Trombones & Low Brass
Daniel Twentey
Dr. Twentey is the founder of Brass Academy LLC and the primary instructor for all low brass lessons. Low brass instruments include trombones (tenor, bass, alto), euphonium/baritone, and tuba.
Dr Twentey has 15+ years of experience teaching music lessons, including students at levels from beginner to collegiate. In addition to private teaching, Daniel has experience teaching brass chamber music for 3 years at CU Boulder, while studying toward his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Brass Performance and Pedagogy (completed in 2020). Daniel also holds music performance degrees from Virginia Tech (B.A.) and Penn State (M.M.). Daniel has performed as a guest artist, presented masterclasses, and taught as Artist in Residency in colleges and universities across multiple US states and abroad, in Cuba. Dr. Twentey also served as Adjunct Trombone Instructor at Penn State University in Spring 2024.
As a performer, Daniel has experience performing in numerous professional orchestras, jazz big bands, opera/ballet orchestras, 2nd line, salsa band, and chamber groups (quintet, quartet, etc.). This includes the Colorado Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Fort Collins Symphony, Steamboat Springs Orchestra, Altoona Symphony, Williamsport Symphony, Longmont Symphony, and Boulder Ballet Orchestra, among others. You can hear Daniel perform live as a member of the Market Street Brass Quintet, as Principal Trombonist of the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, and often in productions by the Manassas Opera Theater Orchestra.
Primary teaching goals:
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”
- Albert Einstein
Daniel aims to help each student identify and achieve their musical goals with interactive, engaging, individualized teaching that helps awaken joy in creativity, curiosity, and musical expression.
Furthermore, while students expand their musical horizons, they work to achieve valuable life skills, such as skill acquisition and mastery, discipline/perseverance, cultural/arts appreciation, teamwork, personal expression, public speaking/performance, mentorship, and independent learning.
Special expertise:
As part of Daniel's doctoral dissertation research, he intensely studied the majority of publications regarding brass pedagogy, especially relating to brass embouchures. Because this is often a topic of "mystery" to brass teachers and players alike, Daniel is happy to be able to offer special guidance to all his students and for those specifically seeking technical help in this area of brass playing.
https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/0k225b98z
Other related professional experience:
Daniel also has work experience as a mentor with Counseling Interventions, Inc. and with Big Life Publishing (www.keysforabiglife.com), helping youth (mostly with autism spectrum disorder) to achieve their life goals in conjunction with QMHP counselors.
More detailed teacher performance resumes may be available upon request.
"In my opinion, the trombone is the true head of the family of wind instruments, which I have named the 'epic' one. It possesses nobility and grandeur to the highest degree; it has all the serious and powerful tones of sublime musical poetry, from religious, calm and imposing accents to savage, orgiastic outburst. Directed by the will of the master, the trombones can chant like a choir of priests, threaten, utter gloomy sighs, a mournful lament, or a bright hymn of glory; they can break forth into awe-inspiring cries and awaken the dead or doom the living with their fearful voices." - Hector Berlioz
Trumpets
Dan Cheston
Dan's extensive experience as a performing musician and music educator gives him excellent insight and wisdom as a private trumpet teacher. His bright and positive personality help to make lessons encouraging and fun!
Dan has taught instrumental music in Frederick County Public Schools, Maryland, since 1988. He is also the director of the Brook Hill Bells in Frederick, Md. As an active musician, Dan performs with the Market Street Brass, Frederick Symphony Orchestra, Frederick Spires Brass Band, as well as in numerous musical theater productions and churches over the past 26 years.
Dan Cheston earned his Master of Music in Trumpet Performance and Bachelor of Music Education degrees from West Virginia University. While at WVU, he was a member of the Mountain State Brass Quintet, the university’s faculty brass quintet. As a winner of the Young Artist Competition, Dan also performed in concert as a trumpet soloist, accompanied by the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra.
Tuba & Euphonium/baritone
These instruments are the heavyweights of the Low Brass Instruments!
Tuba, Euphonium & Baritone students, we have you covered!
Brass Academy is interested in hiring a Tuba-specific expert teacher for the academy, but we already teach and accept new tuba & euphonium students!
Dr Twentey (see above) enjoys teaching all the low brass lessons (trombones, euphonium, & tuba) and has considerable experience in the area of all low brass instruments. His euphonium students in particular have excelled, earning prestigious positions in district band auditions.
In fact, Dr Twentey has received instruction from many notable tuba and euphonium artists, including:
- Brian Bowman (Euphonium Professor at UNT; former soloist with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force Bands)
- Velvet Brown (Internationally recognized tubist and Full Professor at PSU & tuba lecturer at Peabody).
- Warren Deck (tuba faculty at University of Denver; retired NY Phil; former prof at Rice & Juilliard)
- Michael Dunn (Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at University of Colorado Boulder)
- Daniel Perantoni (Provost Prof of Tuba at the Indiana University)
- Aaron Tindall (tubist/euphonist, Associate Prof of tuba at University of Miami)
- Robert Tucci (world-renowned tubist)
Horn
Coming soon!
We are now hiring a horn-specific teacher for our academy!
In the interim, any prospective horn students may contact us to be directed to a recommended horn instructor in the area.
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