New to the lovely Chapel Hill area, Dan has taught piano, drums, guitar, and bass in and around the Charlotte, NC area for nearly 20 years, to students from ages 4 to 74. He also brings over 5 years of experience in teaching music online to students from Maryland to Nevada.
He has held faculty at a music academy in South Carolina, and is a longtime member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers. Dan studied Music Education and Jazz Guitar at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. He excels in orchestral composition and arrangement, past pieces of which have been performed/recorded by the Oakwood Brass in Pasadena, CA, and the Baltimore Gamer Symphony Orchestra, along with his contributions to a commercial 2001 CD release of arranged music by OneUp Studios. He has also worked as a freelance videogame music composer.
The son (and nephew) of piano teachers, Dan grew up in Upstate NY, and he has long been surrounded by musicians, artists, and educators, both family and friends. He was taught piano at a young age, played the alto saxophone throughout his school and college careers, and also demonstrated an early passion for guitar and drums. Being left-handed, he developed an ability to work through challenges in a world of predominantly right-handed musicians: everything from how to set up a drum set to suit his unique playing style, to how to seek out (and afford!) the less-common left-handed variety of guitars. Dan enjoys home recording and audio mixing–with a body of work spanning over 10 years–and has gradually become a prolific cinematographer and producer of music video covers. He enjoys working with a variety of learning styles, and providing his students with essential musical skills such as note-reading, theory, ear training, and rhythm, always in a patient, relaxed, and supportive setting. It is Dan’s priority to help all students to flourish, while ensuring that they are equipped with the skills they’ll need to grow as musicians, both during and after their lessons.
