List Detail - Alumni Spotlight
Daniel G. Rosa '91
Music Teacher, Founder of Music n Me and Top Note Music Academy
August 2016
August 2016
The founder of a popular local music school who boasts a portfolio of clients that includes big name celebrities to the tune of Jessica Alba and Tom Brady, Daniel G. Rosa ’91 has been tirelessly working for nearly 20 years to share his passion for music and inspire it in others. “It’s my calling in life,” he says, ”to enlighten our community—children and adults—through music.”
This devotion to the community—and its enrichment—can be traced back to Rosa’s days as a student at Loyola Academy. It is Loyola’s motto, women and men for others, that continues to strike a chord in Rosa’s life. “Loyola’s motto speaks to the strength that exists in the community. It’s about helping others become the best they can be.”
In the days before Loyola Academy was coed, Rosa jokes that he started songwriting to impress girls. “I found out that girls like guys with musical talent, especially guys that write songs for them,” he laughs. “So, like every teenager wanting to impress, I started songwriting.”
By his junior year, Rosa had turned to music with a serious focus. He was concertmaster of Loyola’s Orchestra (violin) and a pianist in the school musicals. With fellow Loyola students Ervin T. Vallejo ’91 and Ramon Lagman Bonzon ’92 and Niles North student Joe Soriano' 92, Rosa’s high school band, Sweet Innocence, even won the popular Battle of the Bands competition.
“We were always enthusiastic about practicing and even played for block parties, elementary school dances and private parties,” says Rosa.
As if that wasn’t enough, there was also a quartet, The Elite String Quartet, whose members included Rosa along with Ervin Vallejo '91, Roderick S. Guico '90, Ramin H. Kadkhodaian '90 and Christopher Rim '92.
“We were heavily supported by Loyola and played for various Loyola functions throughout the years,” Rosa recalls. “We were grateful to learn how to present ourselves in a professional manner.”
After Loyola, Rosa attended the University of Southern California where he majored in music and focused on the recording arts. While living in West Los Angeles, Rosa noticed that parents in the area had a strong interest in music classes for their young children, but no programs existed to service such a specific cohort. So, in 1999, Rosa founded Music n Me, an early childhood development music program for children ages newborn to six years old.
Rosa’s philosophy? Music should be fun, not forced. “As the years went by, I kept trying new and creative ideas and musical concepts that worked well with newborns through six year olds,” he explains. “Writing new kids’ songs and creating musical games, fingerplays and bodywork/movement activities became my number one priority.”
It didn’t take long for people to notice. Over the years, Rosa has built a loyal following. Notable celebrity parents like Jessica Alba, Tom Brady, Nicole Richie and Steven Spielberg have all sought out Rosa for his unique approach to children’s music education.
Rosa’s students enjoy a music education that is multi-instrumental, and even young children play with real instruments—they strum guitars, hold violins, tap on drums and learn basic music theory with live serenades from accomplished teachers. Perhaps most importantly, Rosa makes music natural and accessible.
When he moved back to Chicago in 2012, Rosa opened Top Note Music Academy with former quartet member and fellow Loyola alumnus Rod Guico ’90.
“I had an existing music school at a Westfield property in Los Angeles,” Rosa explains. “When I moved back to Chicago, I approached Westfield Old Orchard since they were familiar with our music concept out in LA. They found the perfect space for us.”
Top Note Music Academy’s philosophy is that “music instruction should be enjoyable, built on a solid technical foundation, inspire creativity and match each individual’s goals.” The music school offers lessons in voice, guitar, piano, woodwind, brass and string; group classes like Rock Bank Jr.; and a state-of-the-art music studio complete with a soundproof room.
When he’s not in private lessons, group classes or working with an artist in the studio, Rosa teaches music at a number of schools on the North Shore and in Chicago: Saints Faith, Hope and Charity School in Winnetka; Little Beans Cafe in Evanston; Tiny Tots Preschool and Kindergarten in Skokie; the Winnetka Community House; and St. Joan of Arc School in Evanston. It’s a nonstop schedule that has appropriately earned Rosa the moniker “Teacher Dan.”
Rosa’s passion for music is a gift that continues to energize his endeavors. Through Top Note Music Academy, he plans to start a scholarship program for high school students. The goal is to provide full scholarships to students who are creative, passionate and extraordinary in music.
At Loyola, he fondly remembers the Orchestra classes of Mr. Bartosz and Ms. Due. English with Mr. O’Loughlin and history with the late Coach Hoerster were also strong influences on his life. “They were all excellent teachers and had a positive impact on my education,” he says.
To be sure, Rosa’s music school and his new scholarship program are ways for him to share the joys of music with the next generation of budding artists.
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