Dr. Brad Hayashi (he/him/his) is the orchestra and choir teacher in Sunnyside Unified School District at Gallego Intermediate Fine Arts Magnet School and Desert View High School. He has been teaching for 28 years and this is his 8th year in the district.
Dr. Hayashi received his Bachelors of Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado, his Masters of Choral Music from the University of Southern California, and his Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral and Orchestral Conducting from the University of Arizona.
He has been directing church choirs for 47 years. He has been married for 39 years and has four children and four granddaughters. As an avid disc golfer, he was among the first generation to play the sport 48 years ago and you can often find him on one of the local disc golf courses year-round.
We asked Brad six questions about his life as a musician:
What Instrument Do You Play?
Choirs! (I used to be a percussionist)
Best flavor of Pop Tart?
Hmnn....Frosted Strawberry. Or Frosted Chocolate Fudge.
Favorite Piece to Conduct?
Too many to list! I'll just say "Dies irae" from Mozart's Requiem; Stravinsky's Rite of Spring; Darmon Meader's arrangement of "Sing, Sing, Sing!"
Baton, Pencil, or just your hands?
Baton for my orchestras and larger choirs; hands for my chamber groups, instrumental and vocal.
What Instrument do you WISH you knew how to play?
Piano. Especially jazz piano.
Best piece of musical advice you've been given?
"Music (harmony, phrasing, energy, rhythm, etc) travels horizontally, not vertically."
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