Daniel Ash Email & Phone Number

Hampshire, England, United Kingdom

I was promoted to Rocksteady’s only 'Arranger’ position in 2019. This position was created for a groundbreaking new project that combined recorded arrangements of popular songs with educational animations for students, helping them learn how to play their instrument outside of lesson time. In this role I arrange and record music for drums, bass, keyboards, guitar and vocals. I work with MIDI and audio, and I am responsible for arranging and producing four different versions of every song we teach, catering for each level of ability. In my day-to-day process, I consistently work to strict deadlines and have a keen eye for detail. I am often commended for my ability to multitask and adapt quickly to new duties and projects.In 2020, I was chosen to write a collection of original children’s songs for Rocksteady’s online lockdown lessons. Rocksteady were incredibly pleased with the results and all of my original ideas were used to great effect. In addition to their use in online lessons, the four songs I wrote for the company have since been successfully used for school assemblies, workshops, and promotional company materials. I was also assigned the task of writing a ’twenty second handwashing’ song as an alternative to Happy Birthday, to help raise spirits and to keep young children inspired and excited by music during the lockdown period. The four children’s songs that I have composed are now available on all digital platforms under the artist name ‘Rocksteady Music School’. In addition to composing and arranging, I am expected to create professional, clear-sounding mixes. Other duties in this role include exporting, correctly labelling, and organising the assets needed to build the educational animations.

Since 2019, I have been lecturing at The University of Winchester on the ‘Composing Song Lyrics’ module. Initially, this was intended to be a one-off guest lecture, but as a result of my strong performance, I was awarded the position of Visiting Lecturer, and later invited to co-run the module with Glenn Fosbraey. In this role, I plan and deliver informative lectures on various songwriting methods and techniques, and design a series of creative exercises to challenge and inspire students in each lecture. I am also responsible for giving both in-the-moment and written feedback on students’ work, and planning and running collaborative workshop sessions. As a passionate and creative individual, I find it incredibly exciting to share my experience and knowledge with other like-minded creatives. It is also an opportunity for me to continue my own voyage of discovery. I continue to learn and immerse myself deeper in the world of songwriting through the influences, inputs, and creative work of my students.In 2023, I was invited to work as a Dissertation Supervisor at The University of Winchester. I relished the opportunity to work closely with a music student on his final concept album, and really enjoyed the process of both working collaboratively to ensure his final piece was of the highest quality and marking the dissertation.