Teacher Profile: Daniel Tobon

About Daniel Tobon

Having been his number one passion since childhood, Daniel-Santiago Tobon has dedicated his life to the art of music, and learning as much as possible about its creation and teachings. Starting his musical journey at the age of 6 with piano, followed by drum lessons at 10, which continues to be his most advanced and proficient instrument to date, and most recently having picked up guitar and bass in his teenage years. Daniel-Santiago is a musician who has been writing, producing, and mixing all his own work since the age of 13, and began teaching music lessons at the age of 18 after volunteering at a music summer camp and falling in love with working with students on improving their musical abilities.

Daniel’s performance history dates back to his elementary school days where he would perform at summer Drum Camp recitals, followed by 4 years of percussion-heavy band performances throughout his middle and high school years, along with drumming for the school’s show choir. Since starting his college path in 2024, Daniel has performed at numerous cafes around the town of Orlando, performing his original music alongside his peers and fellow independent musicians.

Since the age of 18, Daniel has been teaching drums, starting at Avalon School of Music as a private instructor. The following summer, he earned his first Youth Music Theory workshop class, teaching upwards of 5 students at a time to read, write, and understand the language of music. Seeing his students grasp new concepts of theory has been the most rewarding feeling during his time as a teacher.

Connection is the ultimate key to success in music education. Forming a trust-built and comfortable environment for the student is crucial to advancing a child’s ability to learn and grow in a new space. Active listening to find out a students personal taste in music and other hobbies connects the teacher and student in a way that healthily and steadily translates into higher retention capability and stronger musical output. Dabbling in other creative hobbies such as filmmaking, photography, and rock climbing, Daniel has a first-hand understanding of how important it is to try new things, knowing that not being good at something is the first step to one day being great at it.