Lake Highland staff members teach students new and exciting material every day, and with the Upper School faculty having 60 members, there are many untold backstories that students can explore to build connections with the educators working on campus. Learning about these talented teachers’ journeys provides new perspectives on who they are as individuals and how they became the people they are today. Mike Levin is a teacher working at Lake Highland, yet still not many people here know he was involved as a musician for multiple bands. Starting in the 90s, Mr. Levin’s first band was named Shyster, which had four members. This band was his most popular, and he last released an album in 2022. He was also involved with several other bands, including The New Laws, Curtains, and Sunday Morning. Mr. Levin played guitar and incorporated vocals into his music. The genres that he played ranged from punk to indie rock. He has a new album coming out in around a month, however, Mr. Levin disagrees with the mingling of his music profession and teaching profession when he says, “I don’t put my band out there in my workplace because I consider these two professions separate worlds. I don’t mind going back and forth sometimes, but for the most part, I like to put my full attention into teaching.”
As many know, being in the music industry can be extremely challenging and eventually take a significant toll on someone’s life. It is a well-known stereotype for aspiring musicians to struggle financially and eventually give up on their dreams. Mr. Levin has found ways around this and viewed the world realistically, understanding the difficulty of only pursuing music. He explained, “I love teaching, and I feel as though I have a calling for it, but just playing music would be my dream.” Although he loves teaching, Mr. Levin sometimes wonders what would have changed if he never went to college, and only focused on music. Mr. Levin states that he doesn’t regret the decision, but he wonders if music were his only focus, would he be successful? Mr. Levin is someone students should be eager to learn from due to the diverse experiences he has gone through with literature, art, and music. He incorporates the art of music through his teaching and the beauty of English through his music, making it a special experience for those who want to learn. One way people can support his career, passion, and music is to stream his new album coming out in one month.
