William Daniels

William Daniels is an active pianist and teacher in Orlando, FL. He completed his Bachelor of Music in Music Theory and Composition at Florida State University, and his Master of Arts in Piano Performance at the University of Central Florida. He taught college level Music Theory and Ear Training courses as a Graduate Associate at UCF and as an adjunct instructor at Johnson University. William has taught piano privately for several years, has served on the board of the Central Florida Music Teachers Association, and adjudicated piano competitions. As a collaborative pianist, he is frequently called to perform and rehearse with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Orlando, Alterity Chamber Orchestra, and the University of Central Florida. He serves as the organist for St. Paul's Presbyterian Church and choir pianist at The Geneva School, a private Christian Classical school. He is also an experienced jazz pianist with several jazz piano students.

William enjoys God's abundant grace living with his wife, playing with and catechizing his four kids, and ending each day in family worship.

Teaching Philosophy

My mission is to illuminate the joy of music and cultivate musical excellence in communities to multiply thanksgiving to the glory of God in Christ Jesus. The student of music ought to recognize the voice of God telling forth His eternal power and divine nature through the patterns of musical experience. Every thought about music that lacks such a recognition or cognizance of God’s self-revelation is erroneous and undermines the process of learning. True learning is only possible when the student is taught alongside and through the Scriptures. The student of music ought to desire the worship of God to be the end that their musical training achieves. This goal will regulate what music-related content they master and will provide a true, incorruptible ground for continual pursuit of such mastery.

I encourage students to be passionate about music. Following their passions, I challenge them to clearly understand and articulate their conceptions of what is good, beautiful, and practical in the music. As C. S. Lewis put it, "I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation."

Statement of Faith

As a member of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church (PCA) I subscribe to the Westminster Standards of Faith. I believe they are an accurate and useful summary of Biblical doctrine. I believe that God has glorified Himself in Christ by His death and resurrection, and that Christ will return to save His people and judge His enemies. I believe in the authority, inspiration, profitability, inerrancy, and sufficiency of Scripture as God’s revelation to man. I believe that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross was necessary to propitiate God’s wrath towards sinful man. I believe that, Christ’s sacrifice having accomplished perfectly the redemption of God’s people, there is no other way to avoid God’s just punishment of sin, and all have sinned. I believe that by faith one becomes the proper recipient of God’s grace of forgiveness and an heir of eternal life through the resurrection of Christ. Finally, I know that God, out of His infinite love and incomprehensible mercy, has redeemed me, reconciled myself to Him, and promised eternal life in His presence to me. I know that Christ, my Lord and Lord of all, died for me; He suffered and exhausted all of God's just wrath due to me for all of my transgressions of God’s law, past, present, and future. I praise God each day for the unwavering hope of glory, His sanctifying work in me by His Spirit who conforms me into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, and seeing Him at work in others, transforming them by His grace.

Video Introduction