We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mark Peay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mark below.

Hi Mark, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Famed actor Denzel Washington once said, “The first part of your life you LEARN, the second part of your life you EARN, and the third part of your life you RETURN. Writing, publishing, and releasing my new book, “The Encore of Elevation” is one of my most prized projects because it allows me to return. Return as in to give back and impart knowledge, experience and wisdom to this generation and those that follow. This book is more than a music industry guide—it’s a strategic blueprint for creatives ready to rise and it delivers a roadmap for artistic sustainability and financial breakthrough for those of all ages.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

“I’m making a Mark that cannot be erased”. How, you ask? By being myself. You see, I have lived my life believing there was a purpose and reason why my parents named me “Mark”. As a proud native of Baltimore, MD., I’ve been deeply rooted in the arts and entertainment industry, with experience on both the East and West Coasts—including Atlanta and Los Angeles. I graduated from the Baltimore School of Performing Arts and was honored to receive a scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as Musical Director for Grammy-nominated recording artist Kelly Price, award-winning playwright and director Tyler Perry, and the renowned actress and singer Loretta Devine, among others.

I am currently blessed to serve as Director of Choral Activities at Charles R. Drew Charter School in the sprawling East Lake area of Atlanta, GA. I love serving my community and our youth by empowering them in arts education and STEAM.

When I was younger, I was misdiagnosed as having autism because of my excessive rhythmic prowess… I beat on the tables a lot in school. Teachers found it distracting. But later discovered that it was my musical giftedness that made me stand out and excel. This is why I have chosen my current field and vocation, because there are many other students out there like I was. Students who are neurodivergent and need us to teach how they learn, not force them to learn how we teach.
My educational motto is: “Children don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

My desire is to continue to foster an appreciation for music and the arts in the youth of our communities as an educator, while speaking publicly, motivationally, and through my concerts, both in the US and abroad. I seek opportunities to do public speaking engagements, workshops, and staff coaching on Music and Arts engagement and Cultural Diversity.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes. It is bringing understanding and awareness to neurodiversity and its impact on gifted and talented kids and socio-emotional learning. As a student who was recognized as “gifted” when I was 7, people tended to label me as “special” or on the autism spectrum because of the way I processed and my creative bent and propensities. It wasn’t until I was an adult who had found my lane that I realised it was my superpower.

As an experienced music educator and youth advocate, I’ve had the privilege of teaching neurodiverse and neurotypical students in elementary and middle school settings. These terms—neurodiverse and neurotypical—reflect different ways of experiencing and processing the world, and each brings unique contributions to music and the performing arts.

Understanding and calling attention to these differences has proven to be my life’s work through my music and arts, and is the reason why writing my first book, The Encore of Elevation, was so important to me.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of my favorite movies is Disney’s The Lion King. Not just because lions are my favorite animal or because of the memorable characters and the award-winning music soundtrack. It’s my favorite creative work because of its pedagogical premise of ” The Circle of Life”; how our existence is a process of Circles, Cycles, and Seasons. As I mentioned earlier, The seasons of our lives should consist of Learning, Earning, and Returning. The most rewarding of the three is my present phase, the Returning phase. As an educator of children and music, seeing things come full circle for me makes every day a gift to me! Whether in my classroom, in a chorus rehearsal, or giving one of my private piano lessons, being the teacher that I needed when I was young is the most gratifying and fulfilling feeling!

I remember being a middle school student and being in piano lab class with about 13 other students. We all sat at our individual electric pianos with our headphones on, working on our assigned piece in our piano book. Being a lover of R and B and Soul music even as a youngster back then, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to try to figure out the famous horn line from Stevie Wonder’s song “Sir Duke” by ear. After all, on my family’s piano at home, only about 57 of the 88 piano keys worked. This was my shot to play on a fully functioning keyboard. And in the words of Lin-Manuel Maranda’s character in Hamilton, I wasn’t about to “throw away my shot!”. As I deviated from the assigned sheet music given, I sat there pecking away at the piano keys, tirelessly working to figure out the notes of that song. As I sat there channeling my inner Stevie Wonder, I suddenly heard my piano teacher’s voice in my headphones: “Uh, Mr. Peay…that doesn’t sound like your assigned song, “Ode To Joy”. Startled, I looked up, looked around, and embarrassingly looked at my teacher in shock. As we sat there, locking eyes for what seemed like an eternity, he smiled warmly, chucked and said, “When you finish figuring out that line from Stevie Wonder, please get back to the music assigned. As you were…” Then he went on to patch in to listen to other students.

That moment was memorable to me. You see, not only did my teacher connect with me by recognizing what I was doing and what I was playing, he also gave me grace and the latitude to explore my giftedness and musical curiosities That encounter changed my life because even then, as an 11-year-old student, I knew that I wanted to be THAT kind of teacher. One who embraced the differences of their students and who fostered patience, empathy, and tolerance. The kind of teacher that I hope even on my worst days I am able to be to this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wilmarkmediagroup.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicmdmp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpeay
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-a-peay
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@markpeay
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mark-peay
• Other: I am so excited to announce that the paperback version of my highly anticipated new book release is available NOW on Amazon!!! I would love your help to hit #1 Bestseller. Just click the link below to order your copy TODAY of “The Encore of Elevation: Hidden Secrets to Increasing Your Net Worth in the Entertainment & Music Industry by Prof. Mark A. Peay for $27.99. Be sure to leave a 5 star rating and a great review! Thank You in advance for supporting my new release!!!

  Click the link below to get your book today.

  https://a.co/d/hwbKp7A

Image Credits

Mark A. Peay
Parker Photography
G.K.S. Photography LLC