Dave's Teaching Bio
A couple of Dave's students write:
I am writing to recommend Dave Berzonsky as an exceptional music teacher. My 12 year old son Max studied bass with Dave for two years, while Dave was living in the San Francisco Bay Area. We originally met Dave when Max attended an Intro to Rock Instruments summer camp class that Dave taught. Dave was great with the children. I was immediately impressed by his talent and skill for presenting each instrument in a fun and accessible way. He met each child on his/her level, with a spirit of encouragement and collaboration.
Max was inspired to pursue the electric bass after taking this class, and started studying with Dave in private lessons once a week. Dave is also excellent one-on-one with his students, and Max developed rapidly as a musician. Dave has a unique capacity of making the lessons fun while combining solid music theory and practice. He also honors the unique learning styles of his student, and tailor makes his lessons accordingly. Dave was always consistent and dependable as Max’s bass teacher.
My husband Alan and I were also inspired by Dave to study music. I am grateful for numerous opportunities we had to participate in family jams with Dave. It was from these experiences with Dave that helped transform our love of music to a new level, involving active participation. Dave was instrumental in bridging the gap between our dreams of musicianship and the direct, immediate experience of playing music in our daily lives.
Dave is a talented and accomplished musician. His love for teaching music is evident in all aspects of his work. I highly recommend Dave to music students at any level.
Sincerely,
Leslie Cameron
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I feel so lucky to have found Dave on Craigslist. As a sophomore in college, starting out on an instrument for the first time could be incredibly frustrating, and I often wondered if it was too late to start. But Dave never doubted me for a second and often alluded to my future career as a bassist, as though it weren't a question whether I would ever get there. Some of his bass advice I still think about day to day, as it can be applied to life in general and what it's all about. The best is when he straight up told me to get over myself when I told him I didn't want to sing in one lesson. Such good advice! He really pushed my limits and opened up a whole new way of thinking and being—musically and beyond. Take lessons with Dave, he's awesome!
best wishes,
mallory
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From one of Dave's supervisors:
Dave is an excellent teacher. He is patient and kind, and maintains
an exceptionally positive attitude even in challenging situations.
Dave is also always eager to learn from his students as much as they
are from him. Above all, Dave seems to enjoy teaching and making
learning music fun for the students he teaches. He is an excellent
communicator, and is happy to share his enthusiasm with others to
help enrich their musical experience.
Dave has worked as a BandWorks School of Rock instructor for over
three years. He has been a key piece of the program, helping us
develop our curriculum and improve the quality of our programs. He
is also one of our most popular teachers, and we are sad to see him
go. I would recommend Dave as a private instructor or class teacher
without hesitation. His skills as a musician and enthusiasm as a
teacher will be an invaluable addition to any program.
Jeremy Steinkoler
Co-Director & Co-Founder, BandWorks
www.bandworks.com
Dave teaches:
Electric and Upright Bass , guitar , rhythm training for all instruments
•Study rhythm, harmony, and melody in a holistic, contextual framework
• Feel how to play with other musicians
• Learn improvisation, reading, jazz theory
• Study songwriting, arrangement & performance
• Connect with your inner rhythms
David Berzonsky is a versatile, skilled and well-traveled musician. He has recently returned to charlottesville Va. after several years of working in the San Francisco Bay Area and South America. From dave you will get a global perspective on music and a solid understanding of how the elements of music fit together. He has 15 years experience teaching, performing and recording in the United States, Europe and Latin America. He is regarded as a very patient, compassionate and inspiring teacher, highly attuned to the needs and sensitivities of his students. Currently he performs in the group Lua, which has just completed a new CD of original songs recorded in Lima, Peru, Borrowed Time.
“Creativity and music are things that we all possess, if we learn to access them. Music is not only the realm of the exceptionally gifted, or those who are born with ‘talent.’ It is an outward manifestation of our inner life, like daydreaming in sound, aural poetry, like walking and breathing.” ~Dave~
Teaching Experience:
Teacher and Class Leader: BandWorks Berkeley, California (November 2004- present)
Acted as instructor, band leader and facilitator for groups learning rock and roll performance, with groups of students aged 8- adult, stressing teamwork, cooperation, group listening, and the inclusion of original material into 5-6 song mini-set performances at local clubs
Lead Developer of the Introduction to Rock Band Instruments curriculum for a series of week long summer camp workshops. Students are offered the opportunity to gain proficiency in all the major rock music instrumental, singing, and performance roles. Emphasis is on having fun, learning the basics and pushing through limitations to find personal and communal expression. There is also considerable encouragement of independent critical thinking, consensus oriented decision making, and creative inclusiveness.
