Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen and Nancy Guinto.
Carmen and Nancy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We are both from Syracuse, NY originally. I am a CPA and IT business professional; Nancy is an Educator, both with over 20 years experience. We are both musically inclined, Nancy is classically trained pianist, I am amateur bass player and vocalist.
After recovering from a serious health scare in 2015, we looked at our lives and decided that we needed to do something different – something we enjoyed, something we loved and important to me, something that “gives back” – call it positive energy, to our community.
We are both musically inclined, Nancy is classically trained pianist, I am amateur bass player and vocalist, so we looked for opportunities doing something musical that leveraged my business skills and Nancy’s educational background. We opened Bach to Rock Music School because we recognized a need in our community for a place where kids of all ages can learn how to play an instrument or sing. After all, education in fine arts has been declining in the public schools for years.
We are now 15 months old and our school keeps growing every day! We have over 100 students, a robust band program and a great summer camp program. We partner with many of our neighboring schools, both public and private, to augment their programs with music education, and are a fixture on the local arts and events calendar – where we provide free-of-charge music performances by our students and professional instructors for the benefit of the community
Has it been a smooth road?
As with any small business, it is a lot of very hard work to get a business off the ground and established. We have a great staff of professionals and a wonderful community, so are blessed. If it weren’t for Atlanta’s notorious traffic, I think we’d be even busier than we are!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Bach to Rock Alpharetta story. Tell us more about the business.
The Bach to Rock Music School concept is a fresh approach to teaching music, where students learn music in a positive, fun and engaging way. We teach kids how to properly play the instrument of their choice (the technique), how to read and understand music (the theory), and how to play it with others (performance). We also have a comprehensive Early Education program that introduces kids as young as 18 months to the joys of learning music.
Bach to Rock Alpharetta also runs a very popular Summer Camp Program, where kids become a Rock Star – they form a band, learn a song, perform it in public and even record it in our studio, all in one week and all without any experience. We do birthday parties too!
Our specialty is teaching music in a way that keeps kids interested, engaged and having fun. Students love being in our bright and beautiful school, as do the parents, who can readily see the positive effects learning music has on their kids. The thing I am most proud of is the energy we have in our school, it’s always positive. All of us, owners, managers, teachers, students and parents – we all love being there and we all contribute to the energy of the place – you can feel it as soon as you walk in. Something hard to describe in words actually – except to say that there are lots of smiling faces on people of all ages in our school!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The private music education industry will only grow over the coming years, as school budgets continue to be reduced and public education in fine arts continues to decline. We believe our industry and future is bright!
Contact Info:
- Address: 12315 Crabapple Rd Suite 118 Alpharetta, GA 30004
- Website: https://alpharetta.b2rmusic.com/
- Phone: 470-375-3960
- Email: alpharetta@bachtorock.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/b2ralpharetta/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/B2RAlpharettaGA/
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