Music Royale Student Spotlight: Neil Taylor

July 24, 2024

Neil Taylor

Neil Taylor has been a lesson student at Music Royale since he was 6-years-old, taking lessons for a variety of instruments: Alto Saxophone, Guitar, Drums, Piano. Neil was diagnosed with mixed phenotype acute leukemia, a rare cancer that is a blend of AML and ALL leukemia, when he was 12-years-old. This interrupted his music lessons, but not his love for music. Watch his interview!

Neil’s Lore

While Neil was in the hospital, he found that hospital food was fine and all, but it wasn’t something he wanted to eat every day during his stay. In his experience, by the time a family member could get to the car, leave the hospital, wait in line at the drive through, re-park, and deliver the food to his room, his appetite wasn’t the same anymore. He figured, if he was going through this, then other children probably were as well.  

Neil’s Mission

After going into remission, Neil’s Meals was founded through the Feel Better Foundation. Donations are turned into gift cards to various restaurant brands and made available to pediatric patients at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Families can request a warrior volunteer to pick up food or place an order on a food delivery service app. If you’d like to help Neil with his mission, click here!

Neil’s Advice

Each musician has their own challenges they face. Neil reminisces about being a “video game kid” and not wanting to practice, but ultimately glad he made himself do it.

“I learned that practice was absolutely necessary, especially in higher level music… You can’t just get it in one go and you can’t just wing it because it will show”

Not being able to play music during treatment, Neil faced a different challenge when he came back to Music Royale. Learning his lesson about avoiding practice, Neil likes to think he’s pretty good at all his instruments again. 

“…and practice can be a lot of fun, especially if you like what you’ve picked up. And if you don’t like what you’ve picked up, you don’t have to feel like you have to stick to it. You can always change it around. And always try something new.” Watch the video to hear all of Neil’s advice.

Neil’s Influences

Neil’s musical influences are Imagine Dragons, Frank Sinatra, his Aunt Niki and his grandfather. Imagine Dragon is a band he listens to all of the time and Frank SInatra has inspired his love if jazz music. Aunt Niki is a professional musician herself and sing with various bands. She fostered her nephews natural talent by paying for his music lessons and musical instruments and his grandfather made sure he was present by driving him to all of his lessons. Neil would also like to thank teachers, Ron and Erin

Now What Neil?

Now Neil is in high school and has been part of many musical and non musical theater productions. Including: Didn’t See That Coming, Little Mermaid, Into the Woods, Bye Bye Birdie, Girls of Road Manor. He is currently taking singing lessons to help his theater career.

Music Royale

Music Royale is your friendly neighborhood music store and we are proud to present such a fine student as Neil Taylor. It has been a pleasure to watch him start his musical journey at a young age and it was even more a pleasure to see him return and continue music with a new found love of practicing!

We believe that every student is unique and their lessons should be, too. Our highly trained instructors customize lesson plans for each student, ensuring that every student’s goals and ability are considered. Theory, technique, composition, and music production are all taught at Music Royale. We are happy to work with all types of students; beginner to advanced, young and old, and students with special needs. We feel that anyone with a passion for music has a place at Music Royale. Read our teacher bios.