When Jaclyn Bradley stepped onto a preschool stage at age three and belted out her first solo, Bing Crosby’s “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” she learned something that would shape her entire life. “I realized that in a very short amount of time, one song could make people really joyful,” she says about her performance at Open Door Christian Schools in Elyria. Decades later, after opera training, rock tours, international television singing competitions and a life lived on stages across the world, she returned to her hometown of Lorain to build a place where music could change lives every day. That place became Rock Town Music Academy.
Bradley’s childhood home was always vibrant with music. “I would watch MTV when I was a kid,” she says. “I was inspired by the performances, and I manifested that someday I am going to be on MTV.” Her talent carried her to Indiana University, which she describes as one of the best voice programs in the country. “I got really good technical training that I use now with my voice students.”
Although she earned a degree in classical vocal performance, her heart leaned toward contemporary music. “My dad is a lawyer, and he wanted me to go to law school, and I wanted to be a rock star,” she says. “We compromised with classical vocal performance.” But after graduating, she decided to follow her passion fully.
Her pursuit of music took her to New York City, where she wrote and recorded original songs. She later moved to Los Angeles and toured as a backup singer for Ty Stone, who was signed to Kid Rock’s label. Life led her across the Atlantic, where she married, became a mother and continued performing. While living in Europe, she competed on The Voice of Holland. Her journey continued in Ireland, where she competed on Ireland’s Got Talent. Although she sees her path as eclectic, she also sees purpose in it. “It is a hodgepodge when you look at it, but it is also a lot of experiences that I wanted to pay forward,” she says.
In the summer of 2018, she returned home for a visit and offered voice lessons for three months. “I put an ad up on social media, and within half an hour I had like 20 students,” she says. “I realized there was a need for music lessons in the area.” After moving back to Lorain permanently in 2019, she decided to open a music school. At the same time, her father, Jack Bradley was elected mayor of Lorain, prompting Jaclyn to write the song “Hometown,” which has become a resident anthem for the International City.
Rock Town Music Academy opened in 2020. “We had to improvise with masks and build screens for the singers and do a lot of Zoom lessons,” she says. “But we continued to grow.”
Today, the school serves about 100 students and offers lessons in voice, guitar, piano, violin, cello, saxophone, drums and recording arts. “It has grown from just a girl who came home and gave some voice lessons to a fully operating music school with 11 staff members,” she says. Many of her instructors are active performers. “They have a lot of skill and experience to inspire their students with.”
Students perform at the Palace Theater, where “for that day, they see their beauty and become a star,” Bradley says. Some students have become recording artists with songs on streaming platforms. The academy also hosts Rock Band workshops and adult ensembles.
Bradley still teaches voice and loves watching students find their confidence. “We are a place for the creative soul,” she says. “If music is your thing, there is a place for you right in the city of Lorain.”
