On December 8, 2022, after an 18 month battle with PEComa cancer, Bruce passed away. His hope is that you continue to enjoy his music and videos via this website.
Everything Is Music
Dr. Bruce Mishkit is a San Francisco Bay Area musician, author, music producer/engineer, and educator. He holds a Doctorate in Music Education from Boston University, a Masters in Multimedia Art from California State University, East Bay, and a Bachelor in Music Performance from California State University, Hayward. Bruce has studied flute with Lloyd Gowen, David Subke, and Roberta Brokaw, classical saxophone with William Trimble, jazz saxophone with Joe Henderson and Hal Stein, piano with Don Hass and Mark Levine, and jazz improvisation with Charlie Banacos.
A native of New York, Bruce moved to the Bay Area after receiving an honorable discharge from the U.S. military and began playing in area rehearsal bands, chamber ensembles, Top 40 dance bands, and R&B groups. He's shared the stage with such diverse musicians as Bo Diddley, Ben E. King, Tom Scott, Victor Feldman, Jeff Lorber, Bob Berg, David Liebman, Donald Harrison, Rodney Holmes, and Kenny Werner. He's also performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Michael Zilber and the CARMA big band.
After several years as a sideman, Bruce joined the progressive jazz-fusion group Daybreak. In collaboration with saxophonist Mel Martin, he produced the band’s first release under his new label, Deva Records, to regional acclaim. Gordon Raddue of The Richmond Independent and Gazette declared, “Mishkit’s commitment to the melodic line is admirable—obviously a fine technician, he is equally effective as a soloist and as part of the ensemble.” John Linder of the Las Vegas Jazz Society said, “He is an impressive soloist, and I particularly like the bite that he gets on his alto.” And in his liner notes, the late Philip Elwood of the San Francisco Examiner wrote, “Outstanding here is the work of Bruce Mishkit—good stuff.”
Bruce is the author of Master Lessons for the Creative Musician: Ernie Watts, Lenny Pickett, Hubert Laws, Paquito D'Rivera, David Liebman, Joe Lovano (Deva Productions 2005). Endorsed by Michael Brecker and Eddie Daniels, the book is a compilation of interviews and musical workouts from the most accomplished woodwind players of our generation.
On Teaching
Learning To Enjoy
At present, Bruce is a full-time faculty member at Crystal Springs Uplands School, where he directs several instrumental ensembles and teaches a music technology and composition class. He is also the Professor of Saxophone at Chabot College.
As an educator, Bruce's years of diverse performing experience and his skill coaching middle school, high school, and college instrumental ensembles has informed his teaching philosophy and classroom practice.
Through teaching instrumental music, Bruce not only helps his students to develop an increased appreciation of music, but also instills in them many of the traits and skills that are essential for successful learning. Instrumental students learn to problem-solve; they learn motivational, time management, and team-building skills; they increase their ability to focus and concentrate; and they become responsible, contributing members of an ensemble. Students also develop a greater sense of self-sufficiency, self-esteem, and self-confidence. Most importantly, students learn to enjoy the process of music-making and performing.
In The Classroom
The Language of Learning
In the classroom, Bruce sets high expectations for students to demonstrate their technical proficiency in, as well as a theoretical understanding of the music they are practicing, performing, and listening to. In addition to holding high expectations for individual skill development, Bruce creates an environment in which students feel supported, nurtured, engaged and empowered. The music room is a safe place for students to feel comfortable and they're encouraged to experiment with their instruments and the music they are playing.
"My previous doctoral research in music education has greatly influenced my teaching philosophy. Notably, Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, which posits that students learn from one another—by observation, imitation, and modeling—and Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger’s theory of Communities of Practice—which suggests that learning is the result of people collaborating, exchanging ideas, and building innovations within a community of practice.
"Both of these theories have helped to coalesce my teaching concepts and are aligned with my belief that music is learned in much the same way as we learn a language, i.e., by listening and imitating. Language students would be hard-pressed to learn the nuances of pronunciation, meaning, and accent without imitating someone who speaks the language well.
"Similarly, in rehearsals, I model for students how a particular piece of music should be played. Additionally, students listen to recordings of pieces we are studying and try to emulate what they hear. They also experiment with modifying arrangements and creating new ones. Overall, I stress the importance of being able to improvise."
Improvisation
Spontaneous Composition?
“Improvisation is a central focus of my life as a musician and also forms the root of my teaching philosophy. In language, we improvise daily. We have conversations, express feelings, share information, and use language, with all its myriad nuances, to connect with other human beings. Moreover, we do that spontaneously and seamlessly, based on our level of verbal proficiency. Why, then, should the language of music be any different?
"When people hear the word 'improvisation' in a musical context, they typically think of jazz music. Indeed, improvisation is the key element of jazz, but the practice of improvisation is not exclusive to jazz. Improvisation is an essential and ubiquitous component of all music and informs our ability to understand and create it. Whether I am teaching a beginning instrumental class, a classical chamber group, a rock band, or a jazz ensemble, developing the skills and confidence to improvise is woven into the curriculum."
The core of Bruce’s teaching philosophy and his ability to teach is the fact that he remains a working and practicing musician. As his teaching schedule allows, he performs with his group and as a featured artist with other groups. Also, he is currently writing music for a new recording project, which will be his fifth CD release.
"Practicing my instruments is an essential part of my daily schedule. It is this attention to my personal growth as a musician that allows me to connect with students and help them discover the incredible feeling and satisfaction from making music come alive."