Dan Schorr
Daniel Schorr has been music director of Public School 230 in Brooklyn, NY for over 10 years. "Monsters Are Absolutely Not to be Trusted" was his debut CD on Tee-Tot records, containing 14 of his most popular compositions. The song “Good Boy With A Bad Reputation” won in the "Best Song for Older Children" category in the 1999 Children's Music Web Awards.
“Every Word I Say Is True” is Dan’s second CD. It contains 15 hard-driving rock and roll and country originals (along with a couple of reflective ballads) that bring home Dan’s absurdist sensibility in a way that (I hope)both kids and adults can enjoy.
Dan has written in the neighborhood of a thousand titles for children's chorus, children's music and movement, sing along, etc. He has also done music for a children's music and movement DVD (see "news").
Dan went to Oberlin College, majoring in History. Favorite historical figures of Dan's: Otto von Bismarck (the "Iron" Chancellor), Cardinal Richelieu (behind the scenes player in the consolidation of royal power in early modern France), General Grant (he wrote his memoirs unassisted).
Dan talks about his vocation and his avocation:
"In my job, I have always had a heavy schedule: 4 to 5 music classes a day, grades K through 5. In my early years it was both more fun and more efficient to compose my own songs. The kids responded well to them.
"The other day some 16 year-old former students in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn -- boys -- regaled me with an inimitable rendition of "You Are A Silly Billy":
'You are a silly Billy, your dog's name is Willy, you dropped your muffins on the floor, floor, floor/And if you want to get some more, more, more, you'll have to go out to the store, store, store/And say to the baker, I ain't no faker, could you please bake me some more, more, more?/I'll be good forever more.'
"I wrote this almost ten years ago, and had taught them this in 1st grade. As 16 year-old males are the "demographic" least likely to listen to family music, or to acknowledge that they ever have listened to it, I took encouragement from this incident.
"I sometimes try to look for an angle on childhood that is, in my view, less often brought to light. Many of my songs are about the pride of children-- excessive and yet forgivable. Those of you who know my music may also agree that the narrators of some of my songs are self-aggrandizing, or go to great rhetorical lengths to make their misfortunes seem the worse.
"My favorite composers are the great country writers: Harlan Howard, Dallas Frazier, Leon Payne, etc.; the writer/performers: Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Sr., Buck Owens.
"I am a fan of country singers (that is, those known more for their singing than writing, though these artists have also written some great ones): George Jones, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, Waylon Jennings, Melba Montgomery, etc. Bluegrass: Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Blue Sky Boys etc. Astrograss is the family group I relate to the most. They are great players and I have been lucky enough to perform with the backing of a couple of their members.
"More contemporary artists: Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Los Lobos (especially for the singing of their leader, David Hidalgo).
"Other favorites from outside the country field include the Kinks -- Ray Davies is one of my favorite songwriters; the Who's output prior to "Tommy"; the Rolling Stones (with Brian Jones); Frank Sinatra's late Capitol/early Reprise records.
"My favorite pianist is the now deceased British sideman Nicky Hopkins.
"Drums are my first instrument. I studied drumming in high school, and played the drums in groups. I play the drums on my own family recordings as well. I have a long list of favorite drummers, some of whom are Art Taylor, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Keith Moon, Ringo. Great country music drummers: Willy Cantu, who played in the Buck Owens and his Buckaroos classic line-up, Eddie Burris from Merle Haggard's Strangers.
"Those who know me well might say I am sentimental; however, I am uncomfortable with sentiment when writing song lyrics."