We had the good fortune of connecting with Dalton Rapattoni and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dalton, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I joined School of Rock as a student when I was eleven, and the school completely changed my life for the better. I was a pretty shy kid, not many friends, and when I walked into the school for the first time, I remember feeling like I had finally found a place for me and kids like me. I used the skills I learned at the school to pursue my own music career across several projects for the next decade, and did several nationwide tours before realizing that none of that stuff made me happier than being in the rehearsal room at the School of Rock. My family and I decided to invest in three schools in the DFW area (North Dallas, Rockwall, and McKinney) so that we could give students the same life changing experience that I had.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I first started working at the schools, I came at it from the perspective of a former student. I remember what the experience was supposed to feel like for a kid walking into the building for the first time, and we work every day to give everyone that same feeling. There were a lot of struggles starting out, working with kids is not always easy, but luckily we’re a great team and there was always someone to lean on when things got tough. I’m incredibly proud of the program we’ve put together at our schools. If you sign up at one of our schools, you have a dozen professional musicians who’s sole job is to guide you step by step on how to be a rockstar, and I believe we do it better than anyone.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Monday- Art museum and food trucks at Klyde Warren Park

Tuesday- Kick around Northpark, see a movie, Dinner in lower Greenville

Wednesday- Walk around the Dallas Arboretum/Dallas Aquarium

Thursday- Visit The Perot on Tap, drink some beers, look at some shiny rocks and dinosaur bones.

Friday- Visit the state fair, see a show at the Dallas Music Hall

Saturday- Hang out at the Fort Worth Zoo, Visit the Stock Yards

Sunday- Church service at All Saints Dallas, lunch at Hudson House

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a shoutout to Linda Septien. She was my vocal coach growing up and she taught me a lot about how to act in the professional music world. She has a way of getting people excited about music which is incredibly infectious, and her approach to music education has been incredibly influential to me.

Website: https://schoolofrock.com

Instagram: schoolofrocknorthdallas, school_of_rock_rockwalltx, schoolofrockmckinney

Image Credits
Gabby Garcia, Shannon Jabcynzki, Kiva Rapattoni

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