About David
The First Note
David Schnittman received his BA Cum Laude with special departmental Honors in Music from New York’s Stony Brook University in 1984. He continued his studies at Stony Brook in the Musicology Master’s degree program before moving to Santa Cruz, California in 1987.
Teach In Harmony
With more than 30 years teaching experience, David has taught a multiplicity of instruments as a private instructor, as well as music theory, composition, analysis and jazz improvisation. He enjoys teaching students of any age and at a wide variety of levels, including the university level (at SUNY Stony Brook as a graduate student and Cabrillo College as a guest lecturer and substitute teacher).
In 1995, following several years working as a counselor with SED children, David was approached by a mental health organization (EMQ) and asked to create and direct a music program to serve troubled youths in San José. The result, “Music Jam,” was a wildly successful, weekly community-based music therapy program and was widely known and recognized as cutting edge programming for “at risk” kids. In 2011, “Music Jam” celebrated 15 years of service to the children of San José.
For several years, before state-wide budget cuts in education eliminated the program, David was the band director at the Charter School in Morgan Hill.
The Future Sounds Good
David is also a successful professional musician whose experience includes two USO/DOD tours, as well as an amazing tour with Blues legend, Johnny Shines. You can find David locally, leading his own jazz group, the Dave Schnittman Quartet.
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Since 2005, David lives in Morgan Hill with his wife and family.
After 20+ years of teaching in downtown Morgan Hill at The Music Tree, David moved his teaching to his private home studio after construction started on the downtown renovation project in Fall 2015.
David Schnittman
David’s Awards
In 2008, the only year this category was included, David was honored to be voted Best Music Teacher in a poll of the readers of the Morgan Hill Times.
David has received numerous Uplift Awards from EMQ FamiliesFirst in recognition of his service to the children of the Santa Clara Valley.
David would love to hear from you!
Morgan Hill, CA | 95037 | polydiatonic@verizon.net
Tel: 408-460-2051