Californian pianist Danielle Braga is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance with a minor in piano pedagogy. Danielle studied performance and pedagogy under the tutelage of Peter Takács and Dr. Andrea McAlister. She received the Carol Nott Piano Pedagogy Prize, awarded to an outstanding graduating senior for continued study in piano pedagogy.

Danielle is passionate about music education and curriculum design, and has been teaching piano for the past decade. While studying pedagogy with Dr. Andrea McAlister at Oberlin, Danielle gained experience in a variety of private and group teaching settings. Throughout teaching practicums and educational psychology courses, Danielle developed a method for beginner students that encourages physical freedom and musical exploration at the piano from the start of lessons. Danielle uses rote teaching and holistic body engagement with her students to explore physical comfort and technical development at the piano. She encourages teen and adult students to dialogue with her about musical interests, and loves to teach all genres — classical, contemporary, pop, jazz, Disney, Broadway…

While at Oberlin, Danielle served as a teacher in the Oberlin Secondary Student Teaching Program and was also selected as a theory and aural skills tutor for her fellow students at Oberlin Conservatory. Danielle has served as a faculty member at the Westlake Music Academy, Opus38 Studio, and Little Mission Studio.

Throughout her high school career in the pianist program of the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), Danielle received awards including the Most Promising Pianist Award, the Virtuosity, Talent, and Enthusiasm Award, and the Outstanding Senior Award. During her time at OCSA, Danielle had the privilege of performing in venues like Segerstrom Hall in Southern California and Carnegie Hall in New York City; she played in countless master classes for esteemed artists, such as John Perry and the Anderson and Roe Duo.

Danielle’s performance career has taken her from Carnegie Hall and Segerstrom Hall in the U.S., to the White Hall in Tallinn, Estonia, to the Union of Composers Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia. Danielle pursues classical piano performance and music education, working in San Francisco to engage the community in musical education and inspiration.