hero arts MARVIN SCOTT

Education Through Music

A house is not a home, they say. Marvin Scott makes you wonder about that.

To hear Scott talk about Rosie’s House, a children’s music academy, is to hear familiar notes of pride of ownership, not of a structure but of the youth development mission at the foundation of the downtown Phoenix nonprofit organization. Rosie’s House is his professional home and so much more.

“Through music, we want kids to reach their full personal and creative potential,” Scott says. “The goal is not to push them to become musicians. It’s to give them access so that it brings them joy and helps them grow.”

That’s what music did for Scott when he picked up a saxophone in the fourth grade. He grew with the confidence that comes from meeting the challenge of learning music, performing in front of an audience, and working with others as part of an ensemble.

As program and community engagement director at Rosie’s House, Scott coordinates several moving parts —faculty, families, programming, community partnerships. All of it helps ensure some 500 students have access to the benefits of music education. Scott first settled into Rosie’s House in 1999 when he began teaching saxophone as a college student. That experience inspired Scott to shift his career focus from music to elementary education.

He began his teaching career in Phoenix area schools, and then taught in Istanbul, Turkey for five years. When he returned to teach in Phoenix, he started to explore a career in school administration. The opportunity to do exactly that surfaced at Rosie’s House three years ago.

Scott is home.

“Kids are cool,” Scott says. “When they get a chance to perform and excel, I love seeing that happen. ... I love being a part of it. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

Do you know an Arts Hero? Someone who works tirelessly to strengthen, improve and enhance the arts in our community?

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