02/25/2026
We are proud to highlight one of our dedicated piano instructors who has been with SoundWaves for over two years. Born and raised in Manhattan and now based in Irvington, NY, Jagger Clark studied Jazz Performance on the piano, and later receiving his Master’s in Studio Composition at SUNY Purchase College .
Music has always been a part of Jagger’s life. At only four years old, he performed in the Nutcracker for five years, with daily exposure to Tchaikovsky shaping his ear and imagination. His love for music deepened even further in high school when he studied music theory and became fascinated with the role musical scores play in storytelling.
Jagger’s biggest musical inspiration is Chuck Leavell, the keyboardist and musical director for The Rolling Stones. Sitting next to him in a recording session and being complimented by him was “earth-shattering”.
His musical inspirations grew over the years to include prominent composers such as Bernard Herrmann, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, Lorien Testard and more.
In addition to piano, he also plays the clarinet, drums, djembe, and sings!
Outside of SoundWaves, Jagger is a film composer primarily writing scores for indie films. He also is a piano accompanist for dance classes at Purchase College, Steffi Nossen, Peridance, American Academy of Ballet, and Dance Theater of Harlem.
In his spare time, he loves studying history and analyzing stories across written and visual media. He pours his creativity into directing a short animation of a fantasy story that fuels most of his personal compositions.
Jagger’s goal as an educator is to instill confidence in his students. He strongly believes in empowering his students to never lose faith and to keep pushing forward with their creativity and skill, in music and beyond.
Thank you, Jagger for the passion and talent you bring to SoundWaves and to every student you teach!