We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Donna Scott a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Donna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

My journey to pursuing a creative artistic path professionally began in kindergarten at Rudyard Kipling Elementary in Chicago, my teacher Ms. Imala, a beautiful, golden-brown woman with a kind smile and an angelic voice taught us this song:

“Go tell Aunt Rhody, go tell Aunt Rhody, go tell Aunt Rhody, the old gray goose is dead.”

I was crestfallen at the plight of these poor little geese. In that classroom, our teacher was cultivating not only a love for music but also a sense of empathy; we were learning to put ourselves in another’s’ shoes. Ms. Brooks, with her coke bottle glasses and upswept hairdo would be next to water and nurture the seeds Ms. Imala had planted. Whether we were singing “Champenacas,” or “I’ve been working on the Railroad,” she did it all. When we graduated, we marched into the auditorium to “War March of the Priests.” Ms. Brooks taught us that it’s ok to be different. My family couldn’t afford a piano, let alone lessons, so my buddy and next door neighbor Kim, who did take lessons and had a Wurlitzer Spinet piano, would sometimes teach me the songs she was learning, like “Little David Play on Your Harp.” Beatrice and Stephanie, two other neighbors, also let me switch up practicing at their homes. It wasn’t much, but it fed my soul and made me goofy happy.

My dad was an incredible tenor. To this day, I’ve heard only a few tenors with a voice like his. It was just gorgeous. I got about ‘fifty to sixty percent of his voice, but not the whole ‘kit and kaboodle’ as he would say. I did get however, 100% of his rich timbre. As an adult, some folks have assumed my voice got lower with age. Well, not that much. When I answered the phone as a teen, folks would confidently say, “Hello sir!” That would ‘frost my cookies’ so much! Now it doesn’t bother me. My dad would always sing. I would follow him to choir practice to hear them sing spirituals, like “I Want to Be Ready.” Hearing those songs deepened my love for harmony. Dad was a gifted interior decorator who put himself through school at the Chicago Art Institute after serving in the Navy as a cook. He always yearned to be a professional singer, but injustices that he was dealt and his own demons blocked that dream. I always wished that I could have sung with him before he passed away. Those two things an being raised in Chicago where music and art were everywhere, in the streets, in our games as we jumped double dutch and sang, ion the viaducts the you walked under all over the city, all of these things influenced me greatly.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Another thing that put me on my current path oddly enough is my first career in broadcasting, film and advertising. I have a BS and MA in Communications. My concentration was Radio-TV-Film. I’ve always loved tinkering and being behind the scenes. As a middle child (the fourth of seven children and the second of three girls), I learned at an early age how to negotiate and see a lot of different perspectives. Later, whether I was dealing with issues as a producer of a commercial, film or an ad campaign, I was comfortable seeing the project from each persons’ viewpoint—“what does the accountant, the art director, the writer, the cinematographer, the line producer or the client think?” I loved hearing all the viewpoints and then bringing them together as a cohesive whole. Another thing that helped me tremendously and set me up for what I do now is working every position in television; grip, cameraperson, audio engineer, video editor, technical director and director. Even sitting in the control room doing chyron and computer graphics, you learned for example, that ‘three seconds’ to a camera person seems like an eternity to the director. It’s why I am now hard wired to not make clients wait too long for an answer. Working in both commercial radio, television and the news also gave me an appreciation for time and details. Selling radio air time landed me a barter deal for piano lessons. I eagerly saved up and bought a used white Wurlitzer spinet, on which I would practice for hours on end. I was in hog heaven!

I was a bit of a tomboy growing up, climbing fences and trees, just like my four brothers. When I watched sports with them, I’d sometimes fantasize about running the camera at the Super bowl on the fifty yard line, or capturing the game winning shot from the paint in an NBA finals game. That adventuresome spirit never left years later, as I would nimbly skip up 30 foot ladders to adjust television studio lights, or get ready to go up in the second wave to run the ABC Network cameras during the LIVE telecast of the ABQ International Balloon Festival. After work, I would frequently stay and pore over manuals for all the machines, mixers, boards and computers. I didn’t do it for the attention, it was total fascination! Nonetheless, my dedication caught the attention of the chain smoking, salty tongued station manager, who promoted me to the position of commercial director shortly thereafter. My trajectory continued when I joined the local Univision station as a senior producer.

