Gianna Pileggi ’14: Ryan Dankanich, Band Director at Episcopal, first realized his love for music when he began playing the saxophone at nine years old.
“At the beginning of the year in fourth grade, a man who rented out musical instruments came to my class. He showed all of his instruments to us and played all of them for us. Everyone in the class was able to choose which one they wanted to play. I immediately chose the saxophone,” recalled Dankanich. “I got in the car that day when my mom picked me up and told her that the instrument man had been in school that day and that I wanted to play the saxophone. I remember she said ‘Are you sure? Would you maybe try the flute or the violin?’ And I told her no because I wanted to play jazz and I wanted to play the saxophone. I didn’t even know what jazz was but I knew I wanted to do it. I have been playing the saxophone ever since that day.”
Photo courtesy of Ryan Dankanich
Ten years later, when Dankanich was in college at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, he was playing jazz beside renowned musicians.
“I was learning how to play in school and then I would go on gigs and play with these world class musicians,” Dankanich shared. “It was really a double education, because I would learn a lot in school and then learn just as much by standing next to amazing players on the bandstand.”
After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in music and jazz performance, Dankanich continued at the University of the Arts to earn his Master’s degree in teaching. However, Dankanich believes the most powerful lessons came from his time on stage.
“I think I learned more playing. There is a purpose for both [teaching and performing], but there is an incentive when you have a gig. There is an incentive to practice so that you sound good and you sound better and learning from the guys around you. There is nothing like actually performing the art and being there and working with the people around you and that dynamic of non-verbal.”
Dankanich added that “You have to learn to be a professional. There are pro musicians who might be great musicians but not great professionals. A good professional shows up on time, does the right thing, listens well as well as plays his or her instrument well,” he explained.
Dankanich has looked up to many saxophone players during his musical career, but he also draws inspiration from musicians of other instruments.
“When I was younger I looked up to the saxophone player Charlie Parker. As I got older I looked up to the saxophone players Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Michael Brecker. There are some great artists now: Chris Potter, for example, who is like a modern day John Coltrane. But I look to other musicians as well such as Hank Jones on the piano and Miles Davis, Lee Morgan and Clifford Brown on the trumpet. It is great to not just listen to your own instrument, but to listen to other instruments as well.”
One of the highlights of Dankanich’s career has been serving as a voting member for the recording academy for the Grammys. “I enjoy being able to nominate who will be nominated for the Grammys and then voting on who will be awarded the Grammys.”
Dankanich thinks that he and other professional musicians derive more joy from passing on the art form of music than from playing the music themselves. “I love music. I love playing. I love listening to music. Most professional musicians also teach because we are passing on this wonderful art form. It brings us so much joy to do it, but it brings us even more joy to teach others to do it and hopefully light that fire within them so that they also find the love in it and the joy in it.”
Photo courtesy of Ryan Dankanich
Throughout Dankanich’s teaching career, Dankanich has found that teaching has made him a better performer because, as many teachers often say, his students often become his own teachers.
“Teaching and playing really go hand in hand…When I am teaching, it is great being able to look forward to playing gigs. Teaching kids how to play forces me to be a better player. I am reminded of some of the basic things when I am teaching students,” Dankanich noted. “I think it is great just to be able to do both and have the outlook of not favoring one over the other but using each to the other’s advantage.”
Dankanich’s advice to any musician is to practice and always strive for any amount of improvement every day: “No matter what you do chances are that there are at least another 1,000 people doing the same thing and doing the best they can. Like I tell my students, every time you pick up your instrument, try to sound a little bit better than you did the last time you picked it up.”