About Darren Reale

Hello! My name is Darren, and I love instruments, and teaching! I started playing the piano when I was 9 years old, then at 10 picked up a clarinet for the summer. I found I loved instruments, and became my a bugler for the Boy Scouts. When I went to high school, I learned the saxophone, all the reed instruments (except bassoon!) and fell in love with the guitar when I was 17. I was a music/theatre major in college, and went on to play the saxophone professionally.  When I was 25, I attended a folk-music show, and met a performer who encouraged me to sing and play the guitar onstage. I spent the next 17 years learning guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harp from local Phoenix legend Joe Bethancourt,, and became a full-time music teacher for Kindergarten through 8th grade  elementary schools for the next 25 years.. I attended Arizona Stare University,  I received my Master's degree in music education in 2006, and the next year recorded my first music album.  I taught band, piano, guitar, choir, and general music, and was the music director for Laveen Elementary Schools for 23 years. I am now retired, and here at Music and Arts  for the past 2 years teaching guitar, piano, ukulele, and bass. Thank you, and I look forward to being your music teacher!