Q&A with Ava Della Pietra

What would you tell a girl who wants to do what you’ve been doing?

Not to sound too cliché, but it’s really true — follow your dreams. My favorite quote, which I go by every day, is “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” When I started, I was doing community theater. My first show was when I was 3; I did some singing and acting. When I was 4, I started violin. When I was 5, I started piano. I started bass because of ‘School of Rock.’ 

The casting director asked my mom if I knew how to play bass guitar.  My mom’s response was, “She can learn.” So I learned how to play bass in four days! Once I got to School of Rock, I picked up the guitar because a lot of kids there played guitar. I also play ukulele. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” I started off small, and I slowly grew. I feel like I’m doing everything I want to do. I think everyone should feel like this.

How did you react when your mom said, “You have to learn how to play bass guitar in four days”?

My mom was giving me all the songs I had to learn for the callback and then she said exactly that: “By the way, you need to learn how to play ‘Teacher’s Pet’ on the bass. I was like, ‘The bass’? I didn’t even know what an electric bass was. I didn’t know anything about it, so my mom scheduled lessons for me pretty much every day for four days. I was 10.

Whose idea was it to start taking violin lessons when you were 4?

Mom’s. My mom plays the violin, and my dad and brother did at some point. It started as a hobby. I’ve taken it quite a few levels up. I’ve gone to a Heifetz Institute in Virginia for two years. I went last year and again this year to a three-week program called HeifetzPEG, which is the younger program of the Heifetz Institute. We play violin all day, then in the evenings, we listen to concerts by the older program, which is for 14 and up. I had lessons from the best violin teachers in the world;  we had something called the Communication Class. That basically connects physical elements of playing the violin to drama, yoga and movement.

How does yoga tie into playing the violin?

They tell us to stretch before playing the violin. Just like a sport, violin requires a lot of thought and preparation. Some people sweat when they play the violin because it’s a lot of work. You don’t want to hurt yourself. If you tense up while playing the violin, you’re going to be in pain later. Also, you play better when you’re loose. Yoga was a way to try to make us relax while playing the instrument and feel our whole bodies instead of focusing just on our hands and arms. They talked about our stance and where our feet should be, things like that.

Do you remember the first song you fell in love with?

I’m a huge Disney fan. When I would watch the movies — I think my favorite one was ‘The Little Mermaid’ — I would always sing along. “Part of Your World” was one of my first songs.

I’m pretty sure the first or second song I ever learned was “Castle on a Cloud.” Then ‘Les Miz’ was the first show I ever landed!

I knew that song by heart, because my family loved ‘Les Mis.’ We used to watch the 10th anniversary concert, like every year. When I first saw it, I thought it was pretty gruesome and I didn’t understand all of it. But when I got the audition for ‘Les Mis,’ my favorite song was “Castle on a Cloud.” First of all, I knew it; also, it was one of the only songs for a young girl in ‘Les Mis.’ I thought, “Great, I can go in and audition with this!” And I booked it!

The Young Cosette role in ‘Les Miserables’ has a lot of big names attached to it — Donna Vivino, Daisy Egan, Lea Michele and Ashley Tisdale all played that part on Broadway or in national tours. Were you aware of the role’s history at the time?

No. I was only 7 when I was in ‘Les Mis.’ I knew about the show, but I didn’t completely understand what it was about. I had the general idea, but I didn’t know that much about it. I actually thought, going in, that theater was something people did for fun. I didn’t know I was being paid; I thought it was just a really fun activity! I thought everybody was really talented volunteers. I didn’t know it was work!

What did you do when you found out you were getting paid?

I don’t remember when I found out. It might have been during ‘White Christmas,’ I’m not sure.

My mom doesn’t let me look at my paychecks. She doesn’t want me to get a big head.

When was it obvious to everybody around you that you’d wind up on the stage?

When I was 3 and just starting to do the whole acting thing, a lot of people went up to my parents in the audience and said, “You’ve got to get this girl on Broadway!” My dad was all for it, telling my mom to get me an agent. My mom, who was very supportive of my acting, held back at first. She had heard stories about how kids who were in the acting business as children didn’t have real childhoods. She thought there might be more negatives than benefits. My dad ultimately convinced her, and she got me an agent.

Who do you see that’s doing what you’d like to be doing in five or ten years?

