As part of the "Haizebegi Interviews" series, Mathilde Morin meets with Paul McKinney, Director of Student
Success, and Alumni Relations at the Stax Music Academy in Memphis (USA)—August 5, 2021
Paul McKinney, I understand that you are the Director of Student Success and Alumni Relations at the Stax Music Academy. Can you tell me more about that role and your mission?
I find it extremely interesting that one of the first times I appear in the film, I’m talking about college tuition—what it costs to get into these universities, colleges, or music schools. And that was in 2017–2018, or thereabouts. I started doing some research because I was trying to help—and I’d been doing so for many years—and to make sure our students were well-prepared to move on to the next level after high school. Ironically, I was then appointed Director of Student Success, a role whose job is exactly that: to ensure that I connect our students with colleges. I encourage these students to pursue their passions.
I would never say, “You have to be a professional musician,” or “You have to be a music teacher.” No, no. They need to do the things they truly want to do and are passionate about, so that it doesn’t feel like work. But the key is to make sure they can afford this opportunity. Because it’s extraordinarily expensive, and most people can’t afford it. I’m very excited that my new role as Director of Student Success involves doing exactly that and dedicating myself to it even more. So, just to give you a little glimpse, last year we held about 7 to 10 virtual auditions for various colleges and universities across the country. And we’re going to do even more of them, I’m sure. I literally had a student who came to see me two years ago, and people told me, “You shouldn’t accept her—she doesn’t play well enough.” But I accepted her. And on Zoom, just a few months ago, she was offered a full scholarship. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to help students find the college they love and then secure a full scholarship to major in what they want. So that’s one thing—it’s my new job title. Over the past three or four years, we’ve formed an alumni group with the goal of reconnecting with them in a more meaningful way. We’re also adding other elements, such as our mentoring program, in which we have a group of people who are respected in their communities and who are actively engaged—they talk to or write letters to our students to help them stay motivated. So we don’t just say, “Go ahead and good luck.” We don’t do that; we stay in touch with them. I love having that connection with them.
So Paul, you teach your students; you’re their mentor, but I’m wondering—what do you learn from them?
Oh, that’s an incredible question. Because I do learnfrom them. You know, you learn how to deal with different personalities. As a teacher, you have to understand your students’ learning styles if you want them to grasp the concept. And all I have to do is look at my own personality—how I learned. I was the kind of student… you didn’t need to yell at me. You just had to tell me what you wanted. I like soft music. That’s why I grew up loving Michael Jackson’s music. It has that gentle spirit, even though it’s secular, okay. And I’m a follower of Christ; I’m a Christian. So of course, I love gospel music. I’m sorry, I’m not even getting close to your question… So I have different approaches for different students. Sometimes I have to be much stricter. I had a student whom I never spoke to. She came to see me and said: “Mr. McKinney, you never yell at me.” And I said, “Do you know why?” She said no. I said, “Because I know you can’t handle it.” You know, she was a sensitive soul, and I’d be much gentler with her and make sure she understood. So you know, kids will let you know; they’re honest with you when they trust you. I’m as honest with them as possible—maybe too honest. And I’ll just say, “Hey, here’s the truth, this is what it is, this is who you are.” And sometimes they take it the right way. As my grandfather used to say, “Listen to what a person has to say. If you can use it, use it. If not, set it aside. But it’s important to listen to what a person has to say.” You know, I love them, and they love me. It’s as simple as that.
Maybe we can talk a little more about you now—about your career. I was just wondering what led you to choose music in the first place. And if you’d say that music is a calling for you.
