CLEARWATER, FL — After more than two decades in broadcast television, including serving as general manager of a Tampa-area Telemundo station, Jayme Neto is starting his next chapter in music education.
Neto and his wife, Marina Coelho, are the owners of School of Rock Clearwater, which will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday with a free, family-friendly event featuring live music, tours, sample lessons and hands-on opportunities for visitors to play instruments.
The school is located at 1530 McMullen Booth Road.
For Neto, the move from television to music-school owner represents more than a career change; it's a return to a passion that has been part of his life since childhood, he told Patch.
Originally from Brazil, he moved to the United States in 1997 and began his broadcast career after graduating from college. He worked for Telemundo in Washington, D.C., eventually becoming a station manager in Raleigh, North Carolina, before moving to the Tampa Bay area in 2007.
He served as general manager of the local Telemundo station until 2023.
But music remained a constant throughout his professional career.
Neto studied guitar at a conservatory in Brazil for about two years and began college as a double major in music performance and business. He ultimately pursued business, but later earned a certificate in music business and technology from Berklee College of Music and a master's degree in entertainment business from Full Sail University.
Then his family's experience with School of Rock helped inspire a new direction.
Neto and Coelho's two children, now 12 and 10, attended School of Rock in St. Petersburg. Watching the program help their children grow musically and personally ultimately led the couple to consider opening a location of their own.
"School of Rock has been such an important and meaningful part of our children's lives and we're so excited to bring this amazing concept to the Clearwater area and make the experience we've had available to more families," Coelho said in a news release.
The couple began the transition toward School of Rock ownership in early 2023.
They considered buying an existing School of Rock in Washington, D.C., where Neto began his broadcasting career, but ultimately chose to remain in the Tampa Bay area and open a new location in Clearwater.
"We already built roots here, and Clearwater is such an amazing market to work," he said. "There's so many families here with young children, and we felt that it would be the right choice to come in here."
The school opened several months ago, enrolling 85 students, including nearly 20 adults, by the end of May, Neto said. The school also recently held its first student performance at Dunedin Brewery.
School of Rock Clearwater currently has room to grow, with the facility designed to accommodate approximately 325 to 350 students, he added.
The school offers weekly individual instruction in guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals, along with group rehearsals that culminate in live performances at real venues.
Although many of its students are children and teenagers, Neto said the adult program has also been popular.
"Not only music, but education itself for us is super important," he said. "That's also one of the reasons why we decided to go with an education business, helping children and teenagers in their growth paths."
For Neto's own children, the new school represents a continuation of a musical journey that began at School of Rock in St. Petersburg. They now attend their parents' school in Clearwater.
"They're very excited and proud that we have one," he said.
The School of Rock Clearwater grand opening will take place from 1 to 4 p.m., and will include guided tours, sample individual and group lessons, live performances by student bands, face painting, and a $100 gift card raffle courtesy of Gator Cases.
Visitors will also be able to meet instructors and try out instruments in a "Rock Star Zone."
See Also:
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Clearwater Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.