I don’t look up to that many people with music careers, because I don’t see myself as being famous when I grow up. I want to share my music and for people to hear it.

I don’t want to be that as big as Taylor Swift, but I want to be known and for people to like my music.

Who are some of the people that have helped you along the way?

My mom has been very helpful. Whenever I have an audition, she runs through my lines with me. She gives me her acting tips. She’s very supportive and wants to help me in every way.

One time, when I was preparing for a ‘Matilda’ audition, I was singing “Naughty” in the back seat, just sort of humming it to myself. There was this one word that my mom really wanted me to pronounce, because I was mumbling it. She yells to me from the front seat: “Little! Say ‘lit-tle!’

What kinds of lessons are you taking right now?

I take lessons for singing. My dance lessons, violin, piano, bass guitar and guitar. For dance, I take ballet, jazz and tap. Then I have a lot of other hobbies that don’t have to do with music, like tennis and art.

That sounds like a heavy schedule. So are you taking different lessons every day?

I like to stay busy. I think I take two lessons every day after school, some for an hour, some for an hour and a half.

You’ve had a tutor when you’ve been in one of the productions. Since you’re not doing a show right now, are you attending school?

Yes. I’m going to regular public school right now. I have performances for my singing and songwriting, but it’s not like those are a one-year commitment. They’re one-day events, so I may take off for a day or something to do that.

But when I was in previous shows, for the tours I had a tutor who tutored everyone in the show. ‘Les Mis' and ‘White Christmas’ don’t have that many kids in them, so there was one tutor / guardian for those two shows. My teachers from home sent me my work. I kept up, but sort of on my own time. Sometimes I’d have a lot of rehearsals, so I wouldn’t have as much time in a week as everyone else did. But I finished all the work that they did, so it all evened out.

‘School of Rock’ was similar. For that one, I went to school one and a half days each week. On Thursday,  my off day, and on Friday, when we had a Friday night show, I’d attend regular school. Even if I wasn’t completely caught up, I could see my friends and feel like I was in school. My transitions were very clean.

[Mom: She’s a straight-A student. She’s in honors everything in junior high and two years ahead in math. This year, she’s taking 10th-grade math in eighth grade. She wouldn’t tell you that, but I can because I’m her mom. Math is one of her favorite subjects.]

I started getting really into math this year. First, I love my teacher, but also it got a lot more interesting. Last year, I took algebra, and this year I’m studying geometry. It’s a lot of fun.

Who are your friends, and what part of your life do they come from?

I hang out with my friends from school. I keep up with kids from my different shows and violin programs. One family we’re really close with is the family of the director from ‘Les Mis’ who lives in London. We’ve kept in touch with them, and we’re really close. So I have friends all over the world.

I also have my band, so I’m friends with them.

[Mom: My son says, ‘Stop bragging.’ Does this feel like bragging?]

You’ve been able to meet a lot of celebrities through your roles and the events where you’ve performed. Who really made an impression on you, either because of what they said or the way they presented themselves?

I met Jack Black, which was amazing, because he was in the ‘School of Rock’ movie. He’s funny in person, and he’s really, really nice. I loved him a lot.  I met Slash from Guns N’ Roses, who, believe it or not, is actually quite shy. I met Stevie Nicks, which was really amazing, and I met Barbra Streisand.

Was there one particular gig or role that changed things for you?

Each one of my shows was a big deal in some way or another. ‘Les Mis' was a big deal because it was my first professional show. That started it all. ‘White Christmas’ was fun because it was completely different. I sort of went from the saddest show in the world to the happiest show in the world.

Then ‘School of Rock’ was my first Broadway show. I think that was the biggest deal for me, and I am proudest of that.

For you to have gotten so many good roles, you have to have been turned down a lot, too. How do you deal with that rejection?

My mom always tells me, whenever I go to an audition — because she doesn’t want me to stress out, not that I do — she always tells me before the audition, “This is just one audition. There are going to be so many others.” She always tells me to think of it like a ping-pong bucket at the fair. When you try to throw into one of them, you don’t get it every time, but you get better and once in a while you land one. That’s like booking a show.

For my first couple of auditions, since I didn’t really know how to handle the rejection, it was more emotional than it is now. Now, it’s more like “maybe next time.” I don’t think of it as a big deal anymore because there are so many, and I’ve already had so many opportunities.

