The Founder
There are three aspects of Robert Levine’s life that gives it meaning: his passion for God, his passion for music, and his passion for youth. As a proud husband and father of four beautiful children, he has experienced some of life’s most amazing moments journeying with his family. He expresses his passions in life as a musician, songwriter and producer, CEO of Beyond The Natural Music LLC, in his faithful service to Messiah Community Church, and in his consistent engagement with youth in the community.
As a native of Baltimore, Maryland, Robert knows all too well the tragedies and risk factors that unfortunately plague some of our communities. He grew up in a family where drug abuse, domestic violence, and crime were all too familiar. Though tough to navigate, he realized at an early age that, with God, all things are possible. It was through this journey where he discovered his love for music as it began to transform his life.
Robert began playing drums in church at the age of 8. This consistent exposure to the healing and inspirational power of music led him to pursue a life with music as his sole means of self-expression. As creativity would have it, drumming led to a love for poetry, songwriting and production, and becoming a multi-instrumentalist creating musical compositions that have been featured in television and film, and recorded and performed by artists in multiple genres.
The soundtrack to Robert’s life began to compose itself as a product of Baltimore City Public Schools went on to graduate from Towson University with Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics, and embark on a 12-year career as an Actuarial Consultant all while performing with Groove Stu band and sharing the stage with such acts as Frankie Beverly and Maze, Boyz II Men, Erykah Badu, and Mint Condition just to name a few. However, the desire to find his life’s purpose led him to answer the call of his soul: to empower the lives of our youth through music.
Arthur Ashe put it best when he said, “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” Robert’s dream has always been to give back a summation of his life’s experience in a way that would have a positive impact on future generations. In October 2013, he founded Beyond The Natural Foundation, Inc. to serve at risk youth by engaging them in music education and performance to provide expressive therapy and inspiration for creating greater life opportunities. His research and experience has created opportunities for him to share his insights and inspire others to advocate for arts engagement and experience the healing and inspiration that music provides.