Jim Daniels has been a music professor at East Stroudsburg University for the last decade, and has been pursuing a career in music since adolescence. He has been featured in numerous local and nationally recognized orchestral ensembles, including The Woody Herman Band, Gap Time and Dixie Gents ensembles, playing the bass trombone and tuba.
Daniels was born and raised in Willow Bee, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland. He knew from the seventh grade that he wanted to pursue a career in music because of his passion and devotion for composition. He attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Performance. He later attended graduate school at New York University.
In 1981, Daniels moved to East Stroudsburg to obtain his teaching certificate from the university. Shortly after, he began teaching at a local elementary school for nine years. Realizing that he loves to teach, but music is his real passion, Daniels became a music professor at ESU. Teaching at the university level allows him to still pursue his career as a performer.
Daniels recently performed at the Sherman Theatre with the COTA Festival Orchestra featuring Phil Woods. The Cota Festival Orchestra was nominated for a Grammy in 1997 for their previously recorded album, on which Daniels played. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Daniels and speak about recent performance and his life in music.
Stephanie Snyder: What has inspired you to become a musician?
Jim Daniels: My parents. Both my mother and father are very musical people. My mother made me take piano lessons at age six or something, and in junior high I was involved with the band. My seventh grade band director also inspired me to become a musician.
SS: Why have you continued to pursue a music career?
JD: I keep coming back to music. I don't know why. I guess it was something that I was meant to do. I had a lot of different jobs. I was a teacher; I worked at a gun store in Stroudsburg, but I always think, "Wait a minute, what am I doing?" and turn back to full time music.
SS: Who is your favorite jazz tuba player?
JD: That's hard because there really aren't any well-known tuba players. I mean, I know some guys who also play the tuba, but there aren't any real famous players.
SS: You mentioned that you are auditioning for the NYC Ballet Orchestra. How are you preparing for this audition? Are you using any different or special preparations for the audition?
JD: Practicing every minute of the day. The NYC Ballet Orchestra has sent out a specific list of music you have to play at the audition. I have copies of all the music and so does everyone who is auditioning. People all over the place are practicing the same music, so I think I just keep thinking about that and practice extra hard.
SS: Wow, you seem really busy with your music career. How do you find the time to balance teaching and pursuing your career as a musician?
JD: It works out well because music performances are usually in the evening and teaching is during the day. I can also prepare for shows because I bring my work with me to school and have time in between classes. I carry my instruments around and practice anywhere I can. I am also teaching music, so this helps.
SS: Why did you become a music professor at ESU?
JD: Mostly economic reasons, because being a performing musician makes it hard to survive. You don't have a regular paycheck. Don't get me wrong, I really like teaching music. I like doing it because I feel like I'm introducing new music into students' lives.
SS: In the classroom, you are extremely passionate about music. Do you believe you convey this passion in your work and performances?
JD: Yes, absolutely. When you are playing instruments it's like a rush. It is like winning the World Series when you are playing with a good band. It really is exhilarating. I don't think you could play an instrument and not be passionate.
SS: Can you tell me a little about the history of your career and any influential performances you have experienced?
JD: I guess really my first professional performance began the summer I came home from college. I toured with groups and ensembles all over the country. I toured with the Woody Herman Band and Chuck Magione. Chuck was really popular in the seventies. I also toured with Gerry Mulligan and Englebert Humperdinck. Englebert was a heartthrob singer from the seventies. I did tours all over the states with him. He had a huge orchestra, and most of his audience was female. Englebert - we called him Humpy - would bring the women up on stage and they would be screaming, some ready to pass out. I think he is doing a reality show now or something like that.
SS: How has your music career shaped your life?
JD: Being involved with music all my life has really opened me up to it. I am really affected by all types of music. I guess you could say I am transparent to the music. It just whacks me and gets inside. Music keeps me feeling young.
SS: Do you believe you have shaped other perceptions of classical and jazz music through your own passionate view of these genres?
JD: Yes, I hope so. Well that is indeed the goal. It is really hard to tell, because you don't get a lot of feedback from students. You can't tell whether they get it or not. Each semester you do get a few students, the ones you know that they really got it. Once in awhile, students will get sort of an appreciation for music after they take my class. One time, I received an email from a former student of mine, who was in Japan. She told me that she really enjoyed my class, and music now affected her in a different way. I guess she was one of the few who felt the music in her, but most people have no idea what I'm talking about.
SS: Where do you see yourself in the next ten years?
JD: Still doing the same thing. Probably not here, but probably still performing. Musicians, we never retire. We have to keep playing until we die on the gig.
e-mail Stephanie at: sls8678@esu.edu
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