School of Rock is the place for everyone who feels like they don’t have a place. All we care about is making great music together. -Stacey Ryan

Meet Stacey Ryan, Chief Operating Officer of the School of Rock www.schoolofrock.com. With 65,000 students learning in 364 locations in 19 countries worldwide, she’s got her hands full of music lovers, and she likes it that way. Says Stacey: “Our teachers are all gigging musicians. We bring kids together in a room where they get to play instruments and sing loudly.” The success story of the School of Rock could have been destroyed by the pandemic, but instead, it was lifted to a whole new level under her guidance with a pivot to virtual learning through a robust online platform that managed to create a sense of community for kids when they needed it the most. In this interview, Stacey shares her firm belief that music heals. The School of Rock is a place where differences are celebrated, and confidence grows. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Stacey is the middle child in a music-loving family. She credits her father with introducing her to boxes of his rock albums. Alone on a desert island, she’d listen to the entire Beatles collection and never be lonely. A graduate of Rutgers University, she was inspired by her mother’s lifelong love of education and, at first, wanted to be a kindergarten teacher until the smell of the school cafeteria did her in. “I listened to my gut,” says Stacey, and I switched paths.“ As a leader, Stacey leans on transparency and is advancing women leaders through an organization she calls “Front Women”. Having a place at the table has not come easy for Stacey, and she knows it: “ When I became COO I was aware of the battle it took to get here, and the responsibility to pay it forward. I want to make the path smoother for those coming up behind me. “ For 24 minutes you can really tap your toe to, just hit that download button. #music #education #musicians #singers

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