Photo by Katy St. Clair“It’s like being trusted with a gift, and then you pass it on to them, and then they pass it on.”—Mark Lawley
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Life
Sharing the Love of Music
Mark Lawley shares his passion for music with more than 72 local musicians.
by Jordan Blomquist
Jan 2025
417 Magazine: How have you seen a love for music in our local youth?
Mark Lawley: Students seem to love it so much as they’re able to set aside the baggage of what life has brought them and get lost in the character. I think that’s what makes them want to do it more and more… I think their love for telling the story, and a story that’s not necessarily theirs, is empowering and healing at the same time.
417: How have you engaged with the local community to promote music education outside of your former classroom?
M.L.: I am happy to have students from Marshfield, Springfield, St. Louis, Rogersville, Ozark, Nixa, Willard, Joplin, Republic, Oldfield. It is wonderful to be at this stage of my life and have students from all different areas—I don’t teach them anything that wasn’t first taught to me. That allows me a certain level of humility. It’s like being trusted with a gift, and then you pass it on to them, and then they pass it on.
417: What does music mean to you personally, and how has it shaped your life beyond teaching?
M.L.: It takes us places we could not otherwise go, it transports us… When you’re in touch with your heart that has been softened through the power of music, then you can go into the world and truly make it a sweeter, kinder, more compassionate, empathetic place.
