Classical music has a unique and profound ability to connect its’ listeners and participants with each other and the world around them, through a shared human experience. These shared experiences are essential and foundational to fostering social/emotional awareness and critical thinking skills in youth. Hailed as “an exemplar of impassioned and outstanding pedagogy (Dr. Ken Montgomery, Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Windsor), Daniel is constantly working with teachers, students, and community partners, to use classical music to deepen the emotional and social knowledge of our youth so they may become well-rounded individuals who understand the important role the arts play in making us more human.
As an educator, Daniel has spent a great deal of time teaching in classrooms of every grade level in the United States and Canada. This experience combined with creating and performing over 80 Young People's Concerts so far in his career, ensures that every program adheres to three guiding principles:
- Exposure to diverse quality literature of varied styles and time periods
- Developing active listening and critical thinking skills
- Creating cross-curricular connections with music and other disciplines
Example Programs
A Musical Camping Trip
As we climb mountain passes, stroll through green valleys, cross large rivers, and meet a few animals as we learn about the various instruments of the orchestra and how they help create sounds found in nature. This concert features music by Beethoven, Smetana, and Wagner.
Dots and Lines
In this concert we will compare how composers use dots (short sounds) and lines (long sounds) like a painter to write their music. This concert features famous paintings like Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night and Georges Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte paired with composers such as Beethoven, Walker, and Debussy. While not required, this concert works best with a guest painter painting live.
Family Programs are one of the many ways orchestras can connect with their community through a multi-generational experience. All the following programs serve several goals:
- Have fun while presenting diverse high quality orchestral literature in an accessible and relatable way
- Develop active listening skills
- Deepen relationships with community partners by involving them in the production if possible
Example Programs
Postcards Across America
This program will travel across the great American landscape. From the Appalachian Trial to the Pacific Ocean, we will discover the great American outdoors.
Trekking Across Canada
This program will travel across the great true north. From the great forests of B.C. to the Gaspé Bay, we will find what makes Canada so great! This concert can be paired with drone footage of each location and features Canadian folk tunes such as: La Bastringue, Vive la Canadienne, and An Emigrant’s Daughter.
Program Snippets
