Ian Danaher grew up in Northville, where he tried most sports (for at least a year) and performed with the high school’s choir, acapella groups, and drama club. He took voice lessons at Broughton as a reluctant preteen and would later work with a local teacher to help him prepare music both for the State Solo & Ensemble festival and for college auditions, too. Initially studying Spanish at the University of Michigan, he graduated earlier this year with a BMA in Voice Performance after completing his senior recital with the help of his friends, many of whom he met while in the student acapella group The Michigan G-Men. The repertoire broke conventions by featuring covers of predominantly contemporary songwriting (his favorite music to sing)—adapted into intimate, stripped-down duets with instrumental collaborators.

In recent years, Ian has rapidly improved his knowledge of rhythm, piano, and music theory, and his time at UMich informed his three guiding beliefs as a teacher:

1) Music creates opportunities for connection, expression, and enjoyment.

2) Students should always feel safe, respected, and listened to, and should always have agency in their own learning.

3) Imperfection, failure, and general humanity are okay.

These tenets form the foundation for Ian’s ideal lesson, which is one students look forward to! He is happy to join Broughton and offer his skills to foster the next generation of artists.

Performance Links:

Recital

Levitating

You Too (A lullaby)