We’re looking forward to introducing you to The Donovan. Check out our conversation below.
Hi The Donovan, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
There’s really no such thing as a normal day for me right now! Every day feels like a beautiful whirlwind of creativity and purpose. I’ve devoted my life to my work—both musically and philanthropically. I’m currently committing around 96 hours a week to my nonprofit organization, The Donovan’s Venom 501c3, and I couldn’t feel more fulfilled.
Each day brings new challenges, new people, and new opportunities to create impact through music and education. Whether I’m in meetings, teaching, composing, or developing new programs, I know that every hour I pour into this work is building something bigger than myself.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hiiiii! I’m The Donovan—Founder and CEO of The Donovan’s Venom 501c3 and The Donovan’s Piano Room. My dreams are truly limitless, and my mission is to create a world where music unlocks every individual’s highest potential. I genuinely believe that music is a pathway to achievement.
I founded my nonprofit organization to uplift communities through inclusive, high-quality music education programs that empower growth and achievement. We harness the power of music to spark learning, ignite creativity, and expand opportunity for children and adults alike.
Our program, The Donovan’s Piano Room (TDPR), is also an EdTech learning platform that merges music with reading and math education, also teaching English as a second language. Making learning more engaging and accessible for all students. What makes it special is that it’s not just about teaching music—it’s about transforming lives through it. It also helps that our results are astounding! Our tutelage has yielded immense success. In just 12 weeks, our 115-student pilot program elicited:
– an 87% increase in MAP test scores,
– a 43% boost in both assessment engagement and Lexile levels,
– an 83% improvement in RIT scores.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
This question is deep. Pain lingers here, so it’s still difficult to speak about, but I must always say his name. Da’Quan Smythe! My dearest and truest best friend. Gone too soon, but never forgotten. My nonprofit is dedicated in his memory. We were both young musicians from New York City—ambitious, hopeful, and determined, even when life dealt us difficult hands.
Da’Quan always saw something in me. He knew I was special. We shared “visions.” He believed in my potential before I fully understood it. His spirit continues to live through my work every single day. Every program, every opportunity I create for others to experience music and art, that’s me keeping his light alive. This organization is as much his dream as it is mine. I believe that with every fiber within me
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
2014! The year I founded, The Donovan’s Venom. Before that, having experienced the loss of my very best friend, I went through a long and dark period of depression. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, and honestly, I didn’t want to exist. I was invisible. A shell. Those years took a tremendous toll on me. But one day, I realized that if I didn’t get up, SHOWER, and start living, I was as good as gone.
That moment changed everything. I decided that if life had to move on, then it would move on with purpose. I chose to transform my pain into power—to create something meaningful that would outlive me. That decision gave birth to The Donovan’s Venom 501c3. It became my healing, my strength, and my legacy.” People always ask me, Why Venom! They judge before they really get a chance to know my story. Our story. The Donovan’s Venom.
The name “Venom” is often associated with negativity and harm, but I have chosen to repurpose the name to represent something positive. In our organization, “Venom” represents the power and strength that can be harnessed for good. The best thing about venom is that it’s INFECTIOUS! We believe that everyone has the potential to make a positive impact on the world, and we are committed to empowering individuals to use their own “venom” to create change.
By using “venom” in a positive context, we can help to change these negative perceptions and promote a message of community and empowerment.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I am Agent Aries, there are many sides of me. Even publicly, I exist in layers. I’m multifaceted, complex, and completely human. I feel deeply. I create from a place of emotion and truth.
The public version of me is real, it’s one reflection of who I am. My art, my experiences, my philanthropy, they all represent different dimensions of my soul. I evolve constantly, but every version of me you see is authentic, shaped by everything I’ve lived through and everything I continue to learn.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
This might sound a bit morbid—but I actually love this question. When I’m gone, I want my art to speak for itself. I want to be remembered as an artist—a pianist, a composer, and a visionary—someone who devoted his entire life to the art, craft, and science of music.
I want people to say, ‘He gave everything he had to his art and to the people it touched.’ I often sit in awe of the greats, Chopin, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Sarah Vaughn and I marvel at how their music still lives centuries, decades later. That’s magic. That’s immortality through creation.
I hope that one day, someone will listen to my work and feel that same wonder, that same spark of inspiration that connects us all through time. That, to me, would be the greatest legacy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thedonovan.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedonovansvenom/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-donovans-venom-501c3/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedonovanspianoroom
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedonovansvenom2848
- Other: Volunteer opportunities: https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit/56aa441ea12d4bf8918b0da09672754b-the-donovans-venom-redan
Image Credits
The Donovan’s Venom
