A 3L student at Michigan Law School, Leon Boykins became interested in education law after teaching music.
Legal News
Leon Boykins was happy with his life as a musician in New York City, but one thing he's learned is to stop to and listen when opportunity knocks — you just may want to open that door.
Boykins, an accomplished bassist who learned the bass in middle school, is a 3L student at Michigan Law School, interested in education law.
A standard size upright bass can exceed 6 feet in height, which can be tricky for a young student to play. But Boykins was intrigued.
"At first, I really enjoyed the challenge of trying to figure out how to make music on such a giant instrument," Boykins recalls. "Over time, I really began to appreciate the role that bassists usually play in musical ensembles. They provide a lot of support for the other instruments but also get to stay out of the spotlight. I would say that this also matches my personality, so I stuck with it."
The Pittsburgh native earned his bachelor's degree in music from Temple University in Philadelphia, followed by a master’s degree in music from Manhattan School of Music.
During this time, he also worked in high schools, which sparked another passion—teaching—and he worked as a teaching artist at an outreach program run by Jazz at Lincoln Center called “Jazz for Young People.”
In 2014, Boykins applied to a master’s degree program in education formed as a collaboration between Jazz at Lincoln Center and Hunter College.
After graduating, he accepted a job teaching music at a high school in Brooklyn.
In 2019, he got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in the orchestra for the “Dear Evan Hansen” Broadway musical that was touring the United States. The band platform was on the stage, allowing the musicians to see the actors.
The schedule was rigorous, playing eight shows a week, with Mondays off and travelling to a new city nearly every week. The last stop was in Salt Lake City, Utah, in March of 2020, before COVID hit. The production halted until December of 2021.
In April of 2021, Boykins started working as a program director for the Boys and Girls Club in Pittsburgh, which required him to travel to many schools in the area.
When Boykins was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Michigan Law School, he decided it was an opportunity he couldn't turn down. Last fall, he participated in an externship in Governor Gretchen Whitmer's office, to learn more about how education-specific policies are enacted in the Michigan government.
"Learning first-hand about what it is like to work in government was really informative," said Boykins. "While there, we got to forge our own path in terms of work. So, I was lucky to be able to do a bunch of education and environmental policy research. And in the end, we got to meet the Governor."
Boykins entered law school with the goal of working in education policy, but during his studies at Michigan, he's also become interested in environmental and entertainment law.
"For some reason I tried to keep my creative background separate from my studies," said Boykins. "But last semester I took a class in Art Law and loved it. And I worked on an energy sustainability report last year that is actually being used to brainstorm ways to increase energy efficiency in an affordable manner."
Boykins is on track to graduate this spring and has a job lined up at a law firm in Pittsburgh, where his family still lives.
"I'm excited about this as it will be an amazing place to grow and learn as a lawyer," Boykins said. "I hope to try to make connections in local government to see if I can learn more about how education decisions are made."
In his downtime, Boykins tries to squeeze in time to make music.
"I find that it is really nice to have something to focus on besides studying sometimes, so I'm always trying to find time," he said.
In January, he had the opportunity to perform at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in downtown Ann Arbor, "which was really a ton of fun," he said.
Boykin's advice for anyone trying to chase their dreams?
"I think it helps to be humble enough to understand when a great opportunity presents itself," he said.
"I had no idea signing up for my second master’s degree would lead to a desire to work in education policy ... The same goes for the Broadway show. It was a really great way to take a break from NYC, see the country, and make a plan for my next steps.... Lastly, maybe I'm proof that it’s okay to repeatedly change careers as long as you keep finding something that interests you."
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