Saxophonist Dan Shaut is a Kingston, N.Y. native with over 20 years of professional experience. He received his master’s degree in saxophone performance at the University of Maryland and his bachelor’s degree in music education at Ithaca College in 2001.
Shaut is the Director of Bands at Highland High School where he directs the concert band and jazz ensemble. In addition, Shaut directs the Hudson Valley Youth Jazz Orchestra, the hvJAZZ Community Big Band and the hvJAZZ Summer Program. Participating students in the hvJAZZ program have studied and performed with GRAMMY award winning jazz musicians including; Terrell Stafford, Chris Vadala, Gary Smulyan, John Mosca, and Dennis Mackrel.
For over a decade, Shaut taught instrumental music in the Kingston (NY) City School District, where he directed elementary and middle school bands as well as the high school jazz ensemble. He has also served as adjunct professor of music at the College of St. Rose in Albany for 12 years and, for the past 15 years, in the same capacity at SUNY Ulster. He has taught music majors and minors at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Shaut has been selected by the music educators’ associations of Dutchess, Orange, Seneca Tompkins, Sullivan and Ulster Counties to lead workshops for music educators or direct honor youth ensembles. An annual highlight for Shaut is being on faculty at his alma mater for the Ithaca College Summer Music Academy. At SMA he has taught saxophone lessons and masterclasses, improvisation workshops, co-directed the jazz ensemble and, in 2017, directed the Wind Ensemble.
Shaut leads a very active private studio in which many students have been selected for NYSSMA All-State High School Jazz Ensemble and Wind Ensemble; NYSBDA All-State High School Jazz Ensemble and Concert Band and All-State Middle School Band; and All-County elementary, junior high and high school bands and jazz ensembles. Three of his students have been selected to perform as members of the Essentially Ellington Competition at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Shaut’s students have also been selected to study at many premiere music schools.