Some people follow a path that’s been laid out before them. Others build their own. Maryam Rastegar Poor is one of the latter. As co-founder of Melodica Music Academy, she’s doing more than just running a business; she’s shaping a cultural shift across the UAE through music, movement, and meaningful education.
Her work blends business with artistry, passion with purpose. She brings a performer’s heart and an entrepreneur’s mind into everything she does, leading with both intuition and intention. The result is a music and dance academy that has become one of the most respected institutions of its kind in the region.
A Passion-Based Vision
Maryam’s journey started with music. It was not a career strategy; it was who she was. “Music has been an integral part of my identity right from childhood,” she states. What started as a personal interest slowly turned into a professional mission.
When she joined forces with her business partner, Afshin, to open Melodica, it wasn’t to become an entrepreneur. It was to provide something she felt the area lacked, a dearth of organized, quality music and dance education. The academy didn’t have overnight success. It was years of hard work, study, and perfecting. Melodica is now the UAE’s biggest music and dance academy, but to Maryam, its true triumph is the number of lives it has changed. Melodica has developed over the years as a cultural epicenter where talent is harvested and aspirations soar,” she clarified.
“Success in music comes from mastering both your passion and your purpose.”
Balancing Creativity and Business Acumen
Maryam fits two hats: one for an artist, the other for a businesswoman. She doesn’t perceive them as mutually exclusive but sees them as complementing each other.
“We’ve implemented a robust business framework that ensures sustainability without compromising artistic integrity,” she shared.
At Melodica, this means constant innovation, strong operations, and a deep respect for the creative process. Whether it’s updating the curriculum, expanding branches, or introducing new teaching methodologies, Maryam makes sure every move is grounded in strategy but powered by heart. Students don’t just attend classes; they explore their voice, their style, and their confidence.
Overcoming Challenges in a Creative Industry
Leading an academy in the arts is not without its unique challenges. One of the biggest has been maintaining consistent quality as the academy grows. With multiple branches and hundreds of staff, staying true to the original vision takes continuous effort.
“Finding and keeping enthusiastic teachers who share our vision is always a priority,” she clarified.
Staffing is just half the battle, however. With technology transforming education and student needs changing, Maryam has had to evolve. From reformulating old-fashioned teaching methods to adopting computer-based learning platforms, she’s responded to these changes with wonder and imagination. To her, every challenge is an invitation to learn.
“Innovation starts with listening—to your students, your team, and your inner artist.”
Keeping Pace with a Changing World
What keeps Melodica on the cutting edge is not only its certification programs, but also the fact that it listens and reacts. Maryam and her staff remain in close touch with students, parents, and the wider market, responding seriously to feedback and using it to drive development.
“Our courses change according to the feedback and market conditions,” she says.
Technology is a big part of it. Melodica provides online music instruction and incorporates AI tools to provide a more personalized learning experience. Their retail department, offering top-shelf musical instruments such as their own Steiner and Heinrich brand, provides students with resources equal to their aspirations. This method transforms the academy into something greater than an academy. It becomes a complete experience where students can learn, perform, and receive anything they may need to fuel their path.
Teaching with Empathy
To Maryam, leadership is not about rank; it’s about human beings. “To me, leadership is about vision, empathy, and empowerment,” she states. She doesn’t simply care about performance indicators or policy. She cares about people.
By building a culture of trust, she inspires her teachers to innovate and her students to thrive. She listens, she supports, and she creates room for collaboration. Excellence feels within reach in this type of environment because it’s based on belonging. Melodica’s goal is not just to produce performers. It’s to mold well-rounded people. “We work on performances, teamwork, discipline, and self-expression so that it’s a wholesome learning experience,” she shared.
Melodica students learn something beyond technique. They develop confidence, emotional intelligence, and communication skills. From conquering stage presence to being a team player, they’re acquiring tools that are far-reaching beyond the schoolroom. This is what makes the academy so powerful. It equips students for life, not recitals.
“Music education is not an extracurricular; it’s a foundation for life.”
Celebrating Impact, Not Just Growth
Asked to name the achievement she’s proudest of, Maryam doesn’t start with awards. She talks about tales. “Witnessing shy kids come alive and become confident performers on stage, witnessing our type of education empower lives, that’s the impact that drives me,” she says.
Naturally, the recognition Melodica has achieved is noteworthy. From the Stevie International Business Award to the Gulf News Award for Excellence in Music Education, these accolades are evidence of the influence of the academy. However, for Maryam, actual success is intimate. It’s quantified by change, not awards.
Finding Balance in the Chaos
It is no easy task to maintain a rapidly expanding business alongside one’s well-being. But Maryam doesn’t advocate about keeping work and life strictly separate. “Music is my passion as well as my profession, and therefore I derive satisfaction from my work,” she adds.
That purposeful feeling keeps her grounded. With an adequate support system, great delegation skills, and care for herself, she keeps her energy focused. Her secret isn’t that she is perfect; it’s that she is intentional with her energy and time.
“When you teach music, you teach confidence, discipline, and creativity all at once.”
Advice for Dreamers and Doers
Maryam’s words of wisdom to young entrepreneurs from her own experience. “Stay attached to your passion, but construct with strategy. Invest in quality, innovate relentlessly, and build a culture that people want to be a part of,” she said.
She doesn’t sugarcoat the reality that the arts business is uncertain. But she does point out the fun. Success, in her mind, falls to people who can merge imagination and discipline: people who dream, but work as well.
A Cultural Vision for the Middle East
Melodica, for Maryam, is more than music. It’s creating cultural bridges and finding common ground for artistic expression in the region.
“We see Melodica as a cornerstone in the Middle East’s development as a global performing arts and culture hub,” she said. Whether through concerts, competitions, or outreach, the academy is emerging as a force for change, a force that elevates voices, bridges communities, and inspires futures. It’s not merely about instruction in the arts. It’s about crafting identity.
A Legacy in the Making
Looking forward, Maryam wishes to leave behind not just a brand. She wishes to leave a legacy. “My legacy is one of empowerment; giving children, artists, and communities the tools to express themselves, grow, and succeed,” she states.
Through Melodica, not only is she shaping the arts, but she is also changing the way education can develop the entire person. Her efforts demonstrate that music is not merely something in school. It’s a powerful agent of connection, healing, and change. And that’s the future she’s writing, one student at a time.
