We recently connected with Cortez Daniel and have shared our conversation below.
Cortez, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
As a music educator, it is vitally important to stay involved in the music community and consistently perform. I get the opportunity to do this with Tones, a band created by Tones Collective LLC in 2021. I also choose to express my creativity with my song writing. I try to constantly write for different ensembles, including school choirs. In fact, I just recently received news that one of my pieces will be performed by a high school in Georgia and I could not be more thrilled! The fact that I surround myself with other creatives is a huge motivation as well. My friend and business partner Brian Jones truly helps to amplify my determination and helps me to foster a healthy, collaborative environment.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I dedicate the majority of my time to guiding the youth of America in discovering passion and joy through music and performance. As a co-founder of Tones Collective LLC, we use our platform to establish educational partnerships with counties nationwide, aiding students in preparation for significant events such as All-State choir and college auditions. My evenings are spent performing at open mic nights, offering private music lessons spanning ages 18 months to 65 years, and composing music for both my band and school choirs. What sets us apart as music educators is our unique background. We are from Riverdale, GA, marked by high poverty and violence rates. I was inspired by exceptional teachers there to delve into opera and jazz. Recognizing the need for educators who understand the challenges faced by children in similar circumstances, I began a mission to provide a supportive yet disciplined environment, leading to the inception of Tones Collective LLC. Today, we proudly support schools in Colorado, Georgia, California, and Iowa, personally engaging with students to showcase the infinite possibilities and enjoyment music can offer.
I’m honored to have one of my original choral compositions performed by Ola High School’s esteemed choir in Henry County, GA, this year. Our commitment continues as we look forward to nurturing a love for music in students and using our expertise to facilitate beautiful performances. For those interested in collaborating, explore the Evergreen Players’ Summer Drama Camp, where Brian Jones and I will direct a musical for kids in the area.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
All of the qualities that helped me to get where I am now were learned from other great people around me.
Firstly, I learned that we can never stop learning. Often times people become content with where they are in life and decide to stop learning new things. I learned from my choir director, Dr. Kay Pace, that we can never know everything and we are never going to be the best at everything. She was a phenomenal educator and performer with the longest list of accolades I had ever seen, but every year she still attended seminars and workshops to improve. She would even be approached by the people leading these events and they would ask her “Are you a plant or something?” They couldn’t believe that such a talented person would need the information they were sharing. She has always been a lifelong learner and she has inspired me to do the same.
Second, you need to surround yourself with people that also want to achieve greatness. Metal sharpens metal. Tones Collective started off as TestosterTones, which was me and my friends in high school. We were all teenage boys who excelled in our fields of music and wanted to use our gifts for fun. We would record music together, chat about new concepts we were learning, give each other advice and even practice A Capella music to perform for our families. 3 of us in this group decided one day to continue our journeys together and to get more serious about what we were doing. Because we all had different gifts, we were able to split our workload and create something beautiful. Now there are only 2 of us and we are still challenging each other to continue improving and becoming better musicians.
Finally, Consistency is key. We have been sharing our dream and goals with anyone who will listen for the last 10 years. We have obviously improved our plans for getting to those goals but our goals have never changed. We want to show people the joy you can gain from music education and help them become passionate about learning. When you have a dream, stick with it and never give up!
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I have already mentioned Dr. Kay Pace once but I can not overstate how much she truly changed my life. Without her I would have never imagined that a young black boy from my neighborhood could be singing opera music in different languages or accompanying ensembles on the piano. She came into my life as a young man and showed me that I needed discipline, that I had potential, and that I would be loved by her no matter what I did. She is still my standard for how to discipline students while still letting them know they are loved. Dr. Pace is the reason I am where I am and I could never thank her enough. If you are ever in Georgia and need someone to lead your choir or piano workshops, she’s the one you should go to!
If you’re reading this Dr. Pace, thank you so much for being you and loving all of your students the way you do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Tones Collective LLC
- Facebook: Tones Collective LLC
- Youtube: Tones Collective LLC
Image Credits
Cortez Daniel Brian Jones
