Almost 4 million students in the U.S. attend schools that provide no music instruction. DEA Music & Art, a performance art school with more than 500 students and growing, is filling that void. By Jessica Jones

Almost 4 million students in the U.S. attend schools that provide no music instruction. DEA Music & Art, a performance art school with more than 500 students and growing, is filling that void.

Offering individual instruction on the piano, guitar, violin and drums, DEA recently expanded to include vocal courses and syllabi for visual and performing arts. DEA has locations in New York and London, as well as remote learners throughout the world. The school also hosts birthday parties and summer camp programs aimed at using music and art to make a meaningful impact on children’s lives. And while the brand is already well-
established, franchising efforts are expanding its reach.

“It’s one thing to appreciate music, but to make it part of your life you have to study it,” said Magi Kapllani, a professional pianist and DEA owner. “That’s why I want to expand DEA to other communities. We have something very special here and I want to share it with as many students as possible.”

Kapllani defines her business model as low-cost and scalable, with a large demand for services. Her studios are run by musicians and artists who have dedicated their lives to music and the arts, actively performing, exhibiting and teaching.

The concept for DEA, launched in Kapllani’s living room in 2003, was greatly inspired by her parents’ center for arts and culture, the Dizdari Education Academy, which they built in their native Albania. A hub for organized competitions, festivals and seminars, the Dizdari Education Academy was considered one of Albania’s premier learning institutions. After moving to the U.S. to study music and earning her master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Illinois at the age of 19, Kapllani decided to launch a similar model of musical education here.

“Each and every student in our care benefits from tailor-made music and art instruction that meets all their aspirations,” Kapllani said, “as well as carefully constructed performing and exhibiting platforms to help with that extra ingredient much needed in life: confidence.”

For more information about franchising opportunities, visit franchise.deamusicandart.com.

– Jessica Jones