Classical, spiritual, sacred or jazz, Bertha Myers played it all on the piano and organ. Call out a song and she played it with or without music. Hum an
unfamiliar tune and she would pick it up and improvise. She was a gifted arranger, performer, music educator and guidance counselor.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1921, Bertha took to music at an early age. She gave her first piano recital at age 14 and began teaching piano lessons. After graduating from Omaha Central High School, she received a B.A. degree in Music Education from Northwestern University. She studied piano at Chicago Conservatory and the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts. She received a Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Bertha was an accomplished church pianist, organist, choir director and arranger for over 50 years. Her church choirs were outstanding because she served God in everything she did. She was an accompanist/choir director for numerous artists, shows and schools. Bertha enjoyed accompanying her husband, Robert Myers a tenor/baritone. They volunteered their talents in many churches and civic functions.
Bertha has conducted numerous workshops in the History and Interpretation of Black Music and has received many honors. She has been presented in several classical concerts receiving outstanding reviews for her stellar performances. She is extremely proud of her publication; (l960) the anthem: “I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes.”
After teaching eight years in the Detroit Public Schools, Bertha applied to teach music in the Omaha Public Schools in the mid 1950s, only to find that her teaching ability and experience didn’t count outside of the inner city schools. The superintendent of schools hired her to substitute in black schools. Her first break came when the principal of Howard Kennedy School asked her to take over a music class because of the illness of the music teacher. Bertha took the class, and within three days the children were singing in three-part harmony. The principal was flabbergasted at what she heard and immediately called the superintendent of schools. From there she was assigned to teach full time as a traveling music teacher in the inner city schools. Later she received an appointment at the newly built Horace Mann Junior High School. The choir, in strong four-part harmony under her direction, became known city wide and presented many musical productions, operas and operettas complete with costumes and scenery, unusual for that age group at that time. Some years later, she became a guidance counselor at Horace Mann Junior High School and later became Central High School’s first black guidance counselor. Wanting another challenge, she accepted a position as a Home-School Liaison Instructor. Bertha forever challenged her students to reach their highest potential. She expected nothing less. Her daughter, Karen, followed in her mother’s footsteps as a former music teacher and is currently a guidance counselor in the Omaha Public Schools. Bertha’s daughter, Janet DePriest, is a retired educator in the Kansas City Missouri Public School District.
Bertha is married to Robert L. Myers, an honoree in the 2007 Omaha Black Hall of Fame. He was a businessman who was also involved in civil rights and was a former member of the Omaha Board of Education (1963-1969) Robert was a co-owner of the Myers Funeral Home.
Although she was short in stature, Mrs. Myers was a powerful teacher and choir director who tolerated no nonsense. She had a heart of gold and was always willing to share her knowledge and experiences. Those who have had the privilege of knowing her have learned the joy of music. To this day, her former students continue to say, “Thank you, Mrs. Myers.”
