Steve Peisch received his undergraduate and graduate degrees with honors from the New
England Conservatory of Music, where he studied theory and composition with Robert Cogan,
violin with Nancy Cirillo, and improvisation with Ran Blake. Peisch taught theory in the
conservatory college after graduating and directed the Preparatory Theory Program, which
offered studies of music reading, counterpoint, harmony, music history, and interpretive analysis
for highly motivated music students between the ages of 8 and 19. He was chair of the arts
department and director of the music program at Lawrence Academy, where he taught music
theory, composition, expository and creative writing, and filmmaking, directed the choir, and
coordinated the ensemble program and music lessons. At Lawrence, Peisch developed and
directed the Lawrence II Program, which allowed a select group of juniors and seniors to design
their own programs of study that centered on their own intellectual or artistic interests, including
music, psychology, visual art, computer programming, theatre, and architecture. He also helped
develop and coordinate the Ninth Grade Program while at Lawrence, a program which
emphasized the development of basic intellectual skills�organization, listening/speaking,
writing, reading/observation, and reasoning�across the disciplines of arts, English, history, and
science.
In 2012 Peisch left Lawrence Academy to become involved with public education, and he started
a consulting company called New Directions in Arts Education to help schools study and strengthen their arts
programs. He has worked at Ayer High School, the Bromfield School in Harvard, Ayer Middle
School, Chelsea High School, Hamilton-Wenham High School, Miles River Middle School, the
Breed Middle School in Lynn, MA, and the Butler Middle School in Lowell, MA. In 2015,
Peisch accepted a one-year appointment at Deerfield Academy to direct the chamber music and
orchestra programs, to teach AP Music Theory, and to teach music and film in the
Experimentory Summer Program. He has published articles on music pedagogy in The
Massachusetts Music News and has become an advocate for middle school music programs
and urban education.
Peisch is a commissioned composer and songwriter best-know for his eponymously-named rock
band from the 80s called the steves, which reflected his interest in the punk, metal, and
minimalist music of that era. He was signed by Osmian Music/Captured Tracks in 2017 to re-
release his two vinyl 45RPM records and five digital downloads from that period. Peisch has
written music in a wide variety of styles, including contemporary classical, folk, blues, country,
and rock. His recent trio, Blue Box Set, opened for Jim Weider (Levon Helm's guitarist),
Beatlejuice (which featured Brad Delp of Boston), and The Fools. He currently performs with
Time Traveler, which plays vintage rhythm 'n' blues. His music is recorded and published by
HUNDREDS RECORDS and includes works for solo
instruments�piano, flute, violin, and guitar. Peisch recently recorded ten settings of Langston
Hughes poems featuring Charlotte Russell, soprano, and David Pihl, piano, and plans to release a
record of his most recent works for solo piano.
Peisch is on the board of Zamfund, a non-profit corporation in Livingstone, Zambia, that helps
girls finish high school, and he volunteers at two adjoining schools in Lowell.