F I N D I N G O U R S O N G

Riza Printup here, a true SoCal girl from Redlands, California ♥️ I began piano lessons at the age of five and continued until the age of fifteen when I took up harp lessons.  Shortly after, I was fortunate to attend the inaugural World Harp Congress in Paris, France. It was during a day trip to the Palace of Versailles when I found myself standing in the middle of the Gardens moved to tears by the music piped through cleverly disguised speakers. I was overwhelmed and humbled to hear how composers were able to communicate through their music with their listeners … hundreds of years after they had been composed. It was at this time when I realized that I too wanted to be part of something that endured and touched people’s souls.  

I’m Marcus Printup and I was born and raised in Conyers, Georgia. My first exposure to music was hearing my parents and paternal Grandfather “Big Deddy” sing in the Black Baptist Church. I picked up the trumpet in fifth grade and would later emulate all the soul I heard in the church and express those same sounds through my trumpet.

Through our musical careers, we both discovered that music is a vehicle through which we can communicate with one another by finding our own unique voice, our own unique SONG. 

S H A R I N G O U R S O N G

While pursuing careers in musical performance, opportunities to serve as music educators began to come our way.  The more we worked with young musicians, the more we recognized the need for teaching students (young and old) the value of accessing their emotions to enhance their musical expression. We have witnessed students eager to dance, create, and sing at the top of their lungs. As we continued down the path of Music Education, we realized that helping young musicians connect to their emotions allows them to create their own songs and communicate their unique stories to one another. This, in turn, helps them to value their individuality while being a part of a strong, supportive community.

Drawing from our collective experiences as performers and educators, we created RiMarcable Music for Arts and Education, a 501c3 non-profit organization. Through this program, we seek to enrich and educate young audiences through literacy and the music of jazz.