Recommendations, Reviews, & Testimonials
“Serious and committed to his art and teaching.”
Dennis is eager to dispense with a wealth of good-natured humor in any situation. He is a fine musician and music educator and I offer my full endorsement of him.
— Jonathan T.
“Dennis makes music fun for students!”
He is very knowledgable and creative and does a great job reflecting on and adjusting his teaching to meet the needs of his students. Dennis is an extremely dedicated educator who thrives when working with students.
— Nicole A.
"Dennis has the skills, dedication, and personality to be one of those teachers that truly makes a difference. He provides motivation backed up by experience in music and theater, he works from a central core of kindness while challenging others to do their best, and he is organized, determined, and dedicated to his work."
— Carolyn B.
J. practicing "For S/He's a Jolly Good Fellow" (arr. Dennis Frayne) on the piano. (This arrangement of Jolly Good Fellow is found in the Presto! It's Piano Magic, Book 1, First Edition.) J. is 10, has been taking piano lessons from Dennis for about 10 months!
"I really enjoyed the Spring concert! Thanks for the great job you do with the students."
— Kevin D.
"Thank you, Mr. Frayne, for all the work you’ve put in with our kids. It is greatly appreciated!"
— Veronica P.
“Creative and Detailed”
Dennis’ creativity, preparation, and attention to detail positively set the stage for learning to occur. Dennis creates an atmosphere that motivates students to take risks and challenge themselves to advance. Dennis demonstrates the desire to see students succeed through his dedication, self-evaluation, and compassionate nature.
— Kim R.
“A Leader and a Teacher”
Dennis’ musicianship, teaching, and leadership skills have been central to the success of his music and performing arts students. He is popular with students, highly respected, and known to help students achieve their best.
— Rosemarie S.
“One-on-One Attention”
Dennis provided much needed one-on-one attention to children who were at risk for school failure. Dennis encouraged the youth he worked with to think about the future and make positive decisions. Dennis demonstrated a desire to serve the community, educate and inspire children, and open the doors to a brighter future for our youth. The feedback from his site director was phenomenal as Dennis displayed remarkable patience and understanding towards his mentees.
— Michelle O.
“Builds Relationships and Rapport”
I have been impressed with Dennis’ instructional instincts and his ability to make connections with his students. Dennis’ ability to form relationships and rapport with students evident both in his teaching and in student performances. Dennis’ instruction has helped our students grow in their abilities and their confidence to perform on stage.
— Sarah O.
“Dennis is intelligent, articulate, and hard-working.”
"He facilitates discussion by asking probing questions that stimulate the class intellectually. As opposed to furthering his own agenda, Dennis carefully considers the creative goals of students and gives the kind of feedback that will most support them to that end. Dennis is a consummate communicator and collaborator, has excellent active listening skills and a genuine sense of human compassion that makes him an outstanding teacher. Both students and other faculty will benefit greatly from his remarkable presence."
— David V.
“Successful Christmas programs, Spring concerts, and so much more!”
Dennis has done amazing things to make our music program more rigorous, including teaching music notation, sight singing, and performance skills. He has been responsible for a very successful Christmas program, Spring concert, choral festival, musical theater program, and handbell choir. As a result of Dennis’ hard work, enthusiasm for music has increased at the school. Dennis is very hard working, enthusiastic, and patient, who has responded well to parents, other faculty, administration, and students. He has consistently gone way beyond the call of duty to meet the needs of our students!
— Roisin M.
“Rigorous, Professional, and Joyous Approach.”
Dennis proved to be an inspirational leader. His talents, intelligence, and superior work ethic afforded him the opportunity to participate in and initiate numerous valuable projects for his peers and the community we serve. He is held in high esteem by faculty and students. Dennis is inquisitive, innovative, challenging, and relentless in his pursuit of opportunities to expand his areas of expertise. I learned I could expect from Dennis a rigorous, professional, and joyous approach to the work. He is intelligent, resourceful, collaborative, a true leader, and patient. His love for the arts is apparent in every choice he made during his time here.
— Anne D.
“Any school would be fortunate to have him on staff.”
Dennis brought so much experience to the table with a background in both music and theater. He learned the ropes quickly and approached his music program in a very innovative way in order to allow for the best music experience for those who wished to participate. He came in with an approach that set higher expectations, and the students stepped up. His success is measured by the quality of the events, and they were all exceptional. He is able to identify the approach needed for individual students and is able to have them make strides with an understanding that brings them to another level of learning. We worked closely on all events, but especially on the High School musical. His perspective during auditions turned out to be exceptionally wise advice. He played most of the piano score for the show which was a gargantuan task. This was in addition to working with all soloists and the ensemble. This show is outside of his normal teaching duties, and he was so dedicated. I have worked with several music teachers here, but none that was as diligent about the quality of the music program for the long-term benefit of the students’ musical education. Any school would be fortunate to have him on staff. I learned much from him by watching how he handled his program and how he handled our collaborative events.
— Gail B.
“You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!”
I am 79 years old. Have you heard that old saying? "You can't teach an old dogs new tricks." Well, Dennis taught me to play the guitar last year. Dennis knows his music.
I consider it a privilege to have had Dennis as my teacher.
- Archie L.