About Us
ROOTS Academy is a music lesson & dance studio that passionately believes in the power of the arts to impact lives and inspire creativity for the benefit of the community and the world.
What We Offer
Private in-studio30, 45, and 60-minute per week music lessons in piano, guitar, voice, drums, violin, cello, ukulele, bass, songwriting and more
Private at-home 30, 45, and 60-minute per week music lessons in piano, guitar, voice, drums, violin, cello, ukulele, bass, songwriting and more. Currently serving Franklin & Brentwood.
Music performance opportunities through quarterly showcases in the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer.
Recreational, performance and competitive dance classes for students starting at age 18 months through 18+
Annual end-of-the-season dance recital in May/June
Immersive musical theatre classes with a focus on jazz technique, musical theatre styling, and storytelling
Summer camps offered for both music and dance programs
Our Values
Our mission is to train and develop musicians and dancers through leadership that inspires, serves and challenges everyone to give their best.
We believe passionately in the power of the arts to impact lives and inspire creativity for the benefit of our community and the world.
We are so confident that you’ll love your experience at ROOTS that we guarantee your satisfaction for the first 30 days (4 classes or lessons), or your money back.
What Our Parents Say…
Our dancer wanted to grow and longed to be immensely challenged! We found that with this studio, and found mentors who saw her for who she was, loved and nurtured her talent, and cultivated her technique and helped her strengthen her skills in a safe environment. Do you know what else we found? We found a family too!
All three of my kids ranging in age from 7-15 have participated in music lessons and dance classes. Not only has the programming been excellent, but the staff at ROOTS are the friendliest people we’ve ever worked with! There really is a joy in the building every time you walk through the door.
At ROOTS, there is just as much emphasis on growing caring, responsible kids with integrity as there is on growing amazing students. ROOTS has it all…great leadership, mentors, office staff and students! We have been to several other studios and nowhere compares to ROOTS!
recognized by…
Meet our Team
Leadership Team
Dance Admin Team
Music Admin Team
Operations Team
Tour Our Studio
Located in the heart of Cool Springs, the ROOTS Academy Campus consists of our Main and Annex buildings totaling 16,500 square feet. Onsite, we have 14 music studios, 6 dance studios with sprung floors, 1 band studio, 4 lobby areas with workspaces and sitting areas, 80+ parking spaces, vending machine and screaming fast Wi-Fi.
TOUR OUR STUDIO
News & Updates
Summer 2024 was an incredible 10 weeks of fun, friendship, and performances at ROOTS Academy!
Over 800 students participated in 36 music and dance camps from Hip Hop, Princess Camps, Rock Band Week, Taylor Swift Voice Camps, Songwriting, Band Intensives, Dance Intensives and so many more! It was a summer […]
Calling all aspiring musicians ages 6 – adults!
ROOTS Academy is thrilled to announce our Music Free Trial Week July 29 – August 3, 2024, a special opportunity for new students to experience the magic of music with a complimentary 30-minute lesson from one of our professional mentors.
Register today to […]
ROOTS Academy hosted its 12th Annual Dance Recital themed “The Journey: Trust it. Enjoy it. Embrace it.” at Belmont University Fischer Center on May 11-12, 2024. Over 680 dancers performed for 4,200+ attendees, showcasing hard work and talent. We are excited for the 2024-25 season!
ROOTS Academy celebrates winning the Best Youth Arts/Music Program at the 2024 FranklinIs Sizzle Awards, marking a milestone in our commitment to nurturing young artists. Learn about our growth, community support, and the exciting launch of ROOTS at Home.
This summer, ROOTS Academy welcomes children aged 5-18 to an array of exciting music and dance camps running from May through August. Our camps, tailored to various skill levels and interests, provide a dynamic and engaging environment where young enthusiasts can explore their artistic passions and build lasting skills.
Our journey to a decade of 'Best of Parenting' awards in music and dance, a testament to our commitment to arts education excellence and the unwavering support of our community in Williamson County."
Our Promise to You
We are so confident that you’re going to love your experience at ROOTS that we guarantee your satisfaction for the first 30 days (4 classes or lessons), or your money back.*
Our History
August 2012
Kyle & Kristy Chowning purchased the business, thanks to the generosity of our investors, Warren & Evelyn Hall.
January 2013
Name was changed from School of Worship to ROOTS Academy
Launched ROOTS Dance
June 2013
Launched our first season of Summer music & dance camps
March 2014
Hosted our first “ROOTS at Frothy” performance night
February 2015
February: Launched in Thompson Station (closed in January 2016)
August 2016
Due to growth, we leased a building 1/4 mile from our original location and opened “Studio B”, giving us one additional dance studio, for a total of two.
October 2016
Hosted our first “ROOTS at The Well” student performance night
July 2017
Owners purchased and begun renovations on 320 Southgate Court, Brentwood, TN—the new, permanent home, for ROOTS Academy. This 11,000 square foot building allowed us to expand to three dance studios, 13 music studios and added much-needed office space for our growing administrative team.
October 2017
Moved out of our original location at 216 Seaboard and our second location (Studio B) into one, completely renovated, studio space at 320 Southgate Court.
ROOTS Dance took the stage for our first dance competition
May 2019
Owners acquire the 5500 square foot building next door to the current building, to expand our capacity to a total of 16,500 square feet, including five dance studios, 13 music studios, and band studio.
November 2019
Opened The Annex building with two additional dance studios, totaling 2700 additional square feet of sprung floor studio space, as well as a 600 square foot band studio space for our growing Band program. Inside, you’ll find two lobby areas with ample living room style seating and The Homework Table—a 12′ table for students to do school work in-between classes. And of course, screaming fast Wi-Fi.
March 2020
The global pandemic hits and “out of an abundance of caution” and due to the unprecedented local stay-at-home order, we pivot and take our entire music and dance programs virtual.
MAY 2020
The show must go on! Due to lessons and classes being hosted virtually since the March shutdown, the ROOTS team pivoted again and created and streamed our first ever (and hopefully last) virtual music & dance recitals. Not even a pandemic can stop us from getting “on-stage.”
June 2020
After being closed to the public since March 14th due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we re-opened the studio to the public.
January 2022
For the first time in ROOTS history, we passed 1,000 actively enrolled students in our music and dance programs.
July 2022
ROOTS Dance Academy was recognized for its achievements in competitive dance by winning multiple National Championships at our first ever Dance Nationals Competition.
August 2022
ROOTS Celebrates 10 Years
January 2024
Launched ROOTS at Home, providing music lessons at home for customers living in Franklin & Brentwood
Frequently Asked Questions
We know making that first step in choosing your instrument is a tough one. Don’t let that stop you! We are committed to helping your student find the right fit. If you’re unhappy with your mentor or instrument, you can simply let us know and we’ll try a different option. We offer a one-time free trial lesson for all new students to try out your instrument of choice to ensure it’s a good fit. We’re committed to partnering with you to find the absolute best fit instrument and mentor!
Every lesson and class is led by instructors that we purposely call “mentors.” We take the responsibility of training the next generation seriously. Each of our mentors is not only thoroughly background checked, trained, and empowered to develop the student’s gifts and talents, but also to build trusted and reliable connections. We believe that if the students trust the environment and mentor, they will thrive and grow faster. You can meet our Music Mentors here!
Absolutely. Making an instrument or mentor change is easy. Simply contact our office at (615) 804-1177 or music@rootsacademy.com and let them know what you’d like to do. They’ll be happy to talk you through your options.
Absolutely! As long as we hear from you at least 24 hours before your scheduled lesson, you will receive a once-monthly make-up for your missed lessons.
Make-ups are not permitted for no-shows or multiple missed lessons per month.
We offer hassle-free withdrawals and/or temporary lesson holds. The only requirement is to submit your request to withdraw at least 30 days prior to the next billing cycle. Withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing using this form. Withdrawals will be processed within three business days.
The first step to determining the appropriate class for your dancer is to find the appropriate age division.
- Toddler (ages 2.5 – 3)
- Preschool (ages 3-4)
- Peewee (5-6)
- Mini (ages 7-8)
- Junior (ages 9-11)
- Teen (ages 12-14)
- Senior (ages 15-18)
Toddler, Preschool, and Peewee dancers must be the proper age by August 15th for their group.
Older students (ages 6+) must be the proper age by January 1st of the following year
Once you know which group is best, you can view the classes available. We have two types of classes – open and placement. Open classes require no dance experience. Placement classes are more advanced for dancers with previous experience. For placement classes, the ROOTS dance staff would love to set up an evaluation in a class with your dancer.
If the class you’re interested in is already full, please sign up for the waitlist. This ensures you’ll be alerted if a spot opens up. If a space becomes available, we’ll reach out to confirm your interest. Only once a spot is secured for you will you be charged for tuition.
Yes! We will host Master Classes and Workshops to give our dancers and dancers in the community opportunities to come in and learn from the best. You can find out more about ROOTS Dance Master Classes and Workshops here.
The money-back guarantee is based on the following requirements:
- The student is required to attend four consecutive weeks of lessons/classes
- Parent/student must notify the front office regarding their dissatisfaction by the third week, giving us an opportunity to improve your learning experience.
- Refunds will be paid by check and delivered within 10-14 business days.
Recital participation is not required, however, it is strongly recommended. We expect that all ROOTS dancers are performing in the Recital unless we hear otherwise. If you are unable to perform, please email us as soon as possible at dance@rootsacademy.com