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Dan Driesen graduated from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, and holds a BA in Music with an emphasis in Jazz Performance. He has taught music since 2001 in a diverse range of settings and has been a part of Reed Music Studios since 2003. He is the Jazz Combo Director at Cotter High School and is also an adjunct faculty member at St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN. Dan’s teaching philosophy is to help his students build a solid foundation so that they can become better overall musicians, not just guitarists. He enjoys teaching students of all ages, and believes that anyone can learn to play the guitar.
Dan grew up in Milwaukee and moved to La Crosse in the fall of 1997. He studied guitar under Dr. Richard Pinnell and was involved in many of the school's other ensemble areas, including the big bands, choral groups, guitar ensembles, and pit orchestras. While at the University, he was awarded a scholarship to play in their prominent small jazz group – the Gordon Salzer Jazz Combo. When the Jazz I big band went to Europe, Dan was honored to play the tour with them as both a soloist and a rhythm section member. He has also studied classical guitar with George Lindquist at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and lived in San Francisco to learn from the jazz great Bruce Forman (www.bruceforman.com).
Over the years, Dan has gained a wide variety of performance experience that encompasses many different genres of music - rock, Latin, jazz, classical, reggae, funk, and of course, the blues. His musical experience includes: The Boggart's Band, Paxico, Nick Shattuck, Somethin’ Jazz, Kies & Company, Dan Driesen Group, Latin Vibe, The Burnt Brownies, Three Beers Til’ Dubuque, and various pit orchestras for musicals (most recently Jesus Christ Superstar & The Full Monty). If you like live music and would like to see him play, then keep your eyes open for posters at the studio & in the Live section of the paper. Dan looks forward to meeting you soon, and helping elevate your musicianship to the next level.
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