Three years later, wanting to be closer to Chicago, my husband and I relocated to Detroit, and I began working as a senior copywriter/producer for J. Walter Thompson USA (JWT), one of the worlds’ leading ad agencies. Because it was their nickel, I could hire the best creative personnel, with respect to the nuts and bolts of an ad campaign, be it print, broadcast or film. JWT even provided a ‘creative black book’ used to select vendors from. That experience helped me see how things were really done, what were the best practices if money were no object. It also prepared me for the digital age because our vendors were all over the world. It was terribly exciting but after our son Chris was born, I wanted to resign. My boss convinced JWT to create a part-time position to try to keep me, but it was still too much. The job required my being out of town for weeks at a time and my son was growing so fast. I didn’t want to miss much more. When he reached two, I resigned.

At this point, I started getting freelance work. I could be a creative director, but with my own hours. I had the same mindset that I had at JWT– be professional, be killer in your execution, the client is always right and k.i.s.s. (keep it simple sistah). What’s more, I could do cutting edge campaigns for a fraction of the cost. Working with JWT, ABC and the local Univision station also taught me something else. Famous people put their pants on one leg at a time like everyone else. I recall talk show host Geraldo Rivera seeing me on a live shoot; camera on one shoulder, battery belt on my waist. I was packing up. He walked over and began picking up some of the cables for me. It normalized how I was around anyone famous to this day.

The last factor that pulled me toward Houston was a plea by the Detroit Public Schools (DPS). DPS encouraged school districts to partner with outside organizations e.g., churches. One Sunday, an elementary school principal visited my church asking for help to start a Glee Club. No one volunteered, including myself. That would change in a few months. One December day, Ron, my worship team leader asked me to sing carols at this same school. It was 7 degrees outside! I wanted to scream “Nooo.” But ‘any’ and ‘every’ time I needed something musically, Ron was always there. I reluctantly went. Over 400 kids were sitting on a gymnasium floor and you could see the puddles of melted snow around. We started caroling. When Melissa, another church member, hit that high note near the end of “Oh Holy Night,” and Ron ‘followed up with his energetic glissandos, the kids eyes got wide as saucers. That’s when I got an idea. Even though I could not do a Glee Club, I could help them put on a musical. We did “We Haz Jazz.” (My sons’ school had done this musical earlier and I loved the story line). I was the producer, Melissa the Vocal Coach, Ron the Music Director and Margo, one of the English teachers, was the acting coach. I hired a choreographer, videotaped the dance steps and taught them to the kids myself.

Our church bought the rehearsal booklets and tapes. Because we had a bigger stage, the performance was at our church. We also provided an after-performance banquet for the parents, because they were coming from work. There were 90 students in the production and it was stellar. I wish I had time to tell you all the stories of how their lives and ours, were touched and changed. Several other schools heard of what our team had done and asked me could we do the same for them. We did. Later, while in NY filming a documentary, I got a call from a suburban Michigan school wanting a part-time music teacher. I took the job and soon created a performing arts program that met all the state benchmarks.

In 2009, with our son attending Bowling Green State University, my husbands’ job with the department of Defense transferred him to Houston to work with Galveston’s Army Core of Engineers. Prior to relocating, I had been in a program at Mary Grove College in Detroit, which recruited college graduates from all disciplines to become certified teachers. My principal saw my love for teaching and recommended I apply. Deep down, I wasn’t sure if I had what it took. A drive back from Chicago, listening to a CD from my moms’ church, changed my mind. The Sanctuary Choir was performing “I’m in Love with Jesus.” The music was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. My moms’ pastor routinely had so many jazz greats visit the church. That man could make an organ jump up and spin around so to speak, he would break out and sing Luther Van Dross to make a sermon point; he was once Navy bunkmates with Nancy Wilsons’ drummer and had a Ph.D. in music. He truly understood the balance and importance of music to worship. Here on a dusky road on 1-94, I benefitted from that wisdom.