Well, it is a calling. And now, as I’ve gotten older, it’s actually a ministry. I got into it because of my family. My dad and mom met in the music department at Lane College. And I was just following in the footsteps of my older brother, who’s an incredible musician. He plays the saxophone. He’s a musician. And he’s my hero. If he wore blue shoes, I had to have blue shoes. Whatever he did, I wanted to do it. My dad is an incredible musician as a pianist, but he’s more into gospel, jazz, and R&B. My mom had a more classical background, and she outplayed all of us on the piano. And my mom was our harshest critic. But she was so gentle and loving in her approach. The rehearsals, the practice, and the things you had to do every day to get something even halfway decent… As for our early days, my brother started out playing the drums. And my dad, being the pianist that he was—he played with Rufus Thomas and many of the Memphis legends we’re talking about; he’s from the same generation—he has such soul in the way he plays. Anyway, my brother, for whatever reason, was on the drums. He started when he was four, I think, right after I was born. And I started playing the drums when I was three. And then these friends of my dad’s would come over to our house. And they’d say to “Alvin”—that’s my brother—“why don’t you play for us?”. And my brother—he’s a Leo, he has a Type A personality—and he’s so aggressive that he’d jump right in. He’d jump on the drums and start playing. And they knew I played, too, and they’d say, “Paul, why don’t you come play?” And I didn’t want to. It was terrifying to play in front of other people. I was so shy. And I’d run—literally run—and hide under the bed. Then one day, I saw one of Dad’s friends give my brother a dollar for playing for him. I poked my head out from under the bed and said, “I want a dollar, too.” And that’s how I started playing in public. So we were playing in public. We were kids of the ’70s. We wore costumes; we did Michael Jackson-style stuff, Captain & Tennille. There were so many different styles of music—
—it wasn’t just one style. I’m so grateful that my dad introduced us to so many different styles. So, you know, people would know: I love Sting, I love Boy George, I love George Michael, I love the Eagles, I love Bobby Blue Bland, I love Prince, I love Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin… I have such an eclectic taste. Why? Because my dad introduced me to different kinds of music that I loved at a very early age. And we’d sing their songs and play their music as kids. [PMK became a multi-instrumentalist at a very young age]. So, for anyone who wants to become a multi-instrumentalist, I’d say: first of all, you have to make sure you have a solid foundation on one instrument, and that you’re good enough at it before adding anything else. Then, you have to practice. Every time you add something, it doesn’t take away from the first thing you learned. I then had to figure out who I was musically. I’m still figuring that out at 51, after having literally been a child star—at least in my town and in this region. [PMK explains that he has put his career on hold for the Stax Academy and is currently working on a CD scheduled for release in October.] Then I got into teaching, then I got married; I have two children and grandchildren… And you could call these “detours in life.” There are many detours in our lives. We have to be very smart about the detours we take, because sometimes we may not be able to return to the inner essence of life. So we all need to be careful about the detours we take in our lives. I’ve been extremely lucky to work for this foundation. They’ve allowed me to do the things I believe are right on behalf of the students. Not because of me, but because of the history of Stax Records—it’s an extraordinarily special place.
You told me how lucky you are to have such a wonderful family. Perhaps you’re recreating that family at school—especially for teenagers who aren’t as fortunate as you are to have a family like yours?
Absolutely. That’s a wonderful insight on your part. And here’s why: When I was their age and started getting better at the trumpet, I was looking for a musician—a trumpet player, to be precise—who could play in the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, or the New York Philharmonic, or a professional jazz band, or perform the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, or gospel music. I was looking for that versatile musician who could do it all.
And frankly—and this isn’t meant to criticize Memphis—but there aren’t many people like that. I went to the University of Memphis and earned a bachelor’s degree in music education. But I didn’t want to teach at first. Which is ironic and funny, considering that both my mom and dad are teachers, as are my grandparents. I’m a fifth-generation educator or something like that. But I didn’t want to teach… I saw what my dad went through. And I was like, “Yeah, that’s not me”… So I didn’t see a musician who had the versatility I was looking for. So I tried to reinvent myself; I tried to be that person for these students. You know, yes, I played with our local symphony, I played with local jazz bands, I played with rhythm-and-blues bands, and I went on tour with a blues artist. I’ve played with a gospel artist. So I can pass on these experiences to our students. You mentioned mission and purpose? Well, that was one for me. My students, once they graduate, are able to feel comfortable in these musical situations. You know, my mother had a classical background, and my father had a background in jazz, blues, and R&B. And then we all received formal training in music. And then we all had formal training on top of that. So yes, I’ve tried to recreate that within the Academy.
And I feel really good about what we’ve done. And it’s not just my family. The musicians who recorded the Stax records—that’s what they were, too. Yes, they played in church, yes, they played jazz, yes, they played R&B. And that’s why the music sounded the way it did. It was a blend of all these different styles. So at the Stax Academy, we’re a family to one another. It’s so much more than just being a music teacher and a student.
In the documentary, it seems that at Stax Academy, students learn as much about music as they do about racial tensions in the United States. They’re taught to debate and present strong arguments on such topics. Would you say that music is an end in itself at Stax Academy, or rather a means to serve a political or social cause?
