“I got to observe the highest level of coaching in action. As an athlete, I understood what kind of training creates results on an experiential level - then later I got to apply those lessons with my own students. It was an irreplaceable education in ‘skill installation’ that can’t be bought. It had to be earned,” says Daniel.

“Skill installation” is a term you’ll hear Daniel use a lot. He has a keen interest in the science of learning and skill building having poured over dozens of books, articles, and studies on the topic. Daniel doesn’t just understand how people learn anecdotally, he understands it neurologically as well.

All the while Daniel was playing music as a hobby, having fun performing with different bands, with no real intention of ever turning it into a career. But in 2017, a career-ending injury changed everything, and Daniel found himself spending more and more time with a guitar in hand.

“I was used to working hard at a craft (martial arts,) and suddenly all that energy and effort had nowhere to go. So, I turned to music. I get asked all the time if I miss the mat, and much to my surprise my answer is no. As much as I loved the martial arts life, the music life feels more at home. And it hurts less!”

At the age of 40, Daniel went full-time with music. The problem was, he wasn’t a professional- level musician - not at all. But Daniel had an ace up his sleeve: a lifetime of learning how to learn. At an age most people think is “too late” Daniel started seeking the best teachers, enrolled in music school, practiced scales and vocal technique like he once practiced punches, and started going to every open mic he could find.

The hard work worked. Soon the open mic venues hired him to play full sets, word got out, and Daniel has played shows all over the northern half of the U.S, opening for bigger and bigger bands, ever since.

A coach and teacher at heart, Daniel has worked with hundreds of guitar and voice students using the coaching methodology he’s honed over three decades - and tens of thousands of hours giving instruction.

 “I preach what I practice,” Daniel says. I promise you, I had no natural musical talent and I spent thirty years breaking my fingers and yelling in the gym. So when I say I can teach anyone to play and sing, you can take that to the bank.”

Daniel specializes in helping ordinary people who often never imagined they could play and sing become journeymen level musicians who can play the music they love in a way that people enjoy and want to hear more of.