About Dan
Dan, a Bachelor of Music in singer-songwriting with expertise in piano, voice, and music theory, offers personalized online instruction tailored to each student's pace and interests. With over a decade of teaching and performing experience, Dan specializes in self-accompaniment, guiding students toward their musical aspirations. Fluent in English and French, his supportive approach fosters creativity and confidence in learners of all ages. Book an interview now!
BOOK AN INTERVIEW WITH DAN NOW
I operate under what I call the "functional musician" philosophy. In addition to developing technique and knowledge in music theory, I teach the skills necessary to create a successful performing artist. Whether the goal is a career in the music industry, starting a band, or confidently playing for friends and family as a hobbyist, I share both my experience in academia and as a professional performing musician. I tailor my lesson plan to each individual student. I've taken on young students who were disillusioned with strict classical curriculums, and reignited their love of music with popular songs and even video game soundtracks. All of this is done in a supportive, stress-free environment. We learn at YOUR pace, not mine, and we'll have a lot of fun along the way.
Name: Dan (Full name will be provided upon registration)
Age: 30's
Gender: male
I have a Bachelor of Music from Carleton University, specialized as a singer-songwriter. During my time at Carleton I received training in vocal and piano technique, ear and rhythm training, songwriting, performance, composition, advanced theory, music history, computer music, pedagogy, music therapy, and live sound. I studied under highly decorated musicians including Juno winners, prolific Canadian songwriters, and classically trained opera singers. I also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, during which time I studied developmental, cognitive, and behavioural psychology, as well as neuropsychology. This knowledge offers me unique insight into the way we learn and develop skills, which I incorporate into my teaching.
I have been teaching and performing as a professional musician for the better part of a decade. I've worked at music schools and I've played gigs and festivals across Ontario, including Ottawa's Bluesfest and Canadian Music Week in Toronto. I can individually teach piano and vocals to a high level, but my real specialty is teaching the art of combining the two: self-accompaniment. Once a student is comfortable singing while playing, we can dive into the wonderful world of songwriting and unlock one of the purest forms of artistic self expression. My students of all ages have successfully prepared for recitals, open mics, paid gigs, music school auditions, and album releases.
English
French
Rates and Studio Policies
Registration Fee: $25.00 (One-time lifetime registration fee may be used by all family members)
Rates for instruction:
30 minute private lesson: $39.00
45 minute private lesson: $49.00
60 minute private lesson: $59.00
Travel charge: additional $15.00 per visit (for lessons in a client's home as opposed to my studio)
1. Cancellation Policy
Lessons not cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice are billable to the client and payable to the teacher. This does not of course apply to travel fees unless the notice is effectively given at the door and the teacher has travelled to the location.
2. Cessation (quitting) Policy
A client must provide a 2 lesson notice period to stop lessons. So a weekly student needs to give 2 weeks of notice, a biweekly student works out to 3 weeks notice and a twice weekly student works out to a week of notice.
3. Illness Policy
Lessons cancelled due to illness or extraordinary circumstances with less than 24 hours notice remain billable to the client and payable to the teacher.
BAH teachers are encouraged to offer a make-up lesson at a future date in the interest of client relations and general goodwill. This only makes sense as teaching a student with the flu for example, will ruin the rest of your week's employment.
No more than 2 lessons may be made up due to illness within a 60 day period.
4. Rescheduling Policy
Any lesson can be cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice.
Summer Vacation and Extended Absence Policy
Clients may schedule longer absences for trips etc. 24 hours notice is required.
It is normal and typical for students and about 20% of our teachers to schedule a break in the summer. We do not enforce a notice period (see cessation of lessons) at the end of a long summer break.
5. Evaluation Period
There are no free trial lessons with Beethoven at Home but we do offer a 2 lesson evaluation period where it is easy to try out a teacher. There are no free lessons during the evaluation period and clients may choose to discontinue the lessons at any time by providing the required 24 hours notice. After the student's 3rd lesson the required 2 lesson notice period will apply (see cessation of lessons above).
Online lessons
Dan can provide online instruction. While other platforms are possible BAH strongly recommends the use of the Zoom video conferencing platform as it is optimized for music lessons and audio quality.