Student Comments
He knows the meaning of ‘teaching’ and consider students
important..He’s not only a unique musician but also a unique teacher,
he has a style to teach ear training and playing guitar, he has a
system! I practiced with many great musicians but only he showed me
what to practice and how to practice, it’s important. He gave me the
key to be a good musician..
Thank you my teacher and my friend.
Bilal Karaman (guitarist/composer), Istanbul-Turkey
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Prof. Donovan Mixon was a teacher of mine in my ear training classes in Istanbul Bilgi University. I’ve also been playing in his group for 4 years, so I’ve known him as an educator and a performer. From any point of view he is a real professional, doing what he is doing very seriously and very focused.
As an educator, for me he is the answer for the question: “Who was the best teacher that you ever had?” He knows everything about ear training and he has a great system that works if you follow the program periodically. He is the author of the book “Performance Ear Training” (Advance Music) which is a complete ear training method integrating the movable Do system into the jazz improvisation concept. The work book he uses in the classroom is a very systematic one and is supported with sound samples. He is working on new ear training books which will help the musicians development of hearing harmonic and melodic structures more and more.
As a performer & composer he is very intellectual and musical. He is always open to new ideas without loosing his swing and groove. Check out his quartet recordings and also the latest Hybrid Project release.
Besides his contributions to the music world, he is a very good person and a wise man.
Ferit Odman (drummer), Istanbul-Turkey
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Donovan Mixon who I had the opportunity to study with through 2001 -
2005 during my university education at the Bilgi University, is an
inspiring musician and one of the most qualified teachers I’ve ever
studied with. He has been my teacher and mentor for Guitar and
Performance and Ear Training. His guidance, discipline and well organized way of
teaching lead me to improve my skills immensely.
Erman Dirikcan (guitarist), Istanbul-Turkey
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“First of all, for success in Music you have to know how you can practice, if you dont know this you can waste your time for nothing. Mr. Mixon showed me how to practice. He has a great system and discipline. I improved my improvising skills while working with him.
I think, teaching music is a very different talent which not every musician have.
He has this talent!
As an educator He knows what you need. Thank you.”
Utku Dalmaz (guitarist), Istanbul-Turkey
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Donovan Mixon was the teacher of many of my friends who were attending to Bilgi University Music Department. So I had heard lots of stories about his discipline, his professional way of teaching and his high standards as an educator. About a month ago, I met him and began to study music theory and ear training with him. Now I understand everything much better. He is totally experienced and he is a very special person. I believe he has some ˜hidden sensors” which makes him quickly understand the capabilities and needs of the person sitting right in front of him. And he really knows what to do about it. One lesson he shows me something and my innervoice says “I’m afraid I will never do that”. But once he tells it without confusing your mind and gives the necessary homeworks you need, then after a week… bam! “Yes i am doing that!”
I feel myself very lucky to be living in the same city with him. And luckier to spend one hour of my each week with him-learning music and training my ear. 
Thank you Donovan, to be my teacher.
Sezgi Olgac (vocalist) Istanbul-Turkey
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I was a classical guitar student in a fine arts highschool. I was looking for something else than just playing the written pieces of music like a machine. I wasn’t feeling like a musician these days. I was just playing the guitar, not the music. By the time I understood that I needed someone more than a guitar teacher, who could show me the way to understand the music, how to improvise, how to comp, and how to hear…
I met with Donovan Mixon these days, about three and a half years a go. In the first lesson I understood that Donovan is more than a music instructor.The lesson was so different from other lessons I had before. It was more than looking at notes and playing the guitar.
Donovan Mixon considers music as a language and he’s a native speaker of that. He can speak many different accents of this language but he never loses his swing. This is his greatest difference from other teachers I have practiced with….He teaches how to talk in music; how to phrase, where to breathe, how to hear the words and understand them.
Beside these great qualities he’s also a great performer, composer and a very special person for me.
I’m very lucky because I had the chance to know him and communicate in his native language; music
Thank you Donovan
Ozan Esen (guitarist), Istanbul-Turkey
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I feel very lucky for having the chance of taking private lessons from Donovan Mixon. He has exposed to me aspects of music and the instrument I would not have come across otherwise. In our first lesson he offered me a comprehensive study plan consisting of various aspects of music and musicianship following a brief enquiry of my musical goals and a brief assessment of my musical skills. In that plan were included sight-reading, ear-training, ear-training with an instrument and its applications on an instrument (performance ear-training), essential repertoire, transcription studies, fundamental knowledge of scales, chords, theory and harmony and their applications on guitar. Accompanying this broad ranged approach to teaching, he provides extremely detailed to-the-point, clear cut exercises and precise methods of study on each and every aspect in order to help students develop their skills to full potential in the fastest and most efficient ways possible. What’s more is that he does all of these while students’ own goals and aims are being approached towards. So regardless of whatever genre of music is preferred to be learned or whatever kind and level of musicianship is desired to be attained students end up acquiring invaluable tools that can make them into complete and competent musicians. What I personally admire and like most about lessons with Donovan Mixon is that despite all the distresses that accompany any type of learning are also present with his teachings he never lets the process of learning become dull or meaningless. After all teaching is done in the aimed direction he reveals little by little new horizons, undiscovered territories that spark excitement and create enthusiasm striving students to see and aim farther. Therefore maintaining music as the main concern at all times.
