meet danielle
Danielle is a Los Angeles based pianist that has appeared in concert venues across the country and abroad. She has won many notable awards and continues to be an active performer and educator in the greater Los Angeles area.
About danielle
Danielle started her piano studies at the age of six under teacher Setsuko Kim. It was not until studying under Lois Roberts in college that she decided to further her music studies in a performance career. As a Cole Scholar and Distinguished Graduate Honoree, she finished her studies at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance under the tutelage of Professor Althea Waites. She received her Master’s degree in Piano Performance at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where she studied with Professor Antoinette Perry.
Throughout her years of playing she has won numerous awards in competitions such as Bach Festival, Southwestern Youth Music Festival (SYMF) and Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC). She also started violin at the age of 12 and was selected to perform in ensembles such as the Southern California String and Band Orchestra Association (SCSBOA), Colburn School’s Orchestra de Camara, and the Bob Cole Symphony Orchestra. She has had the opportunity to study at USC’s Thornton School of Music and at El Camino College’s Applied Music program as an undergraduate, where she won El Camino College’s Concerto Competition and performed as a soloist with the El Camino College Symphony Orchestra. She was also selected to perform in master classes with renowned pianists including Mariangela Vacatello, Stewart Gordon, and Joseph Kalichstein. She is also a scholarship recipient of the Los Cancioneros Master Chorale Scholarship, Mu Phi Epsilon Scholarship, and Sigma Alpha Iota Scholarship.
Teaching Philosophy
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I believe that
music is a unique sharing of energy and ideas.
Successful and effective teaching of music, therefore, results from continual interaction between teacher and student. Teachers must first detect the needs and desires of the student to then incorporate these aspects into their teaching. Each and every student is different, and that particular musical energy created between teacher and each student is startlingly unique as well.
With this belief, I strive to tailor each lesson to each individual student, and a one-fits-all method will not be used. Each student’s individual ability and unique talents must and will be considered, and every step is taken to meet the need of every student. I hold strong interest and value especially in early elementary teaching and in the teaching the elderly, because I believe music can be taught successfully at any age or ability.
I believe that great instruction equips students with the skills to think on their own. Real teaching does not just teach student the knowledge at hand. A truly effective and inspirational teacher teaches conceptual ideas rather than emphasize repetition, training students to analyze musical ideas for themselves. With this approach, students gain a musical value and understanding deeper than the subject presented—why they are learning the subjects at hand, and why it is of value to them and their lives. I equip students with the ability to enjoy playing and listening to music actively, and encourage students to discover why music is important and how it contributes to their individual lives. Students are taught to think and analyze problems themselves, and a directed approach will not be used, in which there is one right answer taught by the teacher. In this way, I allow the student to find their own distinct musical style grounded in strong musical foundations and understanding.
I am passionate in the belief that the student’s natural curiosity is often the best leader in teaching—it leads the student into their own discovery of the subject, acquiring personal interest and joy in the concept. Students also gain confidence and self-esteem through self-discovery.
I believe that musical performance must be taught as a joyful experience of sharing. I strongly believe that students today must be provided with a different mindset toward performance. Performance is a joyful and beautiful sharing of musical ideas, not an experience to fear. I strive to instill in students the joyful experience of music so that they might redefine the performance experience. simple principle behind performance that it is a mere sharing, and not a judgmental event. To achieve this, I provide my students with a diverse array of performance opportunities, from smaller studio class events to larger recitals. Students are presented a great range of different events to improve musical experiences which include—private lessons, ensemble work, sight-reading, theory and aural work, improvisation, and composition. I encourage fun and unconventional activities in performance events to establish these principles. Students in this way learn to appreciate and love performing, and by doing so are self-motivated to practice and reach new heights in their abilities. With my approach, students learn to practice efficiently both alone and with others and most importantly, enjoy the entire process.