Well, I can think of a situation that might sum this up. When this film was made, we were facing the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. It tore Memphis apart. It tore Stax apart at that time. Because, as I heard from the artists at Stax Records themselves, there was no sense of racial tension within the organization. Musicians are a bit like little kids in that if you know how to play, we all have fun together. We don’t care about black, white, or purple. If we can connect musically, we have an instant bond. And that’s still the case here. But you know, the tension that arose at Stax Records because of Dr. King’s assassination really hurt the organization. It really hurt interracial relations. And so, with everything that was happening with Black Lives Matter in the United States in 2018—unfortunately, 50 years later—we saw all these parallels. And the tension, and just the bigotry, the ignorance that was going on, plunging our country back into darkness…. So we were talking about all these things, and they’re so heavy. And then the kids wrote this song that was so optimistic and bright. It was like a rose that had just bloomed in the desert. I couldn’t believe it—it was so incredible. And once again, they’re still just as optimistic about life, race relations, and their relationships with people… I found it incredible to see that again [in the documentary]. We were having a really deep conversation about race relations. So, what can we do about it? We can bring all the love we have to give and offer it to the world. We’ve never been booed off the stage, because when we take the stage, we give as much love as we can. Even if you’re walking down the street, if you smile at someone, they usually smile back at you. The things you give are reciprocal.
It seems to me that African American musical creativity draws on centuries of suffering. So I was wondering: how do you turn pain, struggles, and injustice into joy and hope?
Oh my God! Come on, how did you come up with that question? Well, I think it’s actually easier than you might think. I’m an optimist at heart. Because I’m a follower of Christ, because we already know how it’s going to end. If you’re in a battle—I like to call it the game of life—we know who’s going to win in the end. I’m already celebrating the victory. You know, we’re only here for a short time on this earth. And so I think the optimism that comes from understanding that we’ve already won—I’m doing my victory dance right as we speak! I think that’s what stands out about the Black community. We just want to live, love, and lift people up. Period. I’ve seen students turn pain into joy. We took all that pain and suffering—it was such a heavy subject—and the song they created was so full of hope! I couldn’t even wrap my head around it! How? All Dr. King ever talked about was empowerment, knowledge, learning, and taking charge of one’s own affairs. And he was taken from us, you know… But the kids wrote such a beautiful song. Like I said, a beautiful red flower blooming in the desert. Incredible. And so the message of hope, the message of love, the message of understanding that one day we’ll stand before the King—that’s part of how the Christian experience enters this environment, whether we say it or not. I’m not here to preach, you know. That’s not what we do. But… It’s always there in the background. That’s where we live. That’s where we have to live, to be honest with you.
One last question: What kind of future lies ahead for African American music? At one point in the film, a woman says that ’90s rap was all about anger and violence, and no longer about love and joy. So what is becoming of African American music in the context of persistent racial tensions in the United States?
I can’t speak for the industry. I have a son. He plays the trumpet in the film. He’s 20 now, and he raps. When he started out, he listened to every current rapper you can imagine. And for me, the content… I don’t agree with a lot of what’s being said. The imagery that’s being put in front of our children in these videos. As if it were some kind of utopia, you know—flashing money and all that. I can’t even pretend to get inside the minds or lives of these artists. I can’t speak to that. But I know that when it came to my own child, who was diving into a world where profanity and all those things are glorified in a certain way… I had to have that conversation with him, telling him, “Hey, you can still be a renowned artist and have an incredible impact by telling incredible stories. Everyone loves a good story.” So I said, “Son, you have to work on telling a good story.” Don’t try to be like some tough gangster. You’ve never been on the streets! We’re middle class. His mother and I are teachers. You don’t come from that background. You can’t really speak to that. So now he’s pursuing his art, and he doesn’t use profanity, and he tells his stories, and his music is fun and uplifting. And I’m so happy to see him reach this stage. So, at the Stax Music Academy, we now have a songwriting course to help our students truly express themselves, to learn the craft and art of songwriting. And here’s what I believe is the next step: I think you can already see it. Have you ever heard of the song “Otis” by Jay-Z and Kanye West? It samples Otis Redding singing “Try a Little Tenderness.”
It’s beautiful. Jay-Z also sampled the music from Bobby Blue Bland’s “Ain’t No Heart in the Love of the City.” What Bruno Mars just did with “Leave the Door Open”… All of this is a throwback to the soul artists and all the bands of the ’70s. So people are starting to recognize the authenticity and high musical quality of ’70s music, and are returning to it. Our program at the Stax Music Academy is based on the music that new artists are covering. So our students—because they’re living in this era—listen to current hip-hop, but they’re also trained in the music of the ’60s and ’70s. So I believe that the combination of these two elements will be the new style. You’re already seeing it. It’s already happening. So I’m very excited to have lived in an era when music was what it was, but now people are looking back and seeing just how valuable it was. In a way, we’re also seeing music that’s less angry. I mean, [people in the ’60s and ’70s] also talked about social issues—they had to. Look how close they were to Dr. King’s assassination. And now, all the things we’ve faced in recent years—racial tensions—they’re still there. But how do we express the love we have in our hearts to overcome the darkness? Because in my view, to be honest with you, darkness must always run toward the light.