I let go of my fears, applied, was accepted and began to officially pursue my lifelong passion for music. In this program, I would receive both my BMUS and my MA in Music. I had finished most of my core education requirements when we moved to Houston. I enrolled in Texas Southern (TSU), a university with a long, positive history in my family. My uncle and cousin graduated from the pharmacy school, my brother and niece graduated from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. My uncle John Crump, who also graduated from Thurgood, was the longtime Executive Director of the National Bar Association and was honored by TSU for his service in the legal profession. My aunt, graduated with a degree in government. So, of course I would follow in the family footsteps to attend. Being a teacher was first and foremost on my mind when I enrolled until I heard the Big Band playing “Little Darlings.” I immediately called my mom and put her on speaker. I felt I was in the right place. Jazz was something that was constantly playing on my moms’ radio while I was growing up.

At Texas Southern, I chose the same mantra that my sons’ college told incoming freshman: “don’t let the institution use you, you use the institution,” meaning, get every single drop you can out of the experience. In the classical ensemble orchestra and the jazz big band, I played trombone; in the Latin Jazz ensemble and combos I played piano, flute and trombone. I also sang in the vocal jazz ensemble and was a featured singer in the big band for several seasons. That hunger to learn and to be better helped me land a spot in the Joe Sample Jazz Orchestra, playing bass trombone under the co-direction of one of my idols, the late jazz pianist Dr. Joe Sample. My main instrument was classical piano and I had the good fortune to study under Dr. Jane Perkyns from Julliard. On May 10, 2014, I graduated from TSU, valedictorian, 4.0, summa cum laude. After teaching general music and choir for a few years, I was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Denvers’ Lamont School of Music to study jazz voice. Denver was heaven to me. Jazz music was everywhere and it was so welcoming. From the first day I was there, it was on, there’s just this musical energy here, sort of like Rome, Italy. . It’s truly special.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Absolutely. When I was driving to Colorado to perform in the Five Points Jazz. I was coming from Houston. An hour into my journey, my car started shaking. This is a fairley a new car with brand new tires. I didn’t know what the issue was. I pulled over to the side and discovered my tired was shredded all the way around. I called my insurance and the assured me help would be there shortly. 45 minutes later, nothing. I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed that a patrol car was behind me. They had noticed me pulled over. Without thinking. I rolled down my window and motioned for the police to move to the passenger side. he did and saw the flat. He and his partner asked if I had a spare. They hanged my tire .Now this was a few weeks after the Robb Elementary shooting. I asked the officers if I could take photos of them helping so I could post it on social media. They told me where the nearest tire place was. The tires were under warranty, but they did have that model so they gave me upgrades. They joy of the journey continued. I figured I would arrive in Amarillo ( my halfway point to Denver). Two hours before arriving in Amarillo, a coyote jumped on the expressway. There was a semi next to me and behind me. I had to decide quickly. One wrong move and I would be road kill. The coyote sadly went underneath my car. I was shaken at that point. In the morning I double checked the damage which was minimal. However, a warning light kept coming on. I was 6 hours from Denver and 9 hours from Houston. I considered cancelling. I didn’t know if my car would make it because of the unfortunate coyote incident. It did make it. I decided to keep driving. I had such an awesome, awesome time at the festival.It was invigorating, energizing and just a ton of fun hanging with the people and fellow artists and everyone that had anything to do with the festival. Had I turned around, I would have missed all this amazing energy. Sometimes as a touring musician you’re gonna hit roadblocks that make you want to quit. You have to listen to yourself and decide what’s best. For me, it’s moving forward.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The people I meet and get to work with. The currency in the music business for me is relationships. I have learned so much from people who just want to cheer from me. It reminds me of when I came to Denver in 2016 to work on my MM in vocal jazz at the University of Denver. I met Jude De Lorca at La Cour Art Bar and Bistro. We struck up a conversation and she introduced me to people who could connect me to the music scene. I met so many wonderful people in Denver and yes they can play but what I appreciate even more so is their humanity, their empathy, their hilarity. Conversely, I get to relate to people every time i perform, teach, arrange a song, release music.. Its the people I get to make music with and for. That golden.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.donnaescott.com
• Instagram: iamdonnaescott_jazz_music
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donna.scott.121772
• Twitter: donnascott@fotogno52
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCICUdok739O6EmPu9Usqhfw
• Other: www.majicdragon,multimedia.net (my indie label. I am CEo and have 7 artists