Daniel “Dan” E. Whisler ’09 enjoys conducting high school musicians. It’s something he has enjoyed since he was a high school student himself, in fact.
“I first took conducting lessons when I was still in high school,” he says. “I lived in Satanta, a small town in the southwest corner of Kansas, and when the band teacher was absent, I was able to conduct the high school and junior high bands.”
Now the director of orchestras at the Youth Performing Arts School (YPAS) in Louisville, Ky., he and his students have been recognized for their outstanding performances.
Whisler was awarded the first place American Prize in Conducting: High School Orchestra Division 2015, while YPAS’s Philharmonia won the third place American Prize in Orchestral Performance 2015.
The American Prize is a series of national competitions that recognize and reward the very best in the performing arts in the United States.
Whisler appreciates the effort his students put forth in pursuit of being
the best.
“I like working with those students in my orchestra, music theory, and conducting classes, because they are absolutely music nerds, just like me,” he says. “They also can play pretty well and take their craft seriously, so it’s artistically rewarding to challenge the students in what is essentially a collegiate-level environment.”
As for his own experiences at the collegiate level, Whisler couldn’t be more pleased.
“Virtually every one of the music staff made a difference,” he says. “Their influence stays with me to this day. Wichita State is a special place.”
