Made for Music

Cortez Daniel ’18 joyfully shares his many gifts

Spend a few minutes visiting with Cortez Daniel and you’ll be convinced that no one loves music — or life — more than he does. The multi-talented musician, educator and entrepreneur has a special passion for using music to transform young people’s lives — just as music did for him from the very beginning.

“I remember my first-grade teacher making sure everyone in the class learned the Star-Spangled Banner,” said Daniel, who grew up 20 minutes from Atlanta. “So, we were practicing it, and I just started thinking to myself, ‘Wow! I’m really good at this.’”

From that moment, he was hooked on music. During high school, Daniel participated in the Governor’s Honors Program and was a four-time All-State singer while also branching out his talents to include composition and piano performance.

Hitting All the High Notes at Simpson

He decided to bring his talents to Simpson following a chance encounter and impromptu mini audition with Dr. Bernard McDonald, the College’s former chair of opera and associate professor of music. Daniel had just performed as a featured soloist in an honors choir, when his music teacher introduced him to McDonald.

“[Dr. McDonald] asked if I wanted to sing for him sometime,” said Daniel. “And I said, ‘I’ll do it right now.’ So, I just burst into an Italian aria, which he later said kind of shocked him. After he told me Simpson was in Iowa, I thought, ‘when will I ever get the chance to go to Iowa? I should just go.’”

McDonald’s mentorship played a big role in Daniel’s growth at Simpson, as did the tutelage of Dr. Michael Patterson and the late Matthew Lau, who together elevated his development in piano composition and voice, respectively.

Even more important than “pushing me to the next level” in vocal performance, Daniel says, Lau looked out for his personal concerns as well. Voice lessons sometimes became times for much-needed support sessions.

“I remember one time we talked for nearly an hour after our scheduled lesson. Professor Lau could tell I was under so much stress, and he walked with me to the finance office and advocated for me. I was in a situation where I didn’t really have money to attend the next semester. It was rough, but I’m so glad I had the support system that made it possible for me [to stay at Simpson].”

Healing Hearts Through Music

Leaning into all that support, Daniel graduated from Simpson with a bachelor’s degree in music education. After three years as a music educator in rural Iowa, he now teaches at Stroud Elementary School in Athens, Ga.

Daniel says the kids there come from “very high risk” backgrounds – dealing with many of the same struggles he experienced growing up. He admits the early days teaching there were so rough that he was ready to give up at times.

“But something in me just kept asking, ‘What if people had given up on me when I had my rough time?’ So, I stayed in this school and kept pouring myself into them even when it felt like they weren’t taking it. I vowed to give them opportunities that I didn’t get.”

Gradually, the students started responding positively to Daniel. Last year, he organized a talent show, where the kids got fired up by the chance to dance, sing and even write their own songs. And last spring, Daniel was thrilled to inspire his students to shine in a school musical.

“Our school hadn’t done a musical in more than a decade. To see the kids putting their hearts out there and doing the things that you teach them, that’s really rewarding.”

When school isn’t in session, Daniel continues to teach and mentor children through causes dear to his heart. He serves as a music director for Evergreen (Colo.) Players’ drama camp each summer. And he is a leadership team member for Royal Family KIDS Camp, which serves children in the foster care system who often face relational trauma.

“We’re giving these kids something to believe in,” said Daniel. “For example, I remember one of my campers with the most maladaptive behaviors just lying in his bunk softly singing one of the songs we taught him in chapel. That really touched my heart.”

Living His Best Life

Through it all, Daniel still finds time to feed his own music composition and performance appetite. As co-founder of Tones Collective, he and his partners perform, write music and offer online and in-person music lessons to people of all ages. Daniel also performs for international companies such as the Rocky Mountain Institute, Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, and county festivals.

“I’m lucky to be doing what I’m doing,” said Daniel. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid. So, to wake up every day and work on my music, it’s always a wonderful day. I get to do what I love.”