NORTHLAKE

ACADEMY OF MUSIC
ALLIE DOMINGUES | CLAIRE HUEBINGER | KAREN NELSON | EMILY SCHMIDT
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFGA_b3xoXA
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Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic has offeieu the finest in music euucation to the
Netio New 0ileans aiea foi the past 16 yeais. The acauemy's oveiall mission is to
intiouuce anu shaie music to chiluien at a young age in hopes that they will
continue to leain anu love music thioughout theii auult life. The school's puipose
anu focus is to offei stuuents in the community music appieciation classes anu
music lessons in a positive anu loving enviionment. Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic is
in the music instiuction inuustiy. The school's key publics aie chiluien anu auults in
the gieatei New 0ileans aiea, ianging fiom ages 12 months anu up, who
uemonstiate an inteiest in music anu aspiie to become tiaineu musicians.
Biiectoi anu ownei Leslie Bomingues is a New 0ileans native who has
iesiueu on the Noithshoie foi ovei 24 yeais. She holus uegiees in special euucation
anu iegulai euucation anu has taught piano foi ovei 2S yeais. In 2uu9, Bomingues
was the iecipient of the St. Tammany Piofessional Business Woman of the Yeai
Awaiu uue to hei passion anu ueteimination within hei music acauemy.
Teacheis at Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic aie qualifieu, engaging, fiienuly anu
piofessional inuiviuuals. 0nuei the enthusiastic guiuance of uiiectoi Leslie
Bomingues, they caiiy a high level of piofessionalism anu take piiue in the business
they woik foi.
HISTORY & PURPOSE
ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
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The beautiful stuuio is locateu at S7S Asbuiy Biive in Nanueville, Louisiana.
The builuing featuies 12 piivate stuuios foi piivate anu semi-piivate lessons, a
violin ioom, a choii ioom, a Tots-N-Tunes ioom anu a laige comfoitable waiting
aiea. Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic has pioven to be a successful business that piiues
itself on pioviuing stuuents with the knowleuge anu skills to play a numbei of
musical instiuments in a welcoming enviionment. With each new stuuent the
acauemy continues to giow in a positive way.


The acauemy offeis a vaiiety of lessons yeai iounu. Fiom theii Tunes
Togethei Nommy & Ne Class, Tots-N-Tunes pieschool music piogiam, semi-piivate
piano lessons, piivate lessons in piano, violin, guitai, uiums anu voice, Pie-choii,
Inteimeuiate choii, anu Auvanceu choii, the acauemy offeis something foi chiluien
of all ages. In auuition, the acauemy offeis auult lessons foi violin anu guitai. Bue to
theii success within theii community, Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic was voteu the
piestigious awaiu of Noithshoie's Best Nusic School in 2u11.
Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic woulu not be wheie it is touay if it weie not foi
the pieschool music piogiam, Tots-N-Tunes, which Bomingues cieateu ovei 16
yeais ago. Tots-N-Tunes has euucateu anu enteitaineu thousanus of chiluien in the
New 0ileans Netio aiea anu has giown into what is now known as Noithlake
Acauemy of Nusic.
Tots-N-Tunes classes aie also offeieu to chiluien ages 2 anu up anu contain a
PROGRAMS OFFERED
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special blenu of live music, cieative movement, music games, puppets, songs, stoiies
anu much moie. Each class is baseu on an exciting weekly theme that is exploieu
thiough music anu movement in a vaiiety of ways.
Nommy anu Ne music classes, calleu Tunes Togethei, aie also offeieu to
chiluien ages 12-24 months. Tunes Togethei offeis themeu baseu, fun activities foi
both mothei anu chilu to paiticipate in.
Each semestei of the Tots-N-Tunes anu Tunes Togethei piogiams enus with
a peifoimance at a local auuitoiium. Stuuents piefoim sign-language songs, choii
bells, singing anu moie to enteitain, uelight anu impiess theii fiienus anu family.
Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic also offeis piivate lessons to stuuents. Piivate
instiuction is offeieu to teach inuiviuuals to play a vaiiety of instiuments incluuing
piano, violin, guitai, voice anu uiums. Lessons aie available foi chiluien anu auults
at both beginnei anu auvanceu levels.
The acauemy offeis small gioup piano lessons as well. In this class, stuuents
age 4 anu up leain to play the piano at theii own pace thiough theoiy games,
inuepenuent lesson books anu positive teaching. 0vei the past 16 yeais these tools
have pioven to be a veiy successful means of teaching anu have helpeu to make a
numbei of stuuents successful musicians.
In auuition, Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic offeis auult gioup classes in violin
anu guitai. These wonueiful classes offei potential stuuents a fun anu comfoitable
way to leain to play theii instiument of choice suiiounueu by olu anu new fiienus.
The suppoitive anu fiienuly enviionment of these classes welcomes both beginnei
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anu auvanceu musicians.
At the close of each yeai all stuuents have the option to paiticipate in a iecital
to uisplay theii musical talent. Family anu fiienus gathei to watch musicians
piefoim a vaiiety of musical numbeis, uiscuss piogiess with teacheis anu see
fiisthanu what Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic has taught theii stuuent.


Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic is not the only music school in the aiea. The
acauemy's competition is the Louisiana Acauemy of Peifoiming Aits in Covington,
Louisiana anu The Nusic Acauemy in Nanueville, Louisiana.


The acauemy's public ielations managei, Allie Bomingues, uoes an excellent
job piomoting the company to the public. The school has a well uevelopeu website,
Facebook anu instagiam page. They use infoimational flyeis, emails, biochuies anu
newsletteis to help uelivei theii message to theii key publics. Also, the school
auveitises in local magazines such as !"#$%&'%()'*+ -".*/ anu 0$* 1%+& 2%3*('"34.
Regionally, Noithlake Acauemy of Nusic is iateu the numbei one music
acauemy in the gieatei New 0ileans aiea. Nationally, the school is hoping to expanu
ovei the next yeai anu open new locations in Bouston, Texas. They aie also woiking
with a fianchise company to expanu the acauemy's Tots-N-Tunes piogiam nation
COMPETITION
PUBLIC RELATIONS EFFORTS
REGIONAL AND NATIONAL STATE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS INDUSTRY
wiue.
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Northlake Academy of Music actively uses Facebook as their main social media
outlet, and recently initiated an Instagram account. The main messages communicationed
are informative and let the viewer understand the program and their events from day to
day. Currently there at 410 likes on the Facebook page. The Instagram account, which
was created in the first week of November, has kicked off with 24 followers and is slowly
increasing. Some examples of recent posts on the Facebook page include photographs
from the Tots-N-Tunes classes and information about the upcoming spring semester.
Each post roughly receives between 5-20 likes and comments. A lot of the interactions
are with parents of the students, voicing their opinion about their excitement toward the
program. The organization responds to their audience by replying to comments with
information regarding the programs offered.
Northlake Academy of Music also uses a few traditional media tactics such as
fliers, brochures, letters to parents and weekly online newsletters. Owner Leslie
Domingues started off her business by passing out hundreds of fliers around Mandeville.
But now that the organizations social media tactics have expanded, fliers are not used
often unless made for specific events. There are informational brochures on location for
customers and potential customers. Lastly, newsletters are passed out to the Tots-N-
Tunes parents weekly and emails are sent out to the parents to share announcements.
Many of the traditional media tactics were transferred into online content for easier
access and to reach a larger target audience.
The content used through social media include pictures, fliers, brochures and
COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS
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content about day-to-day activities. There are photo albums including summer camp
pictures and recital composites. There is also a recent promotional post that includes a
link to a news article regarding the owner, Leslie Domingues, and her recent nomination
for an Active Partnership award. The majority of the posts are engaging and transparent,
providing insight into exactly what goes on in the studio.