Ahmet Asagir (guitarist) Istanbul-Turkey
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The first time I saw Donovan was a gig at Nardis. He was playing with his trio featuring two of his students. I did not know much about him, and I wondered why he was playing with amateur musicians instead of many professionals around (by the way, the “amateur musicians” he was playing with, became professionals now!). When the music began, I did not merely witnessed his unique musicianship, but also his live teaching performance on the stage! For me, that fantastic gig was the proof of being true musician, who always keeps his amateur attitude and searches the many ways of developing his skills constantly, and enjoys transferring them to youngers. I saw a lot of examples of that during my education period with him.
He had been the lecturer of my ear-trainning class for two years. His own methods, that are very useful and practical in daily life, were used in those lectures, about what I can say that, it was fun and nightmare, very easy and extremely difficult, depending how much practice the student had. Practice… This magic word one has to keep in mind and take very seriously if s/he wants to work with Mr. Mixon. Because he is a “teacher”, and I mean it. Thank God, I had someone like him among my teachers in my educational career.
One more thing; I will never be able to forget the “dice and destiny” time, anybody who worked with him can understand what I mean
Taylan Cihan (composer/guitarist) Istanbul-Turkey
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I have never met such a good music teacher before. In a country like Turkey, where teachers are usually boring, Donovan is very cool!
After 4 lessons, I started to play some basic songs, and tune my guitar very well. The lesson fees are not so expensive, bearing in mind his 40 years of experience.
I am sure you will like him, too. While he teaches you music, you can teach him Turkish
Mert Erkal, 32, Naval Architecture
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2003 yýlýnda Bilgi Üniversitesi Müzik Bölümünde derslere misafir öðrenci olarak kabul edildiðimde Donovan Mixon’ýn ear training sýnýfýna da katýldým. Benim için baþlangýçta oldukça yeni ve zordu. Donovan Mixon okulun kayýtlý öðrencisi olmama raðmen benim motive olmamdan derslere devamýma kadar herþeyle çok fazla ilgilendi. Hatta sýnavlardan ve quizlerden sorumlu tuttu..ve ben bir dönem içeresinde ear training konusunda hiç birþey bilmezken önemli bir geliþme kaydettim. Daha sonra 2006 yýlý baþýnda kendisinden özel dersler almaya baþladým. Bir jazz vokalisti olarak emprovizasyon ve yorum zenginliði olarak kendimi sürekli geliþtirmem gerektiðini düþünüyorum ve Donovan’ýn derslerinin bu kapýya anahtar olduðuna eminim.
Bir hoca olarak çok sabýrlý ve ilgili olduðunu ve gerçekten tek kelimeyle ve her yönüyle çok iyi bir eðitmen olduðunu söylemek istiyorum. Müzikal hayatýmda Donovan Mixon’ýn ear training metodunun bir yapýtaþý olacaðýný biliyorum. O’nunla ve metoduyla tanýþmýþ olmak benim için büyük bir þanstý. Biliyorum ki O’nun öðrettikleri ve öðretecekleri herzaman ihtiyaç duyacaðým ve kullanacaðým beni sürekli ileriye götürecek bilgiler olacak. Hayat boyu teþekkürlerimi kabul etmesi dileðiyle..
Özge Pýnar
I attended to the ear training class of Donovan Mixon in 2003 while I was a guest student at Bilgi University Music Department.
It was very hard and new for me at the beginning. Even though I was not a registered student of Bilgi, Donovan Mixon always took care of my training and my motivation. Even he made me responsible for quizes and final exams…at last I made a big progress at the end of semester. As a jazz vocalist I think that I must improve my improvisation and _expression. I’m sure that Donovan Mixon’s methods are the key.
As a teacher he is very patient and pays much attention to his students. In my musical life his methods will be a milestone. It was a big chance for me to meet with him and his lessons. I know that his teachings and his ear traing methods will greatly contribute to my musical knowledge and abilities.
Please except my lifetime thanks..
Özge Pýnar
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Mr Donovan mixon is my dear teacher from Bilgi University. For two years I studied ear training with him with great enjoy. A good musician doesn’t mean being a good teacher. And a good teacher may not be a very good performer. Don Mixon, who is a regardable musician, also exactly knows how to teach and never forgets the importance of motivation. What I learned from him are many useful ways about ear training but firstly; what happens when discipline is included in life:
it brings success before the chance starts to walk!
Ilkcan Ozcan
