Director

Benjamin Daniel received a B.S. in Music with All-Level Certification at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He is the Elementary Music Specialist at Reuben Johnson Elementary in McKinney, TX. He completed his Kodály training at the Plano ISD/SMU Kodály Teacher Training Program and Orff-Schulwerk training at SMU. He has taught PreK-5th students. Mr. Daniel is currently an Assistant Conductor for the Greater Dallas Choral Society.

Philosophy

It is by experiencing music in one’s own body that students will gain a love of music making and develop musical fluency. The choral setting is a prime opportunity to learn how to express oneself through the medium of singing while learning to unify under one goal with your peers. This opportunity belongs to all students of Reuben Johnson Elementary.

Students can come with limited or extensive singing experience and find their place in our ensemble. By expanding upon our beginning concepts from the general music classroom, students will apply their understanding of music with deeper analysis of composition styles, historical meaning, and languages. We will approach these works within the tradition of western music study while also taking care with the exploration and incorporation of non-western music.

As with all ensembles, our goal is to provide meaningful performances for our participants, school community, and the community at-large. It is through these interactions that we can grasp a sense of human nature, emotion, empathy, and healing by the power of music.

“...only the best is good enough for a child.” ~ Zoltán Kodály