Daniel Kelley
What do you teach at the Prep Center?
Clarinet and saxophone.
Why did you begin taking music lessons?
I was playing clarinet without instruction for many years and thought I should have a teacher.
How old were you when you started music lessons?
My father taught me to read music when I was six, and then he gave me a clarinet with a fingering chart. My cousin pointed out a few mistakes at times, and my father gave me music he had picked up from Southern Music Company.
Did you always like to practice when you were a child?
Always. I always had the instrument with me.
Do you have a favorite musical memory from childhood?
From the start of fifth grade, I played in the Junior Youth Orchestra of San Antonio for three years.
How do you vary your approach when you teach children at different ages and levels?
Children have different capabilities. I give children an incentive to improve, but their abilities and amount of practice dictate the pace.
Have you had any students with notable accomplishments (acceptance to a select middle school, high school, or college; competitions; special performances)?
Every student who has auditioned for Mark Twain or LaGuardia while studying with me has been accepted. One who majored in music in college now teaches music in a Bay Ridge public school.
What are your most important goals for your students?
To improve as players and to become organized, to arrive punctually and prepared with teaching materials and instruments in good condition, and to be honest about practice habits.
What are the most important recommendations that you give to parents whose children study music?
Practice at least some time every day, and don't run out of reeds.
What do you like best about teaching music?
It makes me think about the instrument in new ways.
What are your favorite accomplishments?
Working with Richard Stoltzman on four BMG recordings, recitals at Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium, and studying with Kalmen Opperman.