Spencer Parrish (born December 2, 1997) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

and

music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

. Parrish garnered public attention through frequent regional performances as well as his music writing and production abilities.

Life and career

1997–2009: Early life and musical beginnings

Spencer Parrish was born in

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which lie ...

, the second son of Cornell & Lori Parrish and third child overall. It was in Mount Calvary Baptist Church where Parrish's family first discovered his musical potential. During a choir rehearsal one night (in which his mother was directing), Parrish demonstrated his ability to play by ear for the first time at the age of six by walking over to a nearby piano and playing one of the songs the choir was singing. "I thought everyone could play songs as they heard it, I didn't realize it was a gift," Parrish says. Parrish studied classical piano for twelve years, starting at age six. He would later become the official music director and Hammond organist for the church at age nine.

2010–2012: ''Relate''

Spencer Parrish's first studio album, ''Relate'', was released on July 29, 2012 under

Island Def Jam Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American record label group formed on December 31, 1998, by Universal Music Group. Before 2014, IDJMG encompassed labels originally established under the umbrella of Island Records and Def Jam Recording ...

Digital Distribution. The first single, "Persistence", became available for digital download on February 18, 2012. The album's lead single, "We Can Relate", became available for digital download on May 31, 2012. Production for the album took place at Parrish's home over the course of a year; then-14-year-old Parrish is attributed with producing and writing the entire album, focused mainly on his social life.

2012–present: High school and college

Parrish attended local high school

Rome Free Academy Rome Free Academy (commonly abbreviated as RFA) is a four-year public high school in Rome, New York, United States. It is a part of the Rome City School District. As it is the sole comprehensive high school in its school district, it serves as ...

for four years, graduating in 2016 as the

salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in Armenia, the Philippines, Canada, Afghanistan and the United States to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. ...

of his class. He went on in the fall of 2016 to attend

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, where he studied

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

Legal Issues of Spencer Parrish

On April 4, 2025, Spencer Parrish, the band director at Needham High School in Needham, Massachusetts, was charged with possession of child pornography, as announced by Needham Public Schools Superintendent Daniel Gutekanst in a letter to the school community. An arrest warrant was filed in Framingham District Court on the same day, though Parrish had not been arrested at the time. Parrish, employed by Needham Public Schools since 2021, was placed on administrative leave and barred from school property and digital systems. Authorities stated there was no evidence that Needham students were involved or harmed in the case. Prior to Needham, Parrish taught at Horace Mann Elementary School in Newton Public Schools during the 2020–2021 school year, primarily virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with three months of in-person instruction. Newton Superintendent Anna Nolin confirmed that searches of Parrish's accounts found no evidence of inappropriate materials involving students, only items related to his role as a music educator. The charges followed a similar case in the district, with Needham middle school teacher Michael Ciccolella charged with child pornography offenses on March 6, 2025. Gutekanst acknowledged the community's concern over the consecutive incidents and stated that counseling services would be offered to students and staff, with resources provided to parents..

Discography

* ''Relate'' (2012) * ''TBA'' (2018) * ''Late Night with Toothpaste'' (2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrish, Spencer Living people 1997 births Record producers from New York (state) People from Rome, New York Musicians from New York (state)