Improvisation and Beyond with David Berry
Pianist David Berry is an educator, performer, administrator and musical force to be reckoned with. He holds degrees from both Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School, where he received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree, and is an avid improviser/arranger of jazz, gospel, and popular contemporary piano styles. He currently serves as Director of Music at Eastern Mennonite University and is the Coordinator of Chamber Music and member of the artistic planning committee for the Gateways Music Festival. Here he talks about the value of improvisation both in performance and entrepreneurship as his students embark on a creative professional path in the 21st c.
As a multifaceted artist, you approach genres from classical to jazz to gospel with immense creativity and intuition. When did you start playing the piano and when did you first learn to improvise?
I started playing the piano at the age of 5. My father actually plays blues guitar and sings, and knew how to play "What'd I Say?" by Ray Charles on the black keys of the piano. So he taught me that song by ear and it was the first piano piece I learned. Soon after I started with a piano teacher and conductor from Greece who had an intense admiration for Beethoven. I played various kinds of gospel music in church, blues with my dad, and Beethoven sonatas in piano lessons. Those were all a part of my musical education and experimenting with improvising in all those styles was just a natural part of my love for being at the instrument. There wasn't necessarily one moment, or class, from which I first learned to improvise. It started with just noticing patterns in the music I played and listened to, and lots of time tinkering, toying, and experimenting for fun. Along the way, learning music theory helped as a tool to be able to more easily classify and replicate harmonies and musical ideas that piqued my interest...but listening and experimenting came first for me.
You've talked about improvising in the practice room at Juilliard, even riffing on Rachmaninoff with jazz majors. Did your classical education give space for this creative exploration, or did you seek it out on your own?
Yes, I used to have practice room improvisation sessions both at Eastman and Juilliard. Good times! I'd probably say my classical education gave space, in a certain sense, in addition to me seeking out outlets on my own. Formally, there were always classes on improvisation you could take as electives on the side (and they are definitely helpful). However, the opportunity that the universities provided of just being in an environment where you have so many musicians from different backgrounds who come at the art of making music in many different ways was a priceless part of the education too. When I was at Juilliard, the main music practice room area was just one floor. So that means you have a ton of great musicians across a number of different styles and genres practicing all at the same time feet away from each other. You'd hear Rachmaninoff piano concertos on one side, and Coltrane's Giant Steps on the other. There was a natural cross-pollination, if your ears were open to it. I was a classical piano major, but would get together with jazz major friends and we'd take turns playing for each other, and asking about the details of how each other's music worked.Then we'd find a room with two pianos and play together on all kinds of things. You would learn in those times that what someone was listed as on paper in terms of their degree, didn't necessarily represent the totality of their musical ability and interests.
You and your team in the EMU Music Department have brought a fresh perspective to the curriculum: starting a pep band, inviting guests with a breadth of musical backgrounds like Janinah Burnett and AppalAsia, and integrating peace-building with music-making. What does this type of cultural exchange and entrepreneurial focus mean to you as an educator?
For me, the concepts of improvisation inform leadership. Improvisation is all about reading the moment, dialogue, and not being bound to a preset way of doing things, but instead trying things that seem right for the moment you are in even if you have never done them before. There are so many things we can learn from different musicians and different types of music. I think engaging different types of music can only make one a better musician. As an educator, I want my students to have diverse musical experiences regardless of their area of specialty. I am fortunate to work with excellent colleagues who bring great ideas to the table and also have this vision for what a musical education should look like.
In a recent interview for LovEMU, you encouraged students to "investigate other interests and find things you may not have found some other way." Why do you feel it is important for students to explore new ideas and unknown creative territory on their own?
I always tell students that only part of their education will come from the syllabus and their teachers, the other part comes from experiences outside of the classroom that they must find. I think it is incredibly hard to know oneself as an artist if you only do things that are curated by someone else. Any course or major is to some extent standardized, as it needs to be. So to truly find an educational path that is fit exactly to you, you have to find ways to get into the nooks and crannies of things that spark your interest. I think it is often at the intersection of one's formal education and their self-education that they truly find their unique path.
EMU's annual Gala Concert went virtual this year and was titled "A Concert of Hope." What do you envision for the future of the performing arts beyond the pandemic?
I was glad that our department was able to offer music to speak to this season (even if virtually). I think the old saying "necessity is the mother of invention" is a motto that all artists are living by these days as we find ways to keep producing and performing. It is hard to say what exactly the future of the performing arts will look like past the pandemic, but I think there are many new ways of doing things that artists are finding now, that will remain a permanent part of the landscape going forward. I think this is the case for arts institutions as well. It is important to acknowledge that this has been a very difficult season for many in the performing arts. However, there have been some bright spots. It has been quite a novelty to have the experience of seeing world-class artists perform concerts from the living rooms of their homes. Also, the increased attention to virtual spaces and the open free access to performances that would normally cost top dollar to see in person, has given opportunity to new audiences. New artists have been able to find a larger platform and have their voices heard as well. I don't think anything will ever replace in-person performances, there is nothing quite like it to me. However, I expect some of these innovations will stay with us, and enhance the reach of the performing arts.