Welcome to Der3Music

David E. Robinson, III taught orchestra in Dekalb County School System in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia U.S.A. from 1983 to 2019. He is also the founder and director of the Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia Orchestra of Metropolitan Atlanta (formerly the William Grant Still Memorial Youth Orchestra). He hails from Detroit and Highland Park, Michigan. He is a graduate of Morehouse College and a Life Member of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), Inc. His primary instrument is cello, but also plays double bass, viola, and violin in various string ensembles and orchestras. He is a composer and arranger of various types of music - classical, Negro spirituals, gospel, jazz, bluegrass, R & B, “hip-hop,” and so on. He has composed a number of alma maters, graduation songs as well as waltzes, marches, overtures, some jazz, hip-hop, country, school orchestra “novelties,” and so on. He has a growing collection of Negro spirituals. He is also a church musician playing Hammond organ, arranging and teaching choir songs, and directing choirs.

Mr. Robinson has been arranging for bands, orchestras, and choirs in metro Atlanta, other parts of the U.S., and beyond since 1973. He brings any piece of music to life with fun-to-play rhythms that students enjoy – music in a variety of styles. He comes from a musical background of five generations. His great-grandmother, Anna Gardner Goodwin was a pianist, composer, and accompanist for the Morehouse-Spelman College Glee Clubs. Her father, Dan Gardner was a trumpeter and bandleader in Augusta, GA. He had a band that performed on Sunday afternoons in a park named after him. Mr. Robinson’s grandmother (daughter of Anna Goodwin), Janie Goodwin Burruss Walton was a violinist. His mother plays piano and sings. His brother, Rick Robinson plays double bass and his sister, Amorie Robinson plays violin. He has three daughters that also play stringed instruments; and one grandson learning violin and piano.

He has served as clinician and guest conductor for various student orchestras. Sinfo-Nia Youth Orchestra has an annual summer camp in Atlanta as well as a school-year program twice a week. He helped form the Urban String of Columbus (OH) Youth Orchestra where he conducts workshops and summer camps (since 2009). He served as artist-in-residence on cello with the Jamaica Symphony Orchestra during the 2009 Thanksgiving break. He is available to conduct workshops, summer music camps, recording sessions, special concerts, and so on. For more information, you may e-mail him at cellotune227@gmail.com or call (404) 944-9567.