"Life without music would be a mistake"  - Nietzsche

To say that Don Hardy is a music educator, composer, performer a music therapist misses much of the point. That music is his raison d'etre is much closer. He has been a piano teacher for over 35 years, taking his first students while himself a student. His first professional compositions received a second runners up commendation in the American Songwriter's Contest. Since that fledgling opus, his Piano Etudes have been published (Etudes in Blue, Kallisti Music Press, Philadelphia), he has been commissioned for numerous large scale works, and his children's musical, The Big Trip, recently premiered (April 2003). He has shared stages with many international performers and played at countless and diverse music festivals, including The Vancouver International Jazz Festival, The Saskatoon Jazz Festival and The Merritt Music Festival. His work as a music therapist has been featured in both the popular and academic journals. He has spoken as an advocate for the arts and music at conferences and has lobbied for music education at the civic and provincial levels.

He beleives that music speaks to a core element in each of us - one that is beyond mere words and carries unfathomable emotions, the end result of which is an inner peace beyond words. To that end, he has been an advocate for music therapy with survivors of traumatic brain injuries and children with special needs.

He takes this approach in education, performance, composition and music therapy. Life is a party and should be celebrated with music. Quite simply put, the better the music, the better the party. Enabling people to reach that personal plateau is his goal - whether that is listening to a performance or as a student striving to learn a new piece.

His approach is psycho-educational, allowing the individual to reach their highest potential in a manner most meaningful to them. His expertise includes classical, pop, blues and jazz; he uses piano, organ, digital keyboards, computer music, guitar, singing and songwriting to realize thoses goals.