Certified Instructor East Bay Music Together Berkeley, CA (May 2005- August 2006)
Teacher of an ORFF based music program to infants and toddlers together with their parents. Emphasis is on music instruction for very small children through the use of modeling behavior by the children’s parents. Singing, movement, and playful improvisation are all employed with the goal of the children acheiving basic musical competency and bonding creatively with their parents.
Private Instructor FroBlossom Studios (January 2001-present)
Extensive experience in individual instruction of bass, guitar, voice and percussion.
Emphasis on a holistic approach to musical understanding. In-depth teaching of elements of music, rhythm, harmonic structure, theory and finding one’s own path in the music.
Middle School Music Instructor Community School of the East Bay Oakland, CA (2005-2006)
Director of Music Program for small alternative middle school.
Drumming Instructor Tandem Friends School, Charlottesville, VA (Jan-Jun 2002)
Taught group classes of Brazilian percussion to students, parents and teachers. Emphasis on finding the pocket, sound dynamics, and deep listening.
President and Cofounder FroBlossom Music (January 2000-present)
Act as producer, composer, writer, arranger and performer in a global roots music production and publishing company. Function as a Team Leader in challenging multi-ethnic, multi-lingual (Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, Quechua, Bambara, Mandinga) environments. Generate extensive field and studio recordings throughout Latin America, oftentimes in difficult conditions.
Perform in festivals and clubs in North and South America and Europe
Other Teaching/ Cultural Highlights
Filmed the pre-production for a documentary on musicians and artists in Sicuani, Cusco, Peru. Participated as subject in a series of radio interviews concerning the topic of preservation of indigenous cultures and cross-cultural artistic collaboration. Began the process of creating a recording based musical eco-tourism project with community leaders in the native village of San Pedro, near Sicuani (December 2006)
Performed and taught with local musicians as part of a school celebration promoting cross-cultural unity in La Guardia, Margarita Island, Venezuela (November 2006)
Taught funk line drumming to children from the Maracatu Nação Pernambuco youth ensemble in Olinda, Brazil (Jan-Feb 2001)
Guest lecturer (with Estela Knott) on Latin American folk music at San Jose State University San Jose, California (April 2005)
Performance
Below is a partial list of some of the various groups and individual artists with which I have performed in Virginia, California, Mexico, Brazil and Europe and a brief description of their musical style
Lua (original global roots fusion)
Jamal Milner and Friends (improvisational funk reggae and soul)
Groupe Sewa (Cheick Hamala Diabate modern group)
Chebo Ballumbrosio & Javier Lazo (afro-peruvian nueva trova)
Breze (R&B, jazz and funk)
O’ahu Homeboyz & Co. (Hawaiian traditional and modern)
Alegria (latin jazz)
The John Dearth Group (freewheeling modern compositional jazz)
The George Turner Trio (modern guitar jazz)
Kaira (Cheick Hamala’s traditional ensemble)
University of Virginia Jazz Ensemble
Os Ciganos do Mar (latin and Appalachian roots)
Corey Harris 5x5 (blues)
Sergio Borges (son & nuevo cancion)
Laura Light (American fiddle based folk and jazz)
Sander Lopes Cardozo (American/Dutch percussion performance duo)
Guano Boys (reggae calypso)
Arte Colectiva Sin Fronteras (teatro de encuentro)
Maracatu Nação Pernambuco (maracatu carnaval batucada)
Nickletown (clever poetic folk)
Los Cojolites (son jarocho)
Roots and Wisdom (reggae and Nigerian roots music)
Myotonia (funky jazz jam band)
Baaba Seth (African and reggae jam band)
Phatness (improvisational and highly comedic funk)
Heyday (my high school alt. rock band, Dave B. on drums)
Amerikastrada (good old fashioned God fearing classic rock)
Significant Performances
•Groupe Sewa at the Kennedy Center Washington, D.C Sept. 2001
• with Lua at the Festival World Peru in Lima, Peru March 2007
