Hochstein School of Music and Dance is offering an adult rock group for M5 Network employees in Rochester, NY,  who will play against other branches in a battle of the bands. The telecom company says it wants its employees to learn new things (and stay happy). The School of Rock for Adults at M5, led by Ivan Trevino, is a first for Hochstein. The program stemmed from a meeting with the founder of M5's Rochester office, Phelim White, who is a musician himself and believes in the power of music to not only boost staff morale and teamwork but also the company's bottom line.

"White says most people don't want to learn something new they're really insecure about. But the founders of M5 met while playing music, and company CEO Dan Hoffman says he's long wanted to find a way to incorporate the ethos of a rock band into his growing telecom business. M5 execs say the program is about more than just finding time to jam. There's no better way to build a team than to start a band, White says."[There's] the accounting person getting together with an engineer and a sales guy — all these different departments coming together as a band — as a unit — and learning how to be great together," he says. [. . .] [And] ultimately, White says, M5 Rocks is about enhancing the bottom line. "Happy colleagues, happy customers, right?" he says. "If you're going to have a commitment to your customers loving your service, the first commitment has to be to the staff." (NPR, "Hard Day's Delight," January 17, 2012)

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