Dr. Dana Robertson
Graduated in 1996 with a major in Performance. Principal Instrument: drums.
Position: Professor (rank: Asst. Prof.) of Literacy Education at the University of Wyoming. Dana teaches elementary school teachers-in-training how to teach reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Overview: Dana gigged and toured full-time for several years after finishing Berklee, but decided that touring wasn’t the life for him. He started substitute teaching, which allows great flexibility on which day you do and don’t work and worked well with his schedule. He enjoyed that, so got his Masters in Education (M.Ed.) and started teaching fifth grade. He continued to take classes and after a few years enrolled in a Ph.D. program, while continuing to teach and gig on the side. Upon receiving his Ph.D. he applied for teaching positions at research universities across the country, and got his current job.
You can see his LinkedIn profile here.
Choice quotes: “Don’t just take any job, but think about what it is that you really enjoy doing–as well as playing music. Every job hasn’t really seemed like a job for me, because I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done.”
“I learned to network as a musician, which applies directly to my job, which requires networking with people at other universities, collaborating, etc. Also the discipline & focus required to master an instrument..transferred directly over to other aspects of my life, such being able to spend a long time working on a paper.”
Dana started drumming at age 5, and music remains an important part of his life. Gigging was an important source of income while in graduate school (both times) and a fun side job at other times.
Dana keeping the beat for his current band, which features a Nobel Prize-winning professor of Economics! “Music is not something I can just stop doing.”
See the full index of successful Berklee alumni.