Is there a song from the EP you’re especially proud of?

I really like my latest song that I recorded, “Home.” One of the reasons I love it so much is that I had this experience where I went to England and worked with a really nice producer, Will Hicks. He’s one of Ed Sheeran’s producers. That experience made it so much more important to me. I love the beat, and I like what it’s about.

“Home” is about a girl at my school. At first, I thought she had some issues with her parents, like maybe she was abused or something. (Now that I’ve gotten to know her well, I don’t think that’s going on.) I really like the song’s message and the whole recording experience.

How many songs have you written?

Total, I’ve written about 30 songs, maybe more. Some of them are just a verse and a chorus. Some of them are just little bits of songs. Sometimes I’ll combine them to make a full song, and they’ll fit together.

How do you usually write? What does the process look like?

Usually I write by myself. I have the most inspiration when I’m outside, specifically when I’m riding my bike. I’ll go outside, start riding my bike down the street and have some sort of inspiration, whether it’s just how I’m feeling that day or something that made me feel a little down. Sometimes nature inspires me.

When I write songs, the lyrics and the melody come out together. I’ll start singing the first verse of a song, and it’ll come pretty much complete. Then I’ll go inside, type it up on the computer, edit it and add more. Then I’ll record it on my iPhone.

So much of what you do — the singing, the dancing, the playing — is performative. There are things about presentation that translate form one of those forms to another. But songwriting is a completely different skill set, because it’s all about getting inside your head and getting that out. What has been the most challenging part of songwriting for you?

When performing on a Broadway stage, there’s a rule not to look into the audience — that’s called “breaking the fourth wall.” So I don’t really get nervous anymore when I’m performing in a play or something, because I’m in the scene. I’m in the moment, so I don’t worry about the audience.

But when I started performing with my songwriting, it became a lot different. I didn’t have that much stage fright, but it was just a completely different feeling, since part of it is relating with the audience and making eye contact. It’s also different because I am singing my own material and saying my own intros before the songs. Being an actress beforehand was helpful, because I now know how to deal with it.

If you don’t break the fourth wall when you’re singing your own songs to somebody else, then you’re toast.

Right. You’re not getting the audience involved.  The first time I performed, I was making eye contact with the audience, and I think they really enjoyed that. And as I’ve started to do more of these, I don’t really get stage fright anymore.

The audience likes being involved. When you give them eye contact and gesture to them, they love it. They like being involved in the whole performance.

Who has given you songwriting advice that turned out to be really useful?

Through these different producers I’ve gone to, some of them have tweaked lyrics or melodies. They explained to me why they did it, and that was helpful. For one of my songs, I was saying a lot of pick ups. They told me to drop the “but” and the “and” and just go into the lyrics. Little things like that have been really helpful.

I did a co-wrote with my song “Reflection.” I had two verses and a chorus that didn’t feel strong enough to be a chorus. We ended up making it the bridge. I went to a co-write, and they were very helpful. I was in on the whole process, and it still felt like my song when we were done, which was really great. I think that was the most helpful out of all my experiences with producers.

You already play five instruments. Is there another you’d really like to learn?

I want to learn to the play the cello. It’s a beautiful instrument, and I’ve recently become obsessed with its deep sound. I also want to learn drums at some point, because that would sort of complete the whole band. I’ve got all the other instruments, I just don’t play drums. It would be cool one day to do a full recording for one of my songs where I record all the instruments and sing. That would be super-fun.

You’ve played a lot of benefit concerts around New York, and the idea of giving back to the community seems very important to you. Do you have personal connections to any particular causes?

One of the fundraisers I’ve done is called NF Hope. My dad’s cousin has NF2 - Neurofibromatosis. When I sang at NF Hope, I felt like I was supporting my family.

Also, I’m dedicating one of my songs, “Forgotten,” to the people who are recovering from Hurricane Maria. We’re giving the profits from that song to different people there.

What social media apps do you use the most?

I don’t do that much social media. When I do, I look on Instagram. My mom manages my Facebook page.

You mentioned that you don’t really get stage fright anymore. But was there a performance early on that did make you really nervous?

‘School of Rock’ was challenging, because I was a swing. I understudied six roles – all the girls except for Tomika. The first time I went on, I had never rehearsed for the role for which I went on! That happened a couple times, where I didn’t know the role at all.

The first role I went on for in ‘School of Rock’ was Marcy, a backup singer. The choreography for all the roles is pretty much the same. The challenging part is the blocking, which is where you go during a scene.

I think I had my first rehearsal the day I performed, but it wasn’t for Marcy, it was for Katie, the bass player. During the rehearsal, the associate director and assistant choreographer, everyone who was there, got some sort of notice. The stage manager started whispering something to them. They paused there, and we stopped rehearsing, then the associated director walked up to me and said, “So how would you feel about going on for Marcy tonight?” I freaked out a little, but I became really, really excited. Since I had never been a swing before, I didn’t know how often six girls would get sick. It ended up being quite frequently, especially during flu season. I said to him, in a whisper, “Um … okay … I guess … ” That was maybe an hour and a half before the show started.

Each individual swing made note cards that had all our blocking, and we learned the roles by watching the show. It was confusing at first because when you’re watching the show, everything looks the opposite of how it looks when you’re onstage. So sometimes I’d have things messed up in my note cards, saying to go stage right when it was stage left. I don’t think I had even finished my note cards when I went on, so I didn’t know the role completely.

When I got onstage, I had to improvise sometimes, because I didn’t know the role well enough. I really just looked for an open spot on the stage. I’d be like, “Well, I guess I’m going there!”

I eventually became used to it. I got to know the roles, and I didn’t mess up much after that.

Looking beyond the EP, what are you wishing for next?

I hope to come out with more albums. I want my music to be known and for people to listen to my songs and, obviously, like them. I hope they enjoy them, and if a song comes on the radio one day, they’ll go, “Oh, yeah, I love this song! This is Ava Della Pietra!” That would be really fun.

I really love when people who I don’t know become my fans. That’s sweet. At my last performance, there was this little girl who came up to me. She was probably 7 or something. She had a piece of paper in her hands, and she said, “You were in ‘School of Rock’?” I said ‘yeah’. “Oh my God, I love ‘School of Rock’! Can I have your signature?” I took a picture with her and we talked. She was so sweet, and it made me feel good that she enjoyed my performance and ‘School of Rock’ so much that she’d actually come up to me and tell me. That was amazing.

I want to hear about your two dogs, Lima and Xavier.

Lima is 10, and she is a mix of Labrador and German Shepherd. Xavier is 5 and he’s a Bichon. I got Lima when I was 6. Then I got Xavier a couple months later. They make my day every day. Whenever I see them, they’re smiling at me. They’ve actually learned to smile! They give me this little grin and they pick up their lips. It’s really funny. I’ve taught Lima a couple tricks. I’ve taught Xavier, too, although I would not say it has been as successful with him. They’re just the sweetest and best dogs in the world.

Which dog really feels like you’re its person?

If I’m being honest, Lima is really in love with my dad. She’s sort of a man’s dog. Lima loves men, and Xavier likes women. Xavier’s the sort of dog who will snuggle up with you and lick you and be all cuddly and mushy, whereas Lima likes walking with my dad and running. She’s a lot more active. So I think I’m Xavier’s person.

[Mom’s addendum Ava’s going to start using a looper. When she worked with Will Hicks in England, his team got us tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert. …]

Ava:  Ed was an amazing counterpoint to Taylor Swift, whose concert we had seen just the day before. Taylor had a very produced show.  She changed outfits five or six times; there was a giant snake coming out of the stage, it was this huge production!  When we went to see Ed Sheeran, I just started laughing because of how different it was.  Ed was really casual about it. There was Ed, in just a T-shirt and jeans, completely live, just his guitar and loop pedal, which I’m going to start using. I’ve started learning how the loop pedal works, and I’m going to perform as a one-woman band, just like Ed is doing as his own one-man band.

 [Mom addendum: At the beginning, before Ava’s first auditions, a well-known agent told us that the chances of Ava getting on Broadway were about the same as our son becoming an NFL football star. When she got on Broadway, I wound up sending him a picture of my son in a NFL helmet.

One of the things that’s interesting about Ava and maybe other girls who have been in the business for so long — especially Ava, because she plays so many instruments and works so hard —is that they’re great role models for girls her age and younger. It’s nice that these girls look up to her, and to know that she’s had a big influence on quite a few young people.]