THE ROCK BOX – Angel Bartolotta

*UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP*

March 7, 2025 – Important update from Angel Bartolotta, founder of The Rock Box Music School & Stage.

Recently, The Rock Box Music School & Stage has introduced a few new changes, both in public and behind the curtain. But before getting into the details, let me give you a little history…

Since I was a baby, I’ve always had an insane love for music. My first drum set was a stack of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle breakfast cereal bowls (which I still have) and chopsticks. In 1996, I took my first private drum lesson. It seriously changed my life and set me on a path where I would play for some of my favorite bands in cities all around the world. Visiting different countries, meeting the people, and witnessing the culture opened my eyes to a whole other world that I didn’t know existed. I had an album debut on the Billboard charts, I earned endorsements with some of the world‘s top instrument manufacturers, and I was building a solid reputation for myself in the professional music industry. It sounds cliché, but I was living the dream!

Between tours, I found a new love. Teaching! I started teaching privately out of my house as well as just about every local music store/school in the area. During these years, I learned a lot. Not just about drumming and music, but about business as well. While my students were getting really good at playing drums, the majority of them never had a chance to play with other people. I felt this needed to change and I wanted to give them the same experiences I had while on tour. In 2016, I had the idea of starting up my own music school. A place where students could collaborate with each other and apply their skills on stage and out in the real world. This was the birth of The Rock Box Music School & Stage.

The Rock Box started off at a smaller location on the other side of town. A humble 3 lesson studio with a small staff teaching an average of 10 to 16 weekly students. I couldn’t believe it! I was doing it! I was actually running my own music business! In 2018, the school expanded into a second unit to make room for more lesson studios (as well as the addition of a recording studio). This was an exciting time in my life as the business continued to grow and grow and grow. In 2021, we made a big (and honestly scary) decision and relocated to a brand new location where The Rock Box currently resides. 8.5 years since opening, we now have 11 spacious lesson studios where a staff of 23 work with an average of 350-400 students per week! We have a venue/stage area where we host Student Concerts, Workshops, Jam Nights, and other special events. We are heavily involved in our local community, giving our students the opportunities to perform at events around the city. We’ve won multiple Best of North Port awards every year since opening in 2016 (including a few Business of The Year awards). The Rock Box has exceeded my dreams and has grown to be bigger than I had ever expected or even imagined. I’ve been teaching music for 24 years (full-time for 11) and these past 8.5 have definitely been the most rewarding. With hard work and dedication, your dreams can become reality. The Rock Box is 100% proof of that.

Aside from my personal accomplishments with The Rock Box, I’ve also witnessed many of my staff members and students grow into amazing musicians. Some of whom have earned full college scholarships, perform and tour nationally and internationally, and a few have used my mentorship to become teachers themselves (some now work at The Rock Box). Many of our awesome Rock Box staff members have met their best friends while working here, and two couples who met at work fell in love and got married! Maybe I should start a side business as a matchmaker?

I’ve put every ounce of energy into this business and I’ve absolutely loved every second of it, even the stressful parts. But I have reached a point in my life where I’ve taken The Rock Box as far as I can take it and have made the decision to bring in a new leader who can help the business reach the next level of success that it deserves. You heard that right. The Rock Box has a new owner!

It is my privilege to introduce to you Elizabeth Farrell, the NEW owner of The Rock Box Music School & Stage as of March 1, 2025. Elizabeth is a Berklee graduate and the owner of two successful music schools called Elizabeth Farrell Music (EFMusic) in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch that have been in business for over a decade. After meeting with her, it was clear that she was the right person to take the reins and lead The Rock Box into the future. She shares the same love and passion for music that my wife Sally and I both have (which was a HUGE deciding factor for us), and she has a strong work ethic that I believe everyone will appreciate. She made it clear that the happiness and comfort of our staff and students is her number one priority (as well as ours) and we are confident that she’s the right person for the job. She’s awesome! You’re going to love her.

In the 8.5 years under my ownership, The Rock Box Music School & Stage taught 96,044 lessons and enrolled 2,547 students. I’m excited to see these numbers soar to new record-breaking heights under Elizabeth’s leadership.

While Sally and I do plan on eventually leaving the area (but staying in Florida), I will continue teaching right here at The Rock Box. I’ll also continue working as the Rock Box social media manager. When the time comes for Sally and I to move, I will still be teaching for The Rock Box (remotely/online). Don’t worry, I’m not bailing or abandoning my baby. You’ll still see me at some events and I’ll still be involved, just in a different way. Getting back to the reason I started this business in the first place. Teaching!

