Dr. Devin Stephenson, president of Florida Polytechnic University, plays the piano at his Lakeland, Florida, home.
The holiday season and its tradition of warm, uplifting music have a special meaning for Dr. Devin Stephenson, president of Florida Polytechnic University. They conjure good memories and give him a chance to reconnect with some of his favorite holiday songs.
“My father’s favorite song was ‘Silver Bells,’ and I love that. I play it every year at Christmas with the family around the piano,” he said.
A classically trained pianist, Stephenson is an accomplished performer, recording artist, and music arranger. So sincere is his passion for holiday music that Stephenson has recorded and released three albums, with another on the horizon.
The nuance, persistence and attention to detail he applies when mastering a piece of music has been invaluable throughout his career, he said, including in his current role as president of Florida Poly.
“Playing the piano has given me the ability to break apart sections and master them, and I do the same thing daily at work,” Stephenson said. “Sometimes there are difficult challenges and when I first hear about them, I think, ‘Is that even a possibility?’ I take the time to think and break it into chunks, just like I do when I practice.”
His classical training began long before he ever considered a career in higher education. At only 8 years old, he started learning musical notes alongside his third-grade lessons in history and math. The melodies began flowing from his fingertips and he never looked back.
Piano lessons accompanied Stephenson throughout his public-school years, even as he took up the trumpet and became drum major in high school. While studying at Birmingham-Southern College, he immersed himself in music theory classes in addition to his business major.
“I was an anomaly in the music department because I was one of the few non-music majors in the keyboard labs and music theory classes,” Stephenson said. “But I loved it so much and I understood it. It was important for me to just to continue along that path, and so I've never stopped playing.”
When Stephenson goes home to Jasper, Alabama, to celebrate the holidays this month, he plans to carry on a beloved tradition. He’ll gather a group of friends, pick up his accordion or melodica, and bring Christmas carols to those who could use a little extra holiday cheer.
“We do it as part of giving back,” said Stephenson, whose caroling ensemble has visited assisted living centers and homebound individuals in recent years. “It’s most uplifting because it will inevitably bring back good memories.”
He also began a personal tradition of playing as a featured performer with the Northwest Florida State College Orchestra’s Holiday Pops concert every December–a cherished event that kept him at the forefront of his craft.
“An arranger and I would select the music, and I would tell him how I wanted it feel and what keys I would like to have the music in, and he would finish the arrangement,” Stephenson said. “I would practice from August until we performed during the first week of December. That kept me on my toes because I asked him to write it with some complex runs and licks and I would dig into those.”
Though the performance was demanding, the dedication it required has remained with him. Even today, he continues to play about three times per week.
A stately, seven-foot Yamaha conservatory grand piano awaits Stephenson’s visits home to Alabama. At the Florida Poly president’s residence in Lakeland, Florida, he keeps his mind and mood in tune with the help of a sleek Yamaha digital piano with weighted keys. He hopes to soon bring his Nord Piano 5 to his Florida Poly office to help him recharge during breaks.
“Playing is cathartic; it’s therapeutic,” Stephenson said. “Playing the piano gives me the moments in my life when I can just tell myself I’m not going to focus on a personal issue or external challenge I have, but I’m just going to immerse myself in music and try to escape.
“And a lot of times, there will be an epiphany.”
Contact:
Lydia Guzmán
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
