Musician Royce Martin Visits Local Schools as ‘Artist In Residence’

The Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation is hosting their "Artist in Residence," Royce Martin, this week in Sedalia.

Martin, along with SJRF Board Member Kathleen Boswell, are visiting several local elementary schools during the week.

The mission of the Artist in Residence program is to teach students about Scott Joplin as the King of Ragtime, about Classic Ragtime as the root of American music, and about Sedalia’s connection to American music history.

Martin, who is also a composer, played his versions of Maple Leaf Rag, The Entertainer and Elite Syncopations, to the delight of the 3rd and 4th graders at Skyline Monday afternoon, explaining and demonstrating what syncopation is, and how it is used in all kinds of music.

Martin was a performer at the 2023 Joplin Festival in June, and will return for this year's music festival in downtown Sedalia May 29 - June 1.

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Martin, who resides in St. Louis, also performed Aug. 17 at the Missouri State Fair on the Superior Sleep Stage.

Martin said he was turned on to ragtime music almost a decade ago on very hot day when he was walking from his home to the store and heard Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" blaring from an ice cream truck. From then on, Martin was hooked on ragtime music.

Martin used no sheet music whatsoever during his mini-concerts at the local schools.

Copies of Martin's latest CD are available for sale at the Katy Depot, 600 East 3rd Street. The CD was released about two months ago.

About Martin:

Martin is a pianist and composer who recently graduated with a degree in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music. With a passion for an array of styles ranging from Western Classical to Hip Hop, Martin’s original compositions take the shape of a cornucopia of musical influences, giving them their own unique feeling.

In 2017, Royce was named a Rising Star by the St. Louis Post Dispatch and just three short years later in 2020, he was met with national attention when he was tapped to provide the original music for the Fresh Prince of Bel Air Reunion Special on HBO-Max.

While Martin is no stranger to the limelight, he remains humble with the understanding that he is but a novice to the masters from whom he draws inspiration, according to an artist bio on scottjoplin.org.