Dana grew up in Lakewood, Colorado, where she started piano, dance and tumbling lessons at an early age. This foundation, along with the “oversized ham bone” which she inherited from her grandfather, sparked an early desire to make a career upon the stage.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in music and theater from the University of Northern Colorado, Dana began her career starring in Broadway musicals in regional and stock productions around the country. A gifted pianist and songwriter, she entertained for many years on the New York City and European cabaret scenes before embarking on her family music career.

Inspired by the birth of her first nephew, Dana began to focus her songwriting and performance skills exclusively on the young audiences with whom she has always felt a special connection. “I wrote and recorded a few lullabies as a gift for my new nephew, and through the process, realized that I loved writing for young children. Envisioning little smiles and open imaginations filled me with inspiration. I felt I had truly found my niche, especially once I started performing for live audiences of children. To me, hearing children’s laughter and watching them literally jump into your music is a reward beyond measure.” Encouraged by the success of her debut album, Gather Your Dreams (1994), Dana made a commitment to bring high quality, educational and fun music to children and families while introducing kids to numerous musical genres.

As Dana moved from singing in toy stores to performing at larger venues, she learned the importance of engaging her young audiences with movement and participation. High-energy, interactive songs became the emphasis of Dana’s next two recordings, Dana’s Best Sing & Play-A-Long Tunes (1995) and Dana’s Best Travelin’ Tunes (1996). Drawing on her piano-bar days and her love of composers such as Duke Ellington, Cole Porter and the Gershwins, Dana decided next to focus on making jazz accessible and fun for children. Combining classic jazz and cool original songs, Dana’s Best Sing & Swing-A-Long Tunes (1997) became an instant hit with kids and their parents.

Dana’s Best Rock & Roll Fairy Tales (1999) came along soon after. “I wanted to kindle a love of literature and reading in children. In setting classic fairy tales to rock and roll beats and re-working them to soften some of the scary elements, I hoped to bring out the humor and morals in the tales and bring them new life. Plus, I just love rhyming and doing crazy character voices!”

After taking a hiatus from recording to raise her son, Jack, Dana literally jumped back into the children’s music scene in 2017 with Dana’s Best Jump & Jam Tunes. Designed to get kids up, moving and away from their screens, the album is a musical party that promotes healthy habits, exercise, and of course, a lot of jumping!

Inspired by many years of leading story times at her local library, Dana created her original Dana’s Music Playground video series in 2019. Through animated characters, music, rhyme, sign language and movement, the interactive episodes introduce children to early childhood learning concepts. “There are many children who do not have the opportunity to attend a weekly class or story time, and I wanted to give young ones everywhere a chance to have the kind of enriching experience that was so valuable to my own child.” says Dana. Young families can find these programs on Dana’s YouTube channel and the streaming platform, SENSICAL.

In 2021, Dana created her Dana’s Music Playground radio show, which streams world-wide on the children’s radio stations JUMP105.3 and KIDS.RADIO. The podcast is available any time on Dana’s website. Along with her magic music box character, “Jingle”, Dana hosts a magical hour of music and themed fun. Young listeners love guessing the “words of the day” and learning about everything from colors and senses to dinosaurs and days of the week. The show has twice been honored by Creative Child Magazine with the “Media of the Year” award in 2021 and 2022, and has received the award for “Best Podcast” from both the NAPPA Awards (2021) and the Hot Diggity Awards (2022).

To reach out to children in her own community, Dana developed her Music Playground program for youngsters from ages 1 to 4. Celebrating 6 successful years, these fun and engaging music and movement classes have become a mainstay for families in Bellingham, WA near where Dana and her family now live.