The Steven Boyd Grant
For Our A&R Program, Ages 0–8
The Steven Boyd Grant for our A&R Program (ages 0–8) will be an internally funded institutional grant named after Marcellé's father, Steven Boyd. This institutional grant will make trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming instruction accessible per live, online studio session—offering Producing Sessions (ages 0–2) at $25, Writing Sessions (ages 3–5) at $50, and Recording Sessions (ages 6–8) at $75. To access this support, families will book their spots directly on our Programs page.
Grounded in our family-friendly Layer One curriculum, our online A&R Program will teach fundamental music skills while exploring social dynamics, big emotions, and safe versus unsafe touch. Producing Sessions (ages 0–2) will experiment with sound, texture, and rhythm while naturally unlocking early curiosity and focus. Writing Sessions (ages 3–5) will use rhyme, storytelling, and song structure while naturally strengthening speech skills and vocal confidence. Recording Sessions (ages 6–8) will develop microphone technique and audio engineering skills while building studio skills for our roster.
Steven Boyd was a gifted music director, songwriter, producer, singer, and pianist whose career spanned genres, generations, and continents. He worked with artists including Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, The Four Tops, and Lola Falana, toured internationally, and performed at the White House for President Clinton. His original albums—Another Level, Nightmoods, Destiny, and Focus—reflected both his technical skill and personal vision. In addition to performing and producing, he taught music in schools, led worship, and authored his own music book. He passed away when Marcellé was twelve.
For Marcellé, music began before memory. “There are photos of me at the piano as a baby, toddler, preschooler, and kindergartener,” she shares. “My father immersed me in music from birth.” She played drums in his studio, recorded vocals in his booth, and woke up to his piano playing. When she was four, he attempted to teach her piano formally. But undiagnosed neurodevelopmental challenges made fine motor coordination difficult. Instead of pushing, her father stepped back. “He let me be a kid again, giving me space to explore storytelling—skills that served me deeply later on.”
In elementary school, classroom music helped Marcellé build foundational skills in accessible ways. At age ten, after she began guitar and songwriting, her father began producing tracks for her first album. Although the project was never completed, the experience left a lasting imprint. “He is the reason my brain was wired for music,” she says. “He surrounded me with it from the beginning—without guilt or shame for taking longer to develop music skills than other kids. Just sound, love, and freedom.” This grant honors that legacy, ensuring young artists learn at their own natural pace.
This institutional grant will honor Steven's commitment to early childhood music. Backed by his legacy, studio sessions will immerse children in music while helping Marcellé build custom sonic tools for our catalog—planting seeds of personal sovereignty.