As The New Century School school year draws to its inevitable end each year, one thing has become more and more clear with each passing one: it is much less an end or closing than actually a beginning or opening. Students don’t stop where they are—they move up to the next phase with all of the new challenges, delights, triumphs, and learning it will entail.
This ascension is not limited to students, however—in fact, all who pass through its halls take with them what gifts they enjoyed here to be applied in new ways to new things. (You probably know where this is going.) And that’s just what is happening with the TNCS community’s beloved Martellies Warren, who leaves TNCS on a soaring, high note.
Opening Bars
“I went to The Saint Paul’s Schools for Career Day earlier this year, and I shared my journey—growing up in the projects, not having a lot of money,” Mr. Warren said. “But my parents instilled in me early on that I was going to college no matter what. That was a driving force for me.”
The visit was transformative—not just for the students who sent him a care package full of handwritten letters afterward about how his words affected them, but for Mr. Warren himself. “They were so inspired. That day changed something in me, too.”
Career Crossroads
“I always tell students they’re going to come to a lot of crossroads. My hope is that they always follow their gut,” Mr. Warren said. One such crossroads came in his own life when he chose a vocal scholarship to Morgan State University over a partial scholarship to Berkley. “Had I listened to my band teacher and not followed my gut, I don’t know where my life would be. But I chose to go with what I knew.”
For Mr. Warren, music has never been just a subject—it’s been a calling. “I learned music at a very early age, and it paved the way for me. It gave me opportunities,” he said. One such opportunity is singing with Anthony Brown and Group Therapy, a Grammy Award-winning gospel group.
And, although maybe not quite as glamorous, his time at TNCS is another. From the moment he stepped into TNCS in 2012, he began shaping a vibrant music program where none existed before. “I built the department here—when I got here there was no music department. I’ve kind of done it all, and it’s been an amazing ride.” He fondly recalls concerts that brought the community together—including one that moved him deeply: “My mom, who’s passed on, loved this school. She would ride in on her scooter to see my students perform. They always made sure she had a good view. This place holds special memories.”
Over the years, he has directed concerts, coached vocal technique and various instruments, taught choral harmony, and brought countless students into the world of music. He also spent many years as a Lead Montessori Teacher in the primary classroom as well as directing summer camp and other administrative positions. But, as he puts it: “Music is my passion. If I’m not doing music all day, the part of the day where it’s not music feels like work. For a creative, that’s painful.”
Called Back to Music
With what started as nothing more than a talk at a different school, Mr. Warren began to realize it was time to realign with this passion. He had returned to TNCS after a couple of years away in 2022 as Director of Music and Extended Activities. This year, he re-donned the role of teacher. “I felt like I was spinning my wheels being back in the classroom. I was losing my way a little. It felt disorienting.” Although he certainly gets all the credit for the two amazing concerts this year, he just wasn’t able to do music full time. “I need to be challenged and motivated. When I no longer feel that, I know it’s time for a shift,” he said.
Interestingly, as these truths shone brighter and brighter to him, his stars started to align—big time. When Saint Paul’s reached out to ask if he knew anyone who might be interested in a position as full-time music instructor, he recounts, “I told them, ‘I might be interested,’ and they thought I was joking. But I said, ‘It’s time—I need to get out and spread my wings.’”
And the harmonies don’t end there. “The head of school there is from Montgomery, Alabama, where I’m from. His mom and my mom even went to the same college. Then he asked what church I attended and said, ‘Stop it. I came out of your church.’ That’s alignment—it can’t get any clearer than that.”
Next Movement
Not surprisingly—despite hundreds of other applicants—Mr. Warren was immediately invited to campus for interviews, tours, and more. In fact, he was even asked to lead a seventh-grade music class with no warning. Also not surprisingly, he rose to the occasion: “I taught them ‘Amazing Grace,’ and within 15–20 minutes, they were singing in three-part harmony. The five arts chairs were just sitting there amazed.”
And just like that, he’ll now be teaching the boys’ middle school in a choral room located inside the campus chapel. “Good acoustics! I’ve got a huge room, an office downstairs—I’m excited. It’s a beautiful campus, like a small college.”
Mr. Warren’s Legacy
Of course, such wonderful news for him is bittersweet for us—we couldn’t be happier for him nor more bereft for ourselves, right? But, being as loved and appreciated as he is, the happiness for him takes right back over, and that’s across the board. He truly leaves on a high note.
There are no hard feelings. That’s important to me. I’ve stayed too long before—and things turned sour. I didn’t want that to happen here. I’ve run out of runway. I don’t want to say I’ve outgrown the place, but in the sense of my career, I have. There’s no upward trajectory from here, so I have to go where I can continue to grow and be challenged.
At 46, Mr. Warren knows he’s far from done. His goals for this next “movement” are ambitious and beautiful. They include:
- Further developing my expertise as a choral director, specializing in the cultivation, and development of young voices
- Pursuing a masters and doctorate degree in music performance/education
- Spending more time cultivating and perfecting my own craft
- Performing and touring professionally, and finding more opportunities to live life more fully!
And so, Mr. Warren leaves TNCS as its music director with his head high and heart full. “This place has enriched me just as much as I’ve enriched the students. This is home—it always has been. That’s why I came back.”
He’s especially proud of moments where his students demonstrated professionalism and courage, such as when they performed “America the Beautiful” at the Baltimore Blast game. Another choir had mistakenly been booked to sing the same song. “Most kids would have had a meltdown. But our students stood their ground, sang with heart, and got a standing ovation. That’s a testament to what we do every day.” And let’s not forget that amazing performance from Wicked at the spring concert! “Those kids blew me away. They don’t even realize the magnitude of what they accomplished,” he said (speaking for anyone who was there and saw it).
Encore!
Even as he moves on, Mr. Warren plans to keep the music alive between the two schools. “Don’t be surprised if I pop up next year with my choir to do a concert here. Or have kids from TNCS visit me at Saint Paul’s. I want that connection and collaboration to continue.”
Meanwhile, we get 1 more week with Mr. Warren this summer for Music Theatre Camp, in which campers will put on Friends or Foes: A Wickedly Exciting Journey of Self-discovery!
TNCS science teacher Nameeta Sharma, who teaches grades 3 through 8, says she could not have been happier with what students turned out. She describes the weeks leading up to the STEM Expo as full of engagement in the Scientific Method. Her students, she says, worked very hard, and the results showed. When asked about what particular projects stood out to her, she had something positive to say about all of them, and her excitement was palpable. But, if we had to guess, we’d say her favorites fell into the engineering category—she enjoys seeing what students can build, especially when it works as intended!