Overall, the social media strategy has been successful in the amount of time its
been implemented, but the company is expanding and making improvements by engaging
with customers in a more timely and strategic matter, posting throughout specific times of
the day to receive the most traffic. In result, there has been a lot of provided feedback
complementing the studio, staff and program. Examples include a post stating, Brock is
loving music camp!!! You girls are amazing!!! The Northlake Academy of Music
admins responded in 16 minutes saying, He is such a joy! Another example is, Thank
you to the music teachers at Northlake Academy. Andy loves takes piano lessons and
actually wants to practice at home! Northlake Academy of Musics admin replied four
hours later, We are so glad Andy is enjoying his lessons with us! Keep up the hard
work, Andy!
Their social media aligns with the overall business goal because the goal of the
company is to share the gift of music in a positive and rewarding way. The Facebook
page reflects this accurately with the optimistic comments and posts directed to their
audience.
Northlake Academy of Musics use of Facebook as their main social media outlet
is appropriate because many clients are mothers enrolling their children. Adults are most
present on Facebook, as opposed to any other social media platforms. Facebook also
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gives the opportunity to post photographs in an efficient way, which is a positive asset for
Northlake Academy of Music. The audience connects well with the content being photos.
No other social media platform would be as engaging as the Facebook account is to users
for Northlake Academy of Music.



Strengths: Northlake Academy of Musics strengths are that they are the best of
their kind in their area. They were voted Northshores Best Music School in 2011 and
2012. Their music studio is also top notch, complete with a choir room, a Tots-N-Tunes
room, a violin room and 12 classrooms, each complete with guitars and upright pianos.
There is also an interesting incentive that Northlake does to keep the students motivated
with practicing. During each lesson, if a student practiced that week or memorized a
song, they are rewarded a music dollar. Students can save up their dollars to then spend
them on gift cards, candy or games. A huge strength of Northlake is their ability to come
up with creative ways to engage the students. Northlake Academy of Music also has a
Tots-N-Tunes program and a Tunes Together program, which are programs that most
other music schools in the area do not have. Tots-N-Tunes classes are offered for ages
two and up, and is a preschool setting which includes live music, creative movement,
games and more. Tunes Together is a Mommy & Me music class for ages 12-24 months,
and offers the same kinds of fun activities that Tots-N-Tunes does, but for the mothers
and toddlers to share together. The Northlake Academy of Music choir is also among the
highest caliber, with five of the members a part of the Nation Childrens Honor Chorus.
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
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The choir has also sung at various events, such as Zephyrs Baseball games and New
Orleans Christmas in the Oaks.
Weaknesses: One of the weaknesses Northlake faces is the size of the studio. In
2012, they moved into a newly renovated building that was twice the size of their old
studio. Now, a little over a year later, the studio is filled nearly every day of the week.
We love how the business is blossoming with our new studio, says Leslie Domingues,
owner of Northlake Academy of Music. I once heard the saying that once you have to
turn away business, your business is done growing. We dont want to be done growing.
We want to keep accepting new students and sharing the gift of music with them as well.
An addition to our studio will hopefully be in our plans soon. This weakness could
easily be resolved, despite how expensive and time consuming such an endeavor would
take. Another weakness is the lack of substitute teachers, according to owner Leslie
Domingues. When teachers call in sick the day of their afternoon teaching lessons it is
sometimes hard to find open spots where in-house staff can substitute. Adding a
permanent substitute would help alleviate this situation.
Opportunities: Northlake Academy of Music thrives on business via word of
mouth. In the beginning, owner Leslie Domingues and her family and friends went door-
to-door and car-to-car to pass out fliers. Today, she doesnt need to do that because the
name of her academy is so well known in the Mandeville-Covington area. She has an
opportunity to spread the word more, possibly with fliers to students at local schools, or
maybe hosting more open to the public events at the studio, resulting in more clientele
then there was before. Another opportunity is the short distance between the locations in
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Mandeville and New Orleans allow Northlake to monopolize the business because there
are few schools that specialize in the same aspects as Northlake Academy.
