“I want students to realize that if a group is working toward a common goal, they can achieve something that an individual can’t alone,” states SRV’s brand-new choir director, Daniel Jones.
Choir is rarely thought of as a team sport, but Mr. Jones asserts that even though a choir necessitates a vocal athleticism rather than a muscular one, choir requires the same level of teamwork, collaboration, and sense of community commonly attributed to sports.
Mr. Jones, a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, identified his passion for the arts at a young age. Starting piano at age 5 and discovering the saxophone at age 10, Mr. Jones immersed himself in a diverse selection of music’s many facets. He expanded his musical knowledge in college, focusing on the technical side of musical education through his study of composition and conducting. Referring to himself as “a jack of all trades, but a master of none,” Mr. Jones’s expansive knowledge of music theory, practice, and technique, coupled with wide range of musical expertise, makes him a natural fit for working with high school students, all with their own diverse musical interests, passions, and skill-sets.
Prior to working at SRV, Mr. Jones taught at several nearby high schools, including Los Llomas, Campolindo, and Clayton Valley. Currently, Mr. Jones is working toward his teaching credential at San Francisco State, and continuing to teach at Diablo Valley College in tandem with his work with the SRV Choirs’.
Additionally, Mr. Jones himself is an active singer, continuing to practice his craft while teaching it. Being involved in an a cappella group that he founded in high school serves as a notable musical outlet, with Mr. Jones remarking that “if I wasn’t involved with music, I would be much less fulfilled.”
It is important to note that this sense of fulfillment is attributed to far more than singing alone. Mr. Jones describes how the choir serves as a community space, where people seek out a feeling of belonging, safety, and comfort. These emotions are what connect singers to one another, and what makes shared music compelling to audience members in public facing performances.
Just as choir teaches independence through the accountability that lies in memorizing music, choir emphasizes interdependency in order to achieve mutual success. Supporting one another, learning how to work in a team, and helping those around you are all skills that are transferable to any sport, club, or profession that students may choose to pursue in their academic and adult lives. Mr. Jones hopes that his students feel the power that lies in being a part of something larger than themselves, and carry that forward into music, academia, and beyond.
