Creating Access through Innovation
Daniel’s life’s work is about creating access to music and music education no matter the boundaries. By empowering youth voice and using a community-minded approach to programming and curation, music education is one of the most powerful tools known for the social development of humans.
Daniel Trahey is a musician, educator, innovator, and social entreprenuer. He co-created Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s “OrchKids” program, and also founded the El Sistema -inspired program “Tuned-In” at the Peabody Institute where he taught Collective Composition and Community Engagement for ten years. Dan plays Tuba for the Archipelago Project and the Austria based RET Brass Band and has performed world wide for hundreds of thousands of children, specifically targeting impoverished areas with little access to live performance. He has held orchestral positions in Mexico and the U.S. Dan’s work is documented by media outlets such as 60 Minutes, PBS, NPR, The N.Y. Times, and The Washington Post. Dan has given TED talks in multiple locations and was named the Most Valuable Player in the Arts by Baltimore Magazine. Dan has taught at Baltimore School for the Arts, Idyllwild Arts, Peabody Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and The University of Maryland. Dan is a consultant for programs desiring to use music as a vehicle for social change. In addition to founding two El Sistema programs in Baltimore, Dan has helped start El Sistema inspired programs in Charlotte, Chicago, Ft.Worth, Innsbruck, Allentown, Waterbury, Alexandria, Kalamazoo, and others. He recently facilitated the creation of a Miami-based youth orchestra, Nu Deco NXT, which focuses on pillars of composition, leadership, improvisation, and interpretation.
Dan helped develop a new vehicle for nurturing youth voice called Collective Composition. He has facilitated large scale compositions for: The Los Angeles Philharmonic Take A Stand Festival, The Longy School of Music, The Peabody Conservatory, The National Youth Orchestra of Honduras, The National Youth Orchestra of Chile, The Grand Rapids Symphony’s Mosaic Scholars, Ravinia’s “Reach, Teach, and Play.” and hundreds more. He received a M.M. from Yale and a B.M.E from Peabody.
What is El Sistema?
El Sistema is an on-going inquiry into the most effective ways to achieve youth development goals through the rigors and rewards of music instruction.
El Sistema was founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu. It later adopted the motto "Music for Social Change." Through the efforts of Daniel Trahey, Mark Churchhill, Gretchen Nielson, and others, El Sistema expanded into the U.S.
El Sistema-inspired programs are currently thriving all over the world. Dan helped form El Sistema U.SA. and currently serves on the board.