More About Donovan
Donovan Mixon M.M.
Guitarist, Composer, Academic, Music Clinician, Author
Education
- M.M. Jazz/Commercial Music, Manhattan School of Music, 1985
- B.A. Music Education, Jersey City State College, 1978
- Permanent K-12 Teaching Certification /Classical Guitar
- Temple University, 1983
- Graduate studies, 20th Century Composition & Piano.
Teaching
- 2020 – Present: Proprietor, Jazz-Play Studio LTD: Istanbul – Evanston, Il
- 2020 – Present: Online course: Performance Ear Training.
- 2006 – 2010: Jazz-Play Studio (Istanbul)
- 2000-2006: Istanbul Bilgi University, Assistant Professor, Vice Chair.
- 1993 – 1994: Adjunct faculty, D.A.M.S. Universita’ di Bologna Discipline delle Arti.
- 1993 – 2000: Freelance Performing Artist and Music Clinician (Based in Italy).
- 1986 – 1993: Berklee College of Music, Assistant/Associate Professor.
Performance Ear Training Clinics
- Bahcesehir University, Istanbul – Turkey
- Robert College, Istanbul – Turkey
- O.T.A. School of the Arts Singapore
- Columbia College, Chicago – Il
- Vandercook College, Chicago – Il
- Roosevelt University, Chicago – Il
- CJP (Chicago Jazz Philharmonic) Summer Jazz Camp, Chicago – Il
- University of Illinois, Chicago – Il
- Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago – Il
- Evanston High School Jazz Festival, Evanston – Il
- New Trier High School Jazz Festival, Northfield – Il
- Mohawk College, Hamilton – Ontario, Canada
- Uskadar American School, Istanbul – Turkey (high school)
- Bilkent University, Ankara – Turkey
- Scuola Comunale di Musica “G. Sarti”, Faenza – Italy
- Jazzschule Basel: Basel, Switzerland
- Scuola di Musica Moderna, Ferrara – Italy
- Kadir Has University, Istanbul – Turkey
- Istanbul International Community School, Istanbul – Turkey
- Robert College, Istanbul – Turkey
- Shanghai American School, Shanghai – China
- Berklee College of Music On the Road Program
- Nuova Academia di Musica Moderna, Milan – Italy
- Centro Professione Musica, Milan – Italy
Publications
- 2000, Performance Ear Training, Advance Music
- 1996-1999, Nine Joe Diorio solo transcriptions, Casa Musicale Tarasconi s.r.l., Milan
- 1993 – 2000, Contributing author, Guitar Club Magazine, Milan
Recordings
- December 2020, (single) It’s Been Good
- August 2013, We Play When We Play
- February 2013, İstanbul’un İzleri (Asena Akan):
- 2010 Culmination, Cd Baby
- 2005, The Dance Of Life, DMC Records, Istanbul
- 1999, Language Of The Emotions, Philology Records
- 1995, Lee Konitz, Free With Lee, Philology Records
- 1993, Look Ma, No Hands!, Philology Records
Special Projects
- 2017, YA novel, Ahgottahandleonit. Cinco Puntos Press
- July 2011, Short story Buona Sera Tutti, Red Orchre Lit
- 2010 – 2012, YouTube performance videos: channel Dmix22
- 2003, Artistic Director, “Kas N’ Jazz”, International Jazz Festival, Kas, Turkey
- 2001, Language Of The Emotions, Multi-media concert, Koc Alliance Auditorium, Istanbul
- 2019 – present, Performer AACM, Great Black Music Ensemble
Awards/Distinctions
- 1989, National Endowment for the Arts, Jazz Composition
- 1988, Original composition, Culmination performed by the Boston Orchestra and Chorale
Foreign Languages
- Italian – fluent
- Turkish – Functional
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testimonials
What My Students and Colleagues Say
“It really works! The course is incredible in that now I'm able to hear the relationships between notes, chords, and keys - where I am in a key center. I imagine in an improvisational context, can map out what others are doing and respond deliberately.”
Katia Mestrovic
Classical Harpist
“As a drummer, I’ve always envied the ability to instantly recognize harmonies, melodies, tension... If it weren’t for Mr. Mixon’s course, harmony would be like math class since I don’t play other instruments. His system helps me hear the harmonic concepts we worked on in the class.”
Emre Yenson
Drummer
“I recommend this method to the serious student who wants to move from point “A” to point “B” in a logical progression of activities for the development of “hearing” on the instrument.”
Greg Badolato
Former Department Chair
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
This class has improved my literacy with jazz and music in general. It has really helped me to listen a lot better.
As for the P.E.T .: it changed my life !!! I was able to sharpen my ear, improve my approach to the instrument, tackle harmonic turns without knowing the songs. Thanks Don for all this !!!
It really sharpened my hearing and understanding of pitch relationships - pitch in general. I find myself much better able to direct my students to harmonic patterns and get them thinking about the underlying chord structures of what they are playing. What you get out of it is ‘refinement’
I recommend Donovan Mixon’s Performance Ear Training to all professional drummers. It works! Our most important duty is supporting the band and the key to that is “listening”. Performance Ear Training taught me the importance of that
Performance Ear Training offers a trustworthy and elegant self study map.(It) has my unequivocal endorsement
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