I want to thank my amazing staff. Present as well as past. I’m lucky to have you and none of this would’ve been possible without your overflowing love for what you do. Watching you connect with your students and changing lives (including mine) on a daily basis has been amazing to see. You guys are heroes! Working with all of you has been an absolute privilege. Thanks to our awesome students, some of which have been taking lessons with me/us since the day we opened (some even longer). You are the reason this magical place exists. You are the reason we do what we do. And YOU are the future of the music world. I can’t wait to see what you accomplish! It has been an absolute pleasure witnessing your hard work, determination, overall growth, and I’m honored that I had a chance to help you along the way. Thank you for choosing The Rock Box as your musical home. I’m proud of each and every one of you and I will forever be your number one fan. Thank you to our wonderful community. When I first opened The Rock Box, other similar businesses said it couldn’t be done because “the community wouldn’t support it” (even though those same people copied my business plan after seeing that it worked). Thank you for believing in me and proving the naysayers wrong. TOGETHER, we truly made a difference in this town. A huge THANK YOU to my wife Sally for her endless love, constant support, amazing work ethic, and for keeping me sane throughout this entire crazy journey. I LOVE YOU! And thank you to Elizabeth and her husband Dan, the new owners of The Rock Box. You have a strong and supportive community backing you up and I’m excited to see you take my dream to the next level!

Yes, this is hard and I’m in a whirlwind of emotions, but I regret nothing and I definitely don’t take any of this for granted. I hold every single memory close to my heart. Every single note of music that has echoed through these walls will forever be a part of me. I will never forget you.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for an incredible 8.5 years of music and for joining me on this journey! I hope you show the new owner the same amount of love, respect, and support that you have all been so kind to grace upon me. Thank you for everything!

For the final time… Experience the music at the award-winning Rock Box! North Port’s original music destination!

– Angel Bartolotta (Founder of The Rock Box Music School & Stage)

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A message from Elizabeth Farrell.

Hello all!

Angel and Sally really have built a wonderful music school filled with great people! I’m honored they chose me to run The Rock Box and continue to provide quality music education for this community!

I plan to bring all my specialties and skills to The Rock Box and continue on the amazing trajectory they’ve started. Overtime, I hope to meet and chat with all the students and families, but in the meantime I think it’s important YOU get a chance to learn about me! It’s so important that students and families feel comfortable and confident with me as the new music director.

Here’s to a new, but exciting chapter for all of us at The Rock Box!

– Elizabeth Farrell

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SUN NEWSPAPER’S BEST OF NORTH PORT

Music Store (2024)
Live Performance (2024)
Music Store (2023)
Live Performance (2023)
Family Fun (2023)
Music Store (2022)
Live Entertainment (2022)
Yoga Studio (2022)
Music Store (2021)
Live Entertainment (2021)
Live Entertainment (2019)
Music Instructor (2019)
Live Entertainment (2018)
Music Instructor (2018)
Musical Instruments (2017)
Live Entertainment (2017)
Most Unique Store (2017)
Most Unique Store (2016)
Best Entertainment (2016)

NORTH PORT AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Small Business Of The Year (2021)
Frosty Award: People’s Choice (2021)
Frosty Award: Judge’s Choice (2019)
Frosty Award: People’s Choice (2019)
Small Business Of The Year (2018)
Business Of The Year: Rookie (2016)
Frosty Award (2016)

HARBOR STYLE MAGAZINE SUN COAST’S HOTTEST

Place To Hear Live Music (2022)
Performing Arts Group (2022)
Yoga Studio (2022)
Gift Shop (2022)
Performing Arts Group (2021)
Place To Hear Live Music (2021)

COMMUNITY AWARDS

Best Lessons In North Port – Lessons.com (2024)
Public Relations Electronic Media Award – Florida Recreation and Park Association (2021)
PR/Media Campaign – Florida Festivals & Events Association (2021)
Television Program/Ad/PSA Award – Florida Festivals & Events Association (2021)
Best Group/Organization – North Port Poinsettia Festival Gingerbread Land Contest (2017)

NOMINATIONS:

Medium Business Of The Year – Chamber of Commerce (2024)
Frosty Award – Chamber of Commerce (2024)
Women To Watch 2023 – Women In Business Magazine (2023)
Yoga Studio – Sun Newspaper’s Best of North Port (2023)
Women To Watch 2022 – Women In Business Magazine (2022)
Business Owner – Marquis Who’s Who in America (2022)
Gift Shop – Sun Newspaper’s Best of North Port (2022)
Events – Harbor Style Magazine: Sun Coast’s Hottest (2022)
Business Owner – Marquis Who’s Who in America (2021)
Frosty Award: Judge’s Choice – Chamber Of Commerce (2021)
Private School – Harbor Style Magazine: Sun Coast’s Hottest (2021)
Small Business Of The Year – Chamber Of Commerce (2020)
Live Music – Harbor Style Magazine: Harbor’s Hottest (2020)
Performing Arts Group – Harbor Style Magazine: Harbor’s Hottest (2020)
Special Events – Harbor Style Magazine: Harbor’s Hottest (2020)
Customer Service – North Port Sun Readers Choice Awards (2018)
Best Gifts – North Port Sun Readers Choice Awards (2018)
Best Souvenirs – North Port Sun Readers Choice Awards (2018)
Frosty Award – Chamber Of Commerce (2018)
Small Business Of The Year – Chamber Of Commerce (2017)
Frosty Award – Chamber Of Commerce (2017)

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Before switching to remote/online, Angel taught 10,731 lessons for The Rock Box on this one drum set from 2016 to 2025.

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Since it’s official Grand Opening on 10/1/16, Angel had every student autograph a bass drum head at the time of their first lesson. A new drumhead for every year! To this day, The Rock Box still continues this tradition.