Dan is the real deal, if your interest lies in learning 'music.' I set out to learn theory after years of guessing around the fretboard, and Dan has found a way to make it look understandable, digestible and orderly. It's a language. Dare I say fun? It IS, when you start to understand it the way he teaches it! If you want to "shred Wylde riffs in 4 weeks or less," this isn't for you. If you want to learn music and get much better at your instrument (guitar in my case), this guy is definitely for you. He has the background, formal education, experience and passion to get you there, if you can put the effort.

I've found a keeper instructor. Lots of good players out there teach guitar, but somehow it just doesn't work out. Dan has plenty of experience playing, but it takes serious talent to teach others. Daniel has both! Sets goals for students based on their needs/aspirations. If you don't click with Dan, you might need another path, like tennis or swimming....

Knowledgeable about many areas of music (teaches many instruments). Very professional. Treats my child with respect and is good about focusing on the fundamentals of good playing so as not to develop bad habits which become harder to correct if not corrected early on. Gives my child suggestions and practice homework to improve techniques and proficiency.

Daniel is a natural teacher and inspires his students to share his love for music. He has a lot of experience and is patient with learners of all abilities. I have had 3 lessons with him so far and have thoroughly enjoyed my experience. I am new to singing but learned piano when I was younger so I am not entirely new to music. He has helped me expand my horizons and believe in what I can do with my voice. During class, we cover music theory as well as the actual singing part. Progress will go faster if you study the theory on your own (he provides you with all the materials you need to learn) and come prepared.

Excellent teacher who is incredibly knowledgeable in all aspects of music. His use of the "pivot system" got me reading music in no time. As with all lessons, practice helps move things along, but even when "life" got in the way, Dan always made great use of our time. I will probably start up with him again once my schedule clears.

Dan has been a great teacher thus far. He is patient and finds material that I find interesting while keeping me engaged during the lesson. He has helped me with some vocal tips as well! I really am getting my money's worth taking lessons with him. I would recommend Dan to any aspiring musician in need of lessons!

excellent instructor and a wonderful person

I have been taking music lessons with Daniel since April of 2013 and it has been a great learning experience.

I had no musical background and I started learning Saxophone with Daniel and 7 months later, I am able to play popular songs that he chooses to fit best for enhancing learning curve. He does a great job with reinforcing correct habits from the very beginning and has been very encouraging and has highlighted improvement as we go from class to class. As music learning can be frustratingly slow, the feedback and reassurance he provides definitely helps in keep going back for more.

I wanted to learn guitar and piano with him as well, he encouraged to learn only Piano (for enhancing learning curve for musical theory concepts) and hold guitar for later. Which speaks about how he is genuinely concerned about your learning of music with sound reasoning. So now I take guitar and Piano lessons with him. He is very patient, polite and professional. He is great with students of all ages and easily modifies teaching style as per student needs.

Besides all that he is a great person to talk to. Numerous times we have had great discussions about things outside music.

I would highly recommend Daniel for music lessons to everyone.

A Winning Combination

About a year ago, actually 13 months, I began voice training with Daniel Kotval. This is not my first go-round with voice training. During the twenty-or-so years I was studying and performing as a dancer I also studied voice…on and off. All told, I worked with five instructors who used a wide variety of teaching styles and techniques but I never felt that any of them gave me any really useful tools. I never felt that any of them truly taught me how to use my voice properly, to achieve the best results and avoid injury.

That was many years ago. In the interim, I’ve done plenty of singing – mostly for my own entertainment – but there’s been little improvement in the quality of my voice. I’m not certain what it was that made me suddenly decide it was time to work with a professional voice coach but decide, I did.

Once I’d discovered TakeLessons.com (the top result of my Google search for voice lessons in my zip code), Daniel was the obvious choice. We share Columbia College Chicago as an alma mater, and when I saw that he’d been on the faculty that was all the credentials I needed to see…and I was not wrong.

In addition to teaching the mechanics of proper breathing, posture and of course singing, Daniel places strong emphasis on music theory. You’d be amazed at how helpful it is to understand the theories behind everything; it makes all the knowledge crystalize so much faster!

As a teacher, Daniel is endlessly patient and supportive, always inspiring me to push ahead even when I feel frustrated. His teaching techniques work well for any student of any age at any level of experience, from rank beginner to accomplished professional, and voice training is not all that Daniel does. He teaches piano, guitar and bass, percussion and brass, and much more. A few months ago, we added piano to my curriculum. I’ve learned more from him in one year than I learned from five instructors over a period of many years, combined.

So far as I’m concerned it’s a winning combination: voice, piano, music theory, and Maestro Daniel Kotval.

Perfect teacher for the passionate student

I've been taking lessons with Daniel for a few months now, and I have thoroughly enjoyed and grew from each lesson. If you're serious about making music for fun or professionally, he's the teacher for you.

What I like most is how he creates a beneficial and serious learning environment that's still incredibly fun and positive. After a few lessons we were already playing songs together, and he's taught me a more effective way to practice on my own, which was a major problem for me.

As soon as you meet Daniel, you can tell how passionate he is about his craft, and if you display your own passion for music, you will work great together, and you WILL progress. I highly recommend him!

There are those who teach out of necessity, and those who teach out of passion

I'm taking music theory and composition lessons from Daniel to supplement what I already know from composing by ear. He's an excellent teacher, very enthusiastic about teaching the material, and extremely knowledgable. I feel like I've learned a ton so far and we're not even close to done yet! Highly recommended.

Daniel is an excellent instructor. He is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about teaching music. He is patient and supportive, while still giving honest feedback and constructive criticism. He helps the student find his/her own motivation to play by chosing different techniques as well as musical pieces that will inspire the student to want to play/practice.

Novice flutist.....

Patient, encouraging & doesn't burst out laughing at my attempts. He is very knowledgeable about multiple instruments as well as music theory. I feel he is an excellent instructor & I will sign up for further lessons...as soon as I can!

Excellent!!!

I'm having a great time learning the piano and the structure Daniel presented me has been wonderful. He utilizes a perfect balance on constructive criticism and positive reinforcement that makes me push myself even more! I'm very pleased!

Great learning experience

Dan is a superb instructor. He is extremely positive and offers highly constructive criticism. Having played the trombone for 10 years from elementary school into college, he related new ideas in singing back to themes that I could conjure up from 20 years ago. Part of the good experience was due to Dan's adroitly combining theory with applicability.I am currently considering whether to continue lessons or not. (I have other scheduling conflicts.) But I would readily return to Dan for instruction.

Great instruction!

Dan is incredibly knowledgeable in (seemingly) all areas of music. My goal is to learn vocals, which honestly makes me a little nervous. Dan is very good about taking away any self-consciousness while imparting knowledge at the same time.