How to go
What: Deron Bell Band
When: 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday
Where: Michael’s Dining and Jazz, 40 N. Main St., Dayton in the lobby of the Kettering Tower lobby
More information: (937) 331-9188 for more information.
Multi-instrumentalist Deron Bell has played many musical roles, from sideman to producer and music director. The role Bell cherishes most, though, is that of a mentor to teenagers. Bell learned music by watching those around him, and realizes that in the process he gained many other valuable nuggets of knowledge.
That’s what inspires him in his work as Linkage Coordinator for the Dayton Public Schools Governor’s Initiative for Closing the Achievement Gap. Bell engages DPS students in music learning, and along the way he connects music achievement to success in academics and character. Bell says music experiences as a teenager surrounded him with strong role models, like his godfather Calvin Lark.
“In my teenage years, (Lark) had a gospel music group that had albums out and toured,” Bell says. “I saw what he was doing as a teenager, and that’s what kept me focused.”
Bell’s musical interest came from watching his family, and his skills developed as he participated in a variety of musical activities at church. One memory that stands out is when, as a teenager, former Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra director Isaiah Jackson invited the young Bell to play drums with the orchestra on a special gospel-influenced concert. Bell remembers the focus and poise of the professionals that surrounded him on stage, as well as the power of music to unite people.
“That experience taught me discipline and music appreciation at an early age,” Bell says. “I learned that music, to me, is a language that, no matter what culture you are from, when you play together it’s all the same.”
Bell strives to bring that same kind of growth to young people at DPS. He challenges them to expand their musicianship and, from there, grow in character. Music, he argues, is a great avenue for broader growth.
“It sparks the senses,” Bell says. “You start to multitask and use different kinds of brain activities.”
Bell should know about multitasking. For starters, he sings and plays a variety of instruments: drums, bass, piano and keyboards. A member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Bell was educated at the Recording Workshop in Chillicothe. His music covers a spectrum of jazz, gospel, R&B, and classical music. He leads his own groups, including the Deron Bell Band, which performs in the Dayton area and beyond.
Additionally, he is working on an upcoming project with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and is involved with community music projects at Central State University, the Dayton Correctional Institution, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Bell says that the mentoring experience challenges him to use music in ways that are uplifting and positive.
“Mentoring is still a life-changing experience ... you go from being a role model to a real model,” Bell says. “For me, mentoring has shaped me into a better person, because now you have all these eyes watching you. That has played a role in the new music I’m writing now, which is more inspirational and soothing to the ear.”
You can hear those soothing sounds at Michael’s Dining and Jazz, where the Deron Bell Band performs weeknights during happy hour.
“Michael’s is a restaurant with excellent food, an excellent staff,” Bell says. “When you walk in the door, you see fresh cut flowers, candles lit and a band in suits and ties ... it just exudes class.”
Matt Warner is a contributing writer on music for the Dayton Daily News. He can be reached by e-mail at warner.matt@me.com. Jazzbeat appears every Sunday.
About the Author