ROCKING ACROSS THE POND: SCHOOL OF ROCK FINALIZES UNITED KINGDOM MASTER FRANCHISE AGREEMENT WITH AWARD-WINNING MASTER FRANCHISEE

Bolstered by a proven track record as School of Rock's Latin American master franchisee, Matias Puga-Hamilton's latest agreement with the global franchisor details plans to develop 30 new schools across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland by 2035

CANTON, Mass., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- At the intersection of legendary music and franchising prowess comes School of Rock's latest international expansion milestone with a new master franchise agreement now finalized for the United Kingdom. The global leader in performance-based music education announced today that this deal to develop 30 new schools across the UK over the next 11 years was awarded to Matias Puga-Hamilton, the Latin American master franchisee behind School of Rock's successful expansion across Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Peru and Ecuador.

Highly regarded in the franchising world as a 2023 recipient of the International Franchise Association's prestigious Franchisee of the Year Award, Puga-Hamilton's passion for the School of Rock brand is reflected in his continued investment in its global expansion. Just months before finalizing this UK agreement, Puga-Hamilton also expanded his master franchise agreement for Latin America to effectively double his portfolio there.

"Music is an international language that has the power to positively change lives no matter where you're from. The powerful transformation School of Rock inspired in my daughters when they were enrolled as students is what drove me to bring this concept to my home country of Chile in the first place, and I've since had the honor of witnessing that impact on an increasingly global scale," said Puga-Hamilton. "I'm eager to continue making a difference, and what better place to do so next than in the birthplace of so much of the music that we celebrate and use to educate our students around the world to this day?"

The first School of Rock under this UK agreement is targeted to open in early 2025 in London, home of musical icons including The Rolling Stones, Queen, Coldplay and many more. The UK schools will join School of Rock's current European footprint consisting of five schools open and operating across Spain, Portugal and Ireland.

Between School of Rock's European success thus far and Puga-Hamilton's reputation for driving high enrollment numbers, School of Rock anticipates a positive response to its arrival in the UK. Residents of communities spanning England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can look forward to soon having a new center for inspiring and engaging music lessons, which include bass lessons, guitar lessons, singing lessons, drum lessons and piano lessons. School of Rock's performance-based music education program draws from all styles of rock and roll while also teaching music theory and techniques to students through popular songs from various diverse and legendary artists.

"Continued international expansion is of the utmost importance to School of Rock as we seek to create more spaces for learning, confidence and self-expression as a means for enriching the lives of students and communities around the world. Matias has played a tremendous part in our international expansion journey, having opened his first location in 2015 to now managing 16 schools across nine countries and growing," said Anthony Padulo, CDO of School of Rock. "Matias knows firsthand what the School of Rock program is capable of providing to students and new communities, and he truly embodies the passion and zeal it takes to share our mission. Our European presence in the UK is a major milestone in this ongoing initiative, and we couldn't be happier to have Matias and his experienced team as our partners in this endeavor."

For information on School of Rock franchise opportunities, visit schoolofrock.com/franchising/pr or register HERE to attend an upcoming School of Rock Franchising 101 webinar.

About School of Rock

School of Rock helps aspiring musicians master skills, unleash creativity and develop tools they need to thrive in life. Founded as a single school in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1998, School of Rock has become a rapidly growing international franchise with over 500 schools open and in development across 15 global markets. Since 2009, School of Rock has grown its student count from 4,000 to over 62,000. School of Rock offers a wide variety of music lessons, including guitar lessons, singing lessons and piano lessons. The company also sells musical instruments and music gear through its GearSelect program. School of Rock is proud to support Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock), the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) and the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide (SPTS). School of Rock was awarded US Patent 10,891,872 in 2021 for its innovative music education method. School of Rock also has garnered the following industry awards: International Franchise Associations 2024 Franchisees of the Year; 2024 and 2023 Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 Top Children's Music Enrichment Brand; 2023 Global Franchise Grand Champion; 2023, 2022 and 2021 Global Franchise's Awards Best Children's Service and Education Franchise; 2024 Global Franchise Highly Commended Best Children's Service and Education Franchise Recognition; Franchise Business Review's 2024 and 2023 Top 200 Franchises and Culture 200 list; 2021 Franchise Innovation Award for Most Innovative Use of Customer-Facing Digital Tools; 2020 Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 200 Franchise and the #1 Child Enrichment Franchise; and 2018 Forbes #2 Best Franchise Medium-Level Investment Award and the #1 Music Franchise in America.

Follow School of Rock on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SchoolofRockUSA and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SchoolofRockUSA.

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