HawkStrong: Robert Nash engages communities through volunteer work and music
When he was 7, HFC alumnus and Greening of Detroit volunteer coordinator Robert Nash watched renowned jazz musicians Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter perform on PBS. Seeing these musicians perform inspired Nash to become a musician himself.
“I just remember the audience staring at them in awe, then bursting into applause,” recalled Nash. “I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
At 16, Nash took private piano lessons with Pavel Vasilev, a music teacher from Bulgaria. Vasilev founded the Music Authority School of Achievers in Dearborn Heights in 2009, where he serves as its director.
“We practiced three times a week. He was very strict, but he was also very good,” said Nash. “I competed in the Great Lakes Music Guild of Michigan. Most of the people there were younger than me. I played (Fryderyk) Chopin’s ‘Waltz Op. 63 No. 2 in B-minor.’ I won first place! I realized right then that I could do this for a living.”
The inclusive, supportive music community at HFC
The middle of three sons, Nash is a lifelong Detroiter. He lives in Detroit’s New Center district with his daughter, 9. An alumnus of Henry Ford High School in Detroit, Nash earned his bachelor’s degree in music theory and composition from Wayne State University.
Nash also took music classes for two years at HFC (then Henry Ford Community College), studying under the recently-retired G. Kevin Dewey and the late Rick L. Goward.
“Robert was a very talented keyboardist and vocalist, as well as an excellent student of music theory and ear training,” recalled Dewey. “He was a super-friendly guy who enjoyed hanging out and working with his classmates.”
“HFC is a great school,” said Nash. “If anybody is considering going to a community college, it should be HFC. The music program not only taught me about music but also about life. That information has stuck with me and helped turn me into the professional I am now today.”
At first, Nash just planned to take a music class during the summer as a guest student.
“I would blame it all on Kevin, who has had a profound impact on me,” said a smiling Nash. “That was the best thing that ever happened to me – attending HFC! Kevin really got me up to speed with jazz, harmony, singing, all different styles of music. The music department at the College was a wonderful community that brings people together. Inclusiveness wasn’t as well understood it is now, but Kevin was all for that and ahead of the curve. He knew how to assess people and put them in the right place. That’s why I decided it was best for me to stay at HFC. When I returned to Wayne State, I was more than ready.”
Robert Nash piano selection
Helping communities thrive with the Greening of Detroit
After graduating from Wayne State, Nash taught music in the enrichment program at the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency in Detroit.
“Wayne Metro had started an after-school music program that helped at-risk students. They thought I was a good candidate. I enjoyed my time there,” said Nash.
After teaching music for three years at Wayne Metro, Nash spent three more years in an administrative capacity. Wanting to move to non-office work, Nash joined Greening in early 2023. He is part of the Greening Infrastructure Team, which plans and designs environmental tree plantings throughout the City of Detroit. This is a volunteer-led effort. Nash engages with schools and other community organizations to see if they have people willing to donate their time to plant trees in the communities in which they reside.
“They are the ones who want to see their community strive,” said Nash. “We organize the volunteers to install the vision the community seeks, then we provide the resources, tools, and instructions for them. Those are the benefits of these trees and green spaces.”
Nash performed at the Greening’s annual fundraiser earlier in the summer.
“It’s another way to use music to engage and bring the community together,” he said. “I work with a fabulous team here. That’s the best thing: Being able to work with people who understand the whole vision of Greening. I love the fact that I’m outdoors in nature; it’s a great mental space to be in. I also have flexibility to be a dad. My daughter sometimes comes to plantings. It’s definitely a village.”
“Music allows you to express yourself outside of words”
HFC Interim Director of Music Anthony Lai tutored Nash during their days at Wayne State.
“His musical mind was unique and unforgettable,” said Lai. “Not long after, Robert became one of my first students in my recording techniques class and again proved to be a brilliant musician and genuine soul. It's no surprise to talk to him years later to see that he's still making beautiful art and working in a job that serves the community. He's the real deal, and I hope he's as proud of his work as I am to see him doing it."
HFC Manager of Recording Arts Jeremy Palmer agreed.
“As a student, I remember Robert Nash developing into a really talented jazz pianist with a gift for composition. He was one of those wonderful musicians who wanted to soak up all the knowledge HFC could give him,” said Palmer.
For Nash, the best part of being musician is the daily discipline required to become better at the craft.
“Music allows you to express yourself beyond words,” he said. “It allows you to connect to people who may not have the words. People say music is a universal language – that’s so true. I have been in places where people don’t speak the same language but have found common ground with music. It pulls on the inner parts of humanity and helps us all strive to be better.”