DAA Teacher will play at the Expo 2020 

By: Jivisha Aggarwal, Pawzfeed editor, The Pawprint 

On the 9th of September, I sat down with our very own music teacher Mr. Dave Holland to get a little bit of an insight into his life. This is what I found:

Mr. Holland is originally from the UK and spent 9 years teaching and playing the saxophone in Johannesburg where he met his wife. He moved to Abu Dhabi in 2014 to teach at GEMS American Academy(GAA) and has now joined us as a part of the DAA faculty. As a session saxophonist, meaning he has played with many known artists, namely John legend, the Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Shakira, and The O’Jays.

When asked why he got involved in music he mentioned a piano his grandmother gave him when he was 8 as the reason he began taking an interest in music but the reason he stayed is a great teacher during secondary school who ran a jazz ensemble which he joined. He joined the national youth jazz orchestra in the U.K. He studied at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for his honors degree. 

When asked why he began teaching he said it was something that he has always done whether it be teaching younger saxophone players. He says that “teaching it is an extension of doing it and doing it is an extension of teaching it.”

He says that he learns from his students every day seeing avenues he would have never thought existed before. He says he can give them a starting point and they choose the direction to go creating phenomenal pieces. When I asked what is the craziest thing he has ever done he mentioned one he is about to do. He is going to be in a music video where the musicians are in a microlight(a very small one or two-seater plane) and playing their instruments; saxophone for him.

When I asked what other exciting things were coming his way he mentioned he was playing with a local band called Jaye and Foe at the Dubai Expo on the 28th of October this year. He says that they play original music that is a combo of Jazz, Funk, Folk, and Hip-Hop which is very fun and high-energy.