First Name:
Prof. Rodney
Last Name:
Berry
Main Title:
Adjunct Instructor of Music History and Jazz Studies
Office Location:
Room 458, Broyhill Music Center
Phone Number:
828-262-6452
Email:
Type:
Mr. Rodney Berry is an adjunct instructor of music history and jazz studies in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University. Mr. Berry joined Appalachian State in 1999 after a distinguished 30-year career as a professional woodwind musician. His extensive performance career includes the Air Force Band, freelancing in Los Angeles, and house bands at Palm Springs Hilton, Palm Springs Marriott, and Beverly Hills Ritz Carlton. He has collaborated with Ray Charles, Lou Rawles, Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, and others. He has performed with the Johnny Long Orchestra, Bob Crosby and the Bob Cats, the Inland Empire Saxophone Quartet, and the San Bernardino Light Opera. His show credits include Carousel, Man of La Mancha, West Side Story, and more.
As a guest lecturer, Mr. Berry has contributed to the Appalachian Clarinet Retreat, University of Tennessee Saxophone Symposium, Atlanta Clarinet Society, World Clarinet Congress, and the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has taught at ASU, Cannon Music Camp, and the Summer Festival of Winds and Percussion at Marshall University. His affiliations include Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Lambda, Kappa Kappa Psi, the Collegiate Band Directors National Association, and the American Federation of Musicians. Active in the Boy Scouts for 30 years, he has also coached youth sports, taught Kenpo Karate, and participated in Presbyterian youth outreach programs.
Mr. Berry holds a MM from Appalachian State University and a BS from Marshall University. His training includes clarinet with Thomas O'Connell, Norman Baker, and Dr. Douglass Miller; saxophone with Dr. Robert Clark, Mr. Frank Chase, and Dr. William A. Gora; bass clarinet with Dr. Phillip Rehfeldt; and flute with Dr. Threse Wacker and Dr. Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham.