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Dan O’Brien teaches middle school band and leads the Global & Creative Music program in East Hartford, CT. An active professional musician in the fields of jazz and improvised music, his pedagogy seeks to engage students of all experience levels in culturally responsive content that is rigorous both in authenticity and diversity. He believes that when students feel represented in the cultural context of the music they strive to create, and they have developed tools to express their personal creative inquiry, then they will have gained the potential to be genuine movers and shakers of our global musical landscape. Dan holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University, a Master’s in Jazz Composition from the University of North Texas, and post-graduate studies in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory of Music.  

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Dan O’Brien teaches middle school band and leads the Global & Creative Music program in East Hartford, CT. He has taught instrumental music, jazz, creative music and improvisation at the elementary, middle, high school and collegiate levels in Connecticut and Massachusetts since 2008. An active professional saxophone, clarinet and flute performer in the fields of jazz and improvised music, his pedagogy seeks to engage students of all experience levels in culturally responsive content that is rigorous both in authenticity and diversity. He believes that when students feel represented in the cultural context of the music they strive to create, and they have developed tools to express their personal creative inquiry, then they will have gained the potential to be genuine movers and shakers of our global musical landscape. 

Dan has composed, arranged and conducted music for many different settings. Highlights include conducting Linda Chase’s oratorio, “The City is Burning” at New England Conservatory, a Carnegie Hall performance of his arrangement of Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday” by Chris Washburne and his SYOTOS band, and conducting several district-wide performances of his original compositions for school bands. His most recent educational compositions have been for elementary and middle school bands in East Hartford, and have exposed students to culturally relevant drumming, jazz and improvisation in the concert band setting. He also organizes the Intersections Concert Series, a partnership between the East Hartford Public Schools and Libraries, which has brought middle school students, high school students and professional musicians together to learn from each other while performing global and creative music in the community. 

Dan founded the creative music record label, Phonoemulsion Records, in 2021 and has produced 12 albums since then with many more on the way. He performs conducted improvisation with his large ensemble project, Dan O’Brien’s Standards of Dysfunction, which features many significant improvisers on the CT, NYC and Boston scenes today - their first album is set to come out in fall 2024. Dan holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University, a Master’s in Jazz Composition from the University of North Texas, and post-graduate studies in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory of Music. 


I am a composer and improviser based in Connecticut who plays saxophones, clarinets and flutes. I grew up studying classical and jazz performance practices, always searching out music that challenged my expectations and made me wrap my head around the question of, “what the **** is happening here?” I continue to find myself searching out musical situations that make me ask that question and interrogate the challenges that it brings up today.  

My higher education included a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education/Jazz Saxophone from Western Connecticut State University in 2012, a Master’s degree in Jazz Composition/Arranging from the University of North Texas in 2014 and studies in the Contemporary Improvisation doctoral program at New England Conservatory from 2016-2019. I have been fortunate to have a wealth of inspiring teachers over the years, the most significant being Tom Scavone and John Mills at Canton High School, Dan Goble and Jamie Begian at WCSU, Rich DeRosa at UNT, and Joe Morris at NEC. Teaching has been an essential part of my musical work and continues to be so; I have taught private lessons since 2008 and have held positions at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts high school, Stafford Public Schools and East Hartford Public Schools. 

My current work revolves around the dynamic practice of free music and is heavily influenced by Joe Morris’ body of work. His seminal book, Perpetual Frontier: The Properties of Free Music is a great resource for anyone interested in getting into the music. In 2021, I started a record label, Phonoemulsion Records, to document the ongoing work that I have been fortunate to make with several different musicians around Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. The first year saw twelve releases of small ensemble, creative, improvised music with some of my closest collaborators and friends. The following year I needed to slow down releases as I purchased better monitors so that I can produce higher-quality mixes going forward, as well as lots of concert organizing and tracking future releases. 2024 will see the release of at least 8 new records, including the debut album from my large ensemble project, Standards of Dysfunction, which features an incredible roster of musicians I am deeply excited to share with you.   

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dan o'brien - phonoemulsion records