Meet Yamaha Master Educator Dr. Dennis Llinas

Vitality! Fervor! Passion! Understanding! Dr. Dennis Llinás doesn’t hide his emotional investment in anything that he does. As an educator, conductor, and composer, Dennis deems music to enrich the lives of everyone involved in the music-making experience … not only the music-makers but the audience members through inventive and engaging programming. He approaches his life’s endeavors by asking, “How can I make the lives of others better?”

Llinás is a proponent of the flipped classroom model and enjoys working with educators to help them discover how they might work with their own instrumentalists to better equip them to discern and solve musical issues independently. He regards each of his students as an extra set of ears in the rehearsal, resulting in his musicians emerging as leaders within the ensemble. As they become more than simply the “receivers” of his direction, they
transition to “decision-makers” of their own artistic direction. Consequently, they become more invested in delivering an enhanced and meaningful performance for everyone.

Llinás pursues the highest sense of musical awareness and development from his students so that they have a profound understanding of the works being studied and the responsibility of each in their own musical contribution to the piece. They are inspired to explore the reasons for the myriad of challenges in a given composition and discover how their individual part contributes to the whole to further advance the composer’s intent. In an innovative instructional approach that seeks to connect directors and students from across the country with the experiences of the young musicians of the University of Oregon Wind Ensemble, Llinás created a video series entitled “The Workshop.” Through a series of private lesson videos, this free hub offers a variety of episodes delivered by the student instrumentalists on the specific works being studied. Llinás wholeheartedly encourages directors and their students to use, share, and grow from this resource that “connects us all through music.”

With his compassion for making music more accessible and meaningful to an increasingly larger audience, Llinás is driven to find the holes in our profession and to fill them appropriately. His literature choices reflect diversity and are one avenue for bringing the audience closer to the art form. He sincerely desires to create a better relationship with music-making for all and will consider any new opportunity to achieve this goal. Llinás holds himself to a strict standard of excellence and lives John Wooden’s mantra to “Discipline yourself before others do it for you.”

Aside from his many music projects, Dennis also has a yen for cooking (especially Cuban fare) and hiking. He even took up day trading to learn something new as a beginner. However, it doesn’t take long to discover that he is passionate about his two rescue dogs, Griffin and Neptune, and his wife Sarah.

Students and directors alike discover that working with Llinás empowers them to view music-making as a more holistic experience, one that creates a profound desire to seek an emotional relationship with the music and those it serves.

Some of Dr. Llinás’ session titles include:

• No More Guess What I’m Thinking – Promoting Student Leadership in the Concert & Jazz Ensembles
• Getting Past the Right Notes & Rhythms and Into the Music
• Programming and Creating an Experience for the Audience and Students
• Combining Great Conducting with Great Pedagogy to Maximize Time Management

To learn more about clinics by Dr. Dennis Llinás, please contact Jalissa Gascho at jgascho@yamaha.com.