Episode #24
From France to Chicago: Thibaut Bannelier on Music Schools Across Cultures
Thibaut Bannelier grew up inside a music school. When he was 10, his dad opened one of the only private music schools in France, a small-group-focused alternative to the country's conservatory system that has since grown to 1,200 students. Two decades later, Thibaut opened his own school in Chicago, expecting his father's proven playbook to translate. It didn't, at least not all of it. In this episode, Thibaut joins host David Martin to unpack what happens when a strong vision meets a different market. He shares why the small-group model that thrives in France was painful to sell to American families, how a simple makeup lesson experiment lifted both retention and conversion, and what he's learned about lead quality, delegation, and the critical first 90 days of a new student's journey. It's a look at the difference between sticking to your vision and getting stuck in it.
