How Breaking the Barrier School of Music Got Its Start
Our owners, Nic and Cortney D’Orsaneo, were recently guests on The What’s Happening Delco Podcast. Keep reading to learn a little more about what they had to say throughout of the episode.
The What’s Happening Delco Podcast is known for spotlighting and promoting individuals and businesses in Delaware County. Rich Shane sat down with Nic and Cortney to talk about Breaking the Barrier and how it came into fruition.
What is Breaking the Barrier?
Nic and Cortney began by explaining a little about their school. As our students and parents know, BTB is about making music accessible to everyone. They both have extensive backgrounds in special needs education, music education, and music in general, and they poured their knowledge into their school. BTB’s main focus is neurodivergent learners of all kinds, and they create specialized lessons for every child and adult who takes lessons with them.
How Did They End Up Here?
Nic and Cortney met at West Chester University, where Nic was teaching private lessons throughout the area. He loved the Delco area and community so much that he decided to bring his lessons to Aston through his own business. Nic and Cortney also realized that there wasn’t a single music school focused on students with special needs in the area, which led them to create one.
Aha Moments
BTB was established during COVID-19, making it difficult to create the community they longed for. They even ran lessons out of their house while Cortney was pregnant in the very beginning. However, Nic and Cortney began to see things come together as their community started to grow. Their dream was to create a family atmosphere where they could truly get to know their students and parents—and that is exactly what they did.
Nic and Cortney also realized their dream was becoming a reality through the teachers they hired. They didn’t just want teachers who were hired simply because they knew how to play instruments. Instead, they wanted to staff their school with teachers who truly want to teach music and who have established their passion for it through their education.
The Lessons
BTB offers lessons for woodwind, brass, percussion, strings, voice, and theory. Almost all of the teachers at the studio play and can teach multiple instruments, making the lessons quite versatile. They have 11 teachers, so they are small but mighty.
Lessons are strategically tailored to each student depending on their needs. For example, if a student comes in wanting to play piano and later decides they want to learn drums, they can often stay with the same teacher and continue learning everything they want to know about music. This flexibility helps boost the quality of lessons at BTB, which is one of the reasons the school now has over 140 students.
Who Inspires Nic and Cortney?
Nic was inspired by his parents because of their hard work and dedication. He became a musician later in life, so he knew he had to buckle down and work hard—just like his parents did—to achieve his dream of becoming a musician.
Cortney’s main inspiration is actually Nic. She grew up in a very musical family where it was expected that she would continue being a musician her whole life. However, things changed when she went off to college and stepped away from music. It wasn’t until she met Nic that she realized she could return to music and approach it in her own way.
To hear the rest of the podcast episode, search for The What’s Happening Delco Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We are grateful to have been featured on the show and would like to thank Rich and everyone at What’s Happening Delco. See you next week!
As an institution that is a beat above the rest, Breaking the Barrier School of Music provides quality music lessons in a family atmosphere to students of all ages and skillsets. For more articles like these or information on this school, visit https://btbschoolofmusic.com/
