Dana began piano studies before he was in kindergarten. By age 8, he was competing internationally on cello and trombone. He wrote his first original composition at age 16 and was the Grammy High School All Stars band winner at 17. After high school, Dana moved to New York City and entered Manhattan School of Music to study classical cello and jazz trombone on double scholarships and graduated Summa Cum Laude. From one-hour master class to week-long residencies, Dana will deliver hands-down excellent performances and workshops to your community, and will work with you to build a unique program for your audience.
Dana’s educational programs are sponsored by
Sample topics include but not limited to:
Diversity and Urban Culture
For an Asian-American artist of Japanese and Chinese descent growing up in San Francisco during the heyday of 90’s hip-hop, diversity and urban culture dominate his creative DNA. In this autobiographical workshop, Dana discusses the significance of hiphop in today’s youth culture, and explores a variety of ethnic and social influences that inform, challenge and shape his work as an artist.
Artists as Entrepreneurs
This interactive discussion delves deeply into key aspects of the inner-workings of Dana’s life as an independent artist living and working in New York. He explores the ties between the different worlds of recording, performing and touring, the balance between business and art, and his recipe for success.
Jazz in the Hip-Hop World
Two of the world’s most popular musical genres are distinctly American and much more similar than we know. Dana illustrates powerful chemistry between the two genres by exploring history and dissecting instruments, rhythms, samples, and song-writing methods.
We Are All Improvisers
Dana shares his mind-stretching exercises to help artists of all levels and disciplines unlock their creative potential. By exploring methods used frequently in theater, public speaking and poetry, Dana encourages participants to stimulate the parts of the brain which set motion to story-telling, free association, and spontaneous musical creation.
Rhythm & Rhymes
Members of Dana’s ensemble Milk & Jade demonstrate their techniques for collaborations between musicians and vocalists. Rhythmic exercises and musical activities are provided for participants to explore their individual expression. Group discussions will explore the history of hip-hop and creative ways to incorporate personal emotion into music.
Composing and Performing With Laptop
Have you ever seen a performance or listened to a piece of music and wondered, ‘how did they do that?’ From the fundamentals of choosing equipment to advanced concepts of sound manipulation, Dana demonstrates the ins and outs of using computers to compose music and manipulate acoustic instruments.
PLUS…
Cello Workshop & Masterclass
Trombone Workshop & Masterclass
Composition Workshop & Masterclass
and more…
Interested in booking Dana for your next school or community event? Please contact info@danaleong.com