Threats: A large threat for Northlake Academy of Music is other music schools
in the area. Although Northlake currently holds the Best Music School title for the
Northshore, there is always the possibility that another school could somehow be
rewarded the name. Moreover, Northlake Academy of Music plans to actively seek
opportunities that will set the school apart from other local music schools. This can be
achieved through various marketing efforts, social media campaigns and promotional
events.
Research of the Northlake Academy of Music has shown that the school needs to
increase social media efforts to establish a more definitive online presence. While word
of mouth has proven to contribute greatly to the success of the academy, majority of
people use social media to gain more information about companies and organizations.
With a well established social media plan, Northlake Academy of Music can have the
opportunity to see enrollment rates reach numbers that they have never seen before.


The Northlake Academy of Music was created to develop and showcase talent in
our community that was hidden before its cultivation. In order for Northlake Academy of
Music to achieve its maximum potential and grow interest on social media, the school
will need to achieve a stronger hyper local online presence. This campaign will be
performed specifically through Facebook, the primary platform that the academy uses to
reach its demographic.
OBJECTIVES
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One way that the academy can achieve its goal of an enrollment rate increase by
20 percent in January 2014 would be through promoting 50 percent off of the first month
of tuition through a New Years Resolution social media campaign. The campaign will
launch December 1, 2014. The social media campaign would be composed of multiple
components. In addition to having a specific Facebook cover photo and profile picture to
promote the tuition discount, Northlake Academy of Music will post various statuses
encouraging Facebook users to enroll in the school to help them achieve their resolutions.
An example of a post would be, Have you ever thought about learning how to play the
piano? 2015 is your year. Let us help you achieve your New Years Resolution today
and get 50 percent off of your first month of tuition. In posting these various statuses,
users will be constantly reminded of the 50 percent off discount and will become more
interested in pursuing enrollment into the academy.
Another goal that Northlake Academy of Music can achieve to improve its online
presence is by aiming to increase the number of Facebook likes on the Music Academy
page by 20 percent by the end of January 2014. In order to achieve the growth in
Facebook likes, the academy would start a digital raffle to win an instrument. The
competition would encourage users to share a promotional image of the prize instrument
accompanied by statistics regarding music education and its effect on better student
outcomes. Facebook users that share the post will be entered into the raffle to win the
instrument. In order for the user to win the prize, the user will have to like the Northlake
Academy of Music Facebook page and share the raffle photo. Users that share the photo
will reach numerous amounts of people in the community who have never heard of the
Northlake Academy of Music. This is especially beneficial using Facebook since the
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photo is shared with a users real friends, most of which may reside in the local
community which the Northlake Academy of Music serves. This results in users seeking
out more information about the different programs and lessons the academy offers.
A third way that the academy can establish itself on Facebook is to simply
increase awareness of the school. The school should specifically aim to have the number
of Facebook fans increase by 15 percent in January 2014. This can be achieved through
posting videos of the students and teachers of Northlake Academy of Music onto the
Facebook page expressing the reasons why they love Northlake. The campaign can also
include images and information on former students and their outcomes post graduation.
Another awareness tool the Northlake Academy of Music could use is to post
Music Tips of the Day and other fun and interesting facts about music to increase their
online interaction rate and get their followers more interested in all that the music school
has to offer. For instance, an example of a post would be, Did you know that children
who play a musical instrument tend to have more advanced reading skills than their peers
who do not participate in music lessons? Not only is this a pretty interesting fact, but it
also has the potential to act as a hidden marketing strategy because this post would likely
push parents to seek out more information about how to get their children involved in
music lessons.
In January of 2014, the academy can analyze their Facebook analytics and
registration rates to see whether or not they were able to accomplish their set goals. Since
the Northlake Academy of Music is relatively new to Facebook, there is a lot of room for
growth and expansion. These strategies are an excellent place to start and depending on
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the results, can be used for years to come in a multitude of creative ways to keep users
engaged and continue to increase traffic to the page.