David Gerry LIVELab Student Research Awards
As a performer, educator and clinician David Gerry (1962-2017) touched the hearts and influenced the careers of hundreds of teachers and thousands of students around the world. David was a CLA Assistant Professor in the School of the Arts at McMaster. His dedication and care for students is reflected in his Excellence in Teaching Award from the McMaster Student Union (2014). The range of his knowledge is reflected in the range of classes he taught including History, World Music, Psychology of Music, Canadian Music, Music Education, Chamber Music, Jazz, Woodwind Methods, Orchestration and Arranging, Flute, and Piano Literature and Pedagogy. David obtained his ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music winning the Gold Medal (1983), his Bachelors (1984) and Masters (1997) degrees in Music Performance from the University of Toronto, and his Ph.D. in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour from McMaster University (2015), working with Laurel Trainor. The published research from his Ph.D. thesis on the effects of musical training on musical, social and linguistic development has been widely cited and influential in both psychology and music education circles.
In 1999 David received a grant from the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation to study with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki and Toshio Takahashi in Japan. A strong advocate for early music education, David brought teacher training for Suzuki flute to North America. David held key positions in the Suzuki Association of the Americas and gave workshops and clinics around the world on teaching young children. He wrote many papers on early education. Everyone who saw his work with young children was mesmerized by his ability to motivate young children to enjoy music while achieving excellence. He was awarded the Suzuki Association of the America’s Creating Learning Community award in 2017 in recognition of his long-standing unique contributions to teaching.
David loved to perform and played at times with the Hamilton Philharmonic, New York State Baroque Orchestra, Theatre Aquarius, Symphony on the Bay, and at the Festival of the Sound, as well as in many, many chamber concerts. David also supported contemporary music, serving on the Board of the Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects and obtaining a number of grants to commission new works by Canadian Composers.
Above all, David was a caring and compassionate person to his family, many friends, colleagues, and students. His wish is that his legacy will continue through support for students to conduct research in McMaster’s LIVELab that will further our understanding of the importance of music to individuals and societies.
Awards will be granted to students both within McMaster and from other universities in order to conduct research in McMaster’s LIVELab that will further our understanding of the importance of music to individuals and societies.
The LIVELab is a unique research concert hall with exquisite acoustical control, the means to measure movements of musicians and audiences, and the means to measure brain activity and other physiological responses during live concerts and other events.
Through these awards, students will gain experience with cutting edge technology and contribute to creating a better world through understanding the power of music.