Math and Music in Harmony

As a child, Marcus Blackwell had a self-described “fear of math.” Music was his passion, which started with his first piano lesson at five, through college. And it was in college that he figured out that music and math were linked, and this revelation unlocked math for him in a way that it became his major. 

“Never in my wildest dreams as a child would I have believed this would be my path,” said Marcus. “But now I couldn’t imagine dedicating my life to anything else.”

After college, Marcus began teaching his music-to-math class, Make Music Count, in after-school programs for free, but before long, he realized this was a viable education program and it was time to go full time with Make Music Count.

Developing textbooks and curriculums proved incredibly costly. So the Make Music Count team created an app that teachers and students could easily access anywhere in the country. Cost-effective Facebook and Instagram ads, as well as posting on TikTok and using Google Classroom helped get the word out to parents and teachers alike. During the pandemic, digital tools were critically important to reach teachers looking for new ways to connect with their students in the challenging digital education environment.

“The pandemic should serve as a lesson to lawmakers,” said Marcus. “Oversight is necessary and important with any large companies, but the digital tools I use are fundamental to my business’ success, and the growth and development of hundreds of children. I hope lawmakers hear us and recognize this value before they forcibly change how the digital economy works and inadvertently hurt businesses like mine.”