Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Levine III.
Hi Robert, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am born and raised in Baltimore, MD. I grew up in a home where the music of Earth, Wind, & Fire, Isley Brothers, Gap Band, and many more R&B legends was our soundtrack. My desire to use music as the vehicle for my creative expression formed at a very young age and was cultivated when I began playing drums in church at 8 years old. My entire youth was a mixture of participating in school marching, jazz, and concert bands, and playing drums for various church choirs and community groups. After graduating college with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics and Economics, I embarked on a 12-year career as an Actuarial Consultant. The entire time I knew I was being called to something greater. In 2013, I got the inspired vision to give back a summation of my life experiences as a musician, songwriter, and music producer to invest in the creative future of this world: our children and youth. I founded Beyond The Natural Foundation with a mission to serve youth by engaging them in music education and performance to provide expressive therapy and inspiration for creating greater life opportunities. After 10 years of tremendous success and impact in Baltimore, I was inspired to expand our programs to serve the children and youth of Nashville, TN, where I recently relocated to grow my career as a music producer. I started with a very successful drum clinic event for Nashville youth, followed by an impactful after school music production club at Independence Academy High School in Antioch funded by Tennessee Arts Commission. The rest is history! Onward and Upward from here!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road was not smooth nor would I have wanted it to be. It was all of the obstacles that formed my ability to navigate as an entrepreneur. Obviously, when you are a visionary you have to create things that have never existed, all while convincing others to appreciate this new thing and find value in it. For me, these obstacles occurred on many fronts because everything I did then, and even most things now, it’s usually my first time ever doing them. This is the life of a trailblazer. So of course, I had to find mentors and pick their brains about their own experiences as entrepreneurs, gaining the benefit of learning from their experiences in business, both good and bad. I had to develop the passion and purpose I had inside into an organized business plan that I can then take action on. Couple that with the stress of having to learn an entirely new industry for me, the world of nonprofits, and the stress of realizing that the most risky decision in my life of leaving my corporate job was looming over my head, anyone can see why that would be overwhelming. Of course, after commencing business there were many moments where I heard the word “NO” or even a lot of negative talk about what my success could be considering 30% of nonprofit organizations usually fail in the first 10 years. After a number of denied grant applications, I still choose to use the word “No” as a navigational tool which means I’m always getting closer to my “Yes”. My faith is what ultimately anchors me during difficult times. This is why I can stand proud and say that after all the adversity highlighted by a global pandemic, Beyond The Natural Foundation is still here going strong and experiencing success each and every day!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Beyond The Natural Foundation?
Our mission is to serve children and youth by engaging them in music education and performance to provide expressive therapy and inspiration for creating greater life opportunities. We exist so that children and youth in cities across America can have access to rigorous and inspiring music arts enrichment programs while out of school. Founded in 2013, BTNF has served more than 3,000 children and youth by engaging them in after-school music programs, workshops and clinics, and music arts enrichment summer camps. Kids with no prior music experience get to have fun bonding with their peers while learning drumming, piano, songwriting, beat making, music production, steel pan, guitar, and many more program offerings. Our goal is always to be able to offer these fun experiences at low-to-no cost for families. We understand that music education is not a one-size-fits-all approach. BTNF is designed to accommodate diverse learning styles and backgrounds. We offer engaging content, interactive activities, hands-on experiences, with access to dynamic teaching artists, music industry professionals, and career development opportunities. What sets us apart is that we are primarily a mobile operation with the mission of being able to remove barriers of entry into the music arts enrichment space for as many children and youth as possible. We collaborate with schools, churches, recreation centers, and many other community organizations to show up with all equipment necessary for children to have a fun, engaging, and transformative life experiences. I’m honored to be able to say we do this in both Baltimore and Nashville!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a fun-loving, energetic kid that loved hanging out and playing Basketball and Baseball with my friends. I spent a lot of time being involved in so many extracurricular activities like playing Ping Pong, Billiards, and loads of competitive gaming. I had loads of exposure to so many different cultural activities participating in cool summer camps and participating in different programs. I loved everything about attending school. I never took for granted to learn and grow while bonding with my peers. Some of my fondest memories growing are from high school, where I attended Baltimore City College High School. It is actually where I met my wife and high school sweetheart, Donesha. While attending City, I participated in the Spanish Club, Rhapsody Modelling Club, played sports, performed in City’s Marching Band, shout outs to the drumline, and played drums for City’s amazing Choir. I was a really well-rounded kid, but I was always hyper focused on my passion for music. Before I owned a real drum set, I created my own drums out of anything I could bang on. I used paint cans, pot and pans, and most furniture as drumming surfaces. I remember taking apart my mother’s pens from work and taping the springs from those pens to the bottom of old tom drums to create snare drums. In school, my only issue or complaint from my teachers regarding my behavior was that I was noisy and would never stop tapping or banging in class. Teachers tried taking my pens and pencils, but they couldn’t take my hands. Though it was disruptive, it was rather entertaining to me and my classmates for the most part. I was a smart kid, I got great grades in school, but I was a horrible test taker. That always kept me in a space growing up where I had to prove that I belonged. Since my standardized test scores were so low but regular grades were so good, I had to interview to attend my public middle school, public high school, and college where I received a scholarship, to help decision makers better understand me. As a kid, I was always a leader, I loved making money, and I was always motivated to help people. I started my entrepreneurship journey when I was 9 years old with one of the biggest frozen cup operations in Northeast Baltimore. At the age of 13, I taught myself how to cut hair and I started my own barbershop that I ran out of the basement of my parents’ house all through high school. I would even cut hair in my school’s locker room. I enjoyed cutting the hair of all of my friends but I was also the barber of choice for their fathers, and a host of other prominent men that I looked up to in the community. My childhood was instrumental in shaping the person I am today and how I relate to 100% of the kids I serve each day: I can always see an element of myself in all of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beyondthenatural.org
- Instagram: btn_foundation
- Facebook: btnfoundation
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@btnftv3351
