By Dan Miller, Today's Family

A student was having trouble cleaning up his work. Mike Mulroy could have repeated the directions. Instead, he tapped out a beat on a desk and turned the task into a rhyme.

“All of a sudden my student is no longer just sitting there,” he recalls. “He’s smiling and cleaning up and doing exactly what is expected.”

That moment captures the idea behind Mr. Mike, a Wickliffe native whose music videos help children build confidence, practice everyday skills and discover the joy of learning.

Mulroy’s comfort around children started early. His mother babysat throughout his childhood, and he often came home from school to help. Years later, a family connection introduced him to Mentor CARES (Cardinal Autism Resource and Education School), founded by his best friend’s mother, Christy Lapaglia.

In summer 2021, Mulroy was working at Aldi and feeling uncertain about his direction. He volunteered for the CARES summer program, fell in love with the work and was hired as a paraprofessional, a classroom assistant who works alongside teachers to support students.

When he learned he would be staying with the same students for the school year, he returned to the classroom with exciting news.

“I remember going back to the classroom so incredibly happy, giving all my students a big hug saying, ‘I’m staying!’”

Over the next five years, he helped students follow schedules, complete assignments, manage emotions, communicate and build independence. They taught him patience, he says, and showed him how much encouragement could accomplish.

Finding his rhythm
While his career working with children was taking shape, another lifelong passion was finding its way into the classroom.

Mulroy had been drumming for as long as he could remember. In kindergarten, his teacher frequently asked him to stop tapping on his desk. His parents encouraged his interest in music and took him to concerts, while performers such as Justin Bieber and Alex Wolff inspired his enthusiasm for percussion.

At Wickliffe High School, he joined the drumline alongside his friend Christian Jensen. But peer pressure got the better of him. After hearing classmates describe band as something for losers, he dropped out for two years before returning as a senior.

Looking back, he regrets letting others influence something he enjoyed. It’s a lesson he now shares with children: never be embarrassed about what makes you happy.

His musical interests continued beyond high school. He studied music for a semester in Colorado, played drums in a college jazz band and performed with his friends in a group called Public Chase. He also grew up participating in theater and became comfortable performing before audiences.

Eventually, he auditioned for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 216Stix drum team, where he discovered the importance of consistent practice. Performing at Cavaliers and Cleveland Monsters games has been a dream come true, he says, and his fellow drummers have become like family.

Back at CARES, Mulroy began combining his musical abilities with the lessons he was teaching. Sometimes a simple rhythm or improvised song could help a frustrated student approach a task differently.

His coworker, Ms. Aimee, encouraged him to take the idea further. The classroom regularly used educational YouTube videos, but they struggled to find ones addressing the particular behaviors and challenges their students experienced.

Why not create their own?
One early song idea, “I Can Swing by Myself!,” was inspired by a student who resisted trying to swing independently. Rather than simply continuing to push him, Mulroy wanted to encourage him to believe he could do it himself.

The first completed Mr. Mike video, “Dance Like a Dino!,” followed a classroom dinosaur theme.

“I want to teach them that it’s cool to believe in yourself, it’s cool to push yourself, it’s cool to work hard,” he says.

Although the videos originated in a classroom serving children with autism and other developmental disabilities, Mulroy emphasizes that they are for everyone.

“Just because the lessons are a bit unordinary, or that they’re low stimulating and structured, does not mean that they are ‘only’ for people on the spectrum,” he says. “Everyone can use a refresher. Everyone needs structure.” 

A growing audience
The project has become a team effort. Longtime friend Christian Jensen produces the beats, helps record the music and joins live performances as DJ. Former CARES colleague Miss Brittany, a board-certified behavior analyst, develops social stories and classroom resources and sometimes appears on screen.

Every Friday for more than two years, the team has released a new video. Mulroy records melody ideas on his phone, works with Jensen on the music, then films and edits the results. A “Mr. Mike Monday” series is also planned.

The audience has grown far beyond Northeast Ohio. Mulroy has heard from teachers and families in Australia, Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom and other countries.

He recalls working late one night when a teacher from another area messaged him asking about an upcoming video. It happened to be the very video he was finishing. Suddenly, he realized children beyond his own classroom were looking forward to his work.

Mr. Mike is also taking the music on the road. His approximately 30-minute shows bring the videos to life with bucket drumming, dancing, singing and audience participation. He has visited schools in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

At a Cincinnati appearance, a teacher overheard a child leaving the room saying, “I can’t stop smiling!”

Mulroy now focuses full time on Mr. Mike and performs with the Cavaliers’ 216Stix drum team. He left his regular CARES position after the summer but remains available as a substitute.

For all the music, movement and videos, his mission is simple.

“I hope a child feels seen, and heard. I hope a child feels a spark of inspiration.”

To inquire about school or community performances: