Address: 1109 South Washington, Royal Oak, Michigan 48067
Website: www.detroitschoolofrockandpop.com

For more tips and inspiration for small business owners,
visit CBS Small Business Pulse Detroit.