Devon Gates is a Social Anthropology concentrator, with a secondary in Music. She is also participating in the Harvard-Berklee Joint Program of Study. Devon, a bassist, vocalist, and composer, describes herself as “a jazz player from the tradition of Black American music.” She is interested in music that explores social issues, and the ways that music itself can facilitate community building, “…beyond what music sounds like, what does it mean for people to be in spaces where they get to create music?” Her final thesis created a collective for non-male identifying jazz/creative musicians in the area. With funding, partially from the Music Department, Devon was able to commission ten new works from composers within the collective, and have them performed at Holden Chapel. Of the experience, Devon says “it was really special to be able to give back to the community, and to my friends who have been so helpful, in that way.”
Q: Describe how you chose your path of musical study at Harvard. What influenced your decisions?
Devon: “I knew I wanted to be involved with music during my time in college, and that conviction only grew as I started taking more classes in the [Music] department. I was really excited to work with Professor [esperanza] spalding, because I’ve been listening to her records forever and she has been one of my greatest inspirations, in general.
I got to take [spalding’s] songwriting class my first ever semester of college, and it was meaningful to me because we play the same instruments and I have loved her work for so long. So to get to write a song for her every week, perform it, and get feedback was insane. I felt like I had already checked off a bucket list item my first semester.”
Q: Which music courses have you found the most rewarding, and why?
Devon: “Claire Chase’s Harvard New Music Ensemble was amazing, she brought in so many guest artists to work with us. It was amazing to see how she organizes all of these incredible projects every semester and how she pulls in the people she works with to come meet with us. It’s incredibly generous [of her] to invite her professional colleagues to teach us.
What I love about the department is how the professors think about music within the context of the real world, and what’s happening around us, and how music interacts with all of that as opposed to music for music’s sake.”
Q: Is there an experience within the Music Department that helped shape your artistic identity? How do you hope to carry that with you after graduation?
Devon: “There’s so many; I think about the people that I met in classes that I still work with, even though we’re off doing our own things. I also received a fellowship from the department this past summer, and was able to travel to Mongolia and Japan and play performances there with local musicians. It provided incredible impactful real-life experiences, that I never would have had that without the fellowship. I gained experience organizing a tour, and traveling solo for two weeks in Asia, and I learned that is something I really want to keep doing; I want to continue exploring how music and travel can intersect.
[I also think about] being able to take classes with, and be mentored by, musicians like esperanza and Vijay. I mean, esperanza helped me find the upright bass that I now play. … I’ve gotten to play with amazing musicians, including Vijay, and have these experiences that never would have happened if I hadn’t met them and gotten to learn from them here in the Department. It’s really about the relationships that the department has facilitated with people that I might never have otherwise organically ran into.”
Q: Do you have any advice for students in the department?
Devon: “Take advantage of all of the incredible professors here, and be open to forging new relationships and connections. You have no idea when or how these relationships will impact you going forward.
If a class sounds cool, take it. I’ve never regretted any of the classes I’ve taken in the department. There are so many classes that present unique opportunities to learn about someone through the lens of music. I feel like I’ve gotten to know people in the department better [through their music] because you have to go into class and share such a huge part of yourself.”
For more information, and to keep up with Devon’s music, check out www.devongatesmusic.com.