Mark Mercury brings to CCM an in-depth knowledge of the piano and music theory, a facility in a variety of styles, and extensive experience as a performer, composer, arranger, and songwriter. Working with students of all ages, Mark emphasizes mastering the basics while developing skills in those areas the student is most interested in.

Mark's musical life began at an early age with a 12-year study of classical music from which he acquired a solid keyboard technique. He then turned to jazz, pop, and blues and performed for many years with numerous ensembles in the LA area. In the late 70s he entered the recording industry and arranged, produced, wrote songs for, and played keyboards on dozens of pop, R&B, and country records. He co-penned the 1980 R&B hit "Does She Have A Friend?" by Gene Chandler.

In the 1980s Mark co-established two music production companies and scored and produced music for various television, film, animation, and multimedia projects, including "Bad Baby" (a Hallmark animated feature), a Toyota commercial, and "CBS Storybreak" (the theme). In the 1990s Mercury began creating orchestral/electronic scores for high-tech planetariums, such as "The New Solar System" and "Exploring New Worlds" (Albert Einstein Planetarium at the Smithsonian Institution), "Where in the Universe is Carmen Sandiego," and "Ring World" (for NASA and the European Space Agency).