•With Wisdom Ogbor, Noe Gonzalez, and Ian Nigh at the Festival Internacional de la Musica Son Jarocho, Jaltipan, Veracruz, Mexico May 2000
•With Maracatu Nação Pernambuco at Carnaval in Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil Feb. 2001
• With Lua and the Bread & Puppets Theatre Glover, Vermont, Aug. 2004
•Live at the Prism w/ Nickletown on WTJU, Virginia Festival of the Book, Charlottesville, VA May 1999
• With Laura Light at the Fête du Engomar, Ariege, France July 2002
•Debuts of 3 original compositions (Chant, Madonellinisa, and Dance of the Bean King) at Cabell Hall with the UVA Jazz Ensemble 1996-1997
•W/ UVA Jazz Ensemble featuring Bob Moses April 1996
•W/ UVA Jazz Ensemble featuring Pat Matheny April 1998
Select Recording Highlights
Lua Borrowed Time Sessions Lima, Peru January-March 2007
This CD project is a full collaboration of Afro-Andean soul music, produced by Dave Berzonsky and Mino Mele, with some of the finest and most diverse musicians in Lima, Peru. It includes ten original pieces, and includes Estela Knott, Chebo Ballumbrosio, Gisela Perez-Ruibal, Mino Mele, Moises Carpio Montero and Javier Lazo
Lua La Sirena Sessions North Garden and Greenwood, VA Jan-May 2003
These recordings include original compositions, produced by David Berzonsky, and engineered by Bobby Read and Jeff Romano, with some of Charlottesville’s finest musicians, including Ken Parille, Christen Hubbard, Bob Holub, Matt Wyatt and John Dearth
Elya Finn sessions Mountain View, California April 2006
This is a recording of eastern European flavored cabaret, jazz and pop songs by the fantastic and beguiling Russian pianist, composer and singer Elya Finn. With Jason Wall on drums
Cheick Hamala Diabate sessions Greenwood, VA April-May 2003
This is a recording of traditional West African folk pieces, arranged in a afro-jazz context by David Berzonsky and Cheick Hamala and engineered by Jeff Romano, features Cheick and Dave with Jamal Milner, Matt Wyatt, Estela Knott and Hope Clayburn
Lima sessions for La Sirena La Victoria, Lima, Peru Jan. 2004
This special session, produced by David Berzonsky and engineered by Mino Mele includes original and traditional material featuring Chebo Ballumbrosio and Javier Lazo, two highly respected Peruvian criolla musicians, and includes a host of other Peruvian and Cuban folk musicians such as Nilo Borges, Chano Diaz Limaco and Gisela Perez-Ruibal
Cheick Hamala Diabate sessions Washington D.C. May 2004
This is a traditional recording of material from the West African griot repertoire featuring Mamadou Diabate, Cheick Hamala Diabate, and other excellent Malian griot musicians and singers
Publications
A Musician in Mexico: Notes from Southern Veracruz and the Son Jarocho Motherland Beaches Magazine (August 2001)
Other Relevant Skills
Through my work as bandleader for Lua, I have strong abilities in the production and organization of practice sessions, recording sessions, and in the creation of musical charts and promotional materials. Also, I am comfortable performing as both a live sound and lighting engineer and I am capable of doing these things while respecting and honoring the needs of performers. I am a voracious reader and student of alternative economics, media comprehension, modern geo-political history, sustainable urbanism and alternative building, and have participated in a ten-day cob building workshop in Southern California and recently participated in the Transforming Mindscapes conference on Sustainable Living in Joshua Tree, California. Lastly, I am tri-lingual, and am comfortable speaking and working in both Spanish and Portuguese, as well as English.
Education
B.A. English Language and Literature: University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA
Extensive jazz theory and arrangement studies with John Dearth
Long time bass student of Pete Spaar and Kai Eckhardt
Studied percussion with Bob Moses (New England Conservatory of Music), and Afro-Peruvian percussion with Lalo Izquierdo (founding member of PeruNegro) and Chebo Ballumbrosio (Lima, Peru).
