Chris Dandeles is an active educator, clinician, arranger, and composer who proudly serves on the faculty of the Grammy-recognized Waubonsie Valley Music Department. His passionate, engaging teaching style and skill at developing programs with persistent excellence have led to a Golden Apple nomination and years of being identified as an inspirational educator. 

In his role as a music educator at Waubonsie Valley High School, Mr. Dandeles directs two of the curricular concert bands and co-directs the Warrior Pep Band and Marching Warriors. He is also the director and founder of the Waubonsie Valley Percussion Ensemble and World Beat. In addition to two annual percussion concerts at WVHS, the Percussion Ensemble has performed at the VanderCook Day of Percussion, the Illinois Percussive Arts Society Percussion Day, the National Percussion Festival, Humboldt Community Christian School, the DuPage Children's Museum, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. In addition to his work at WVHS, Mr. Dandeles is also active as a clinician, adjudicator, composer and consultant. 

As a percussionist, Mr. Dandeles has promoted the advancement of percussion education throughout his career. He is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Education Committee and serves as the treasurer on the executive committee of the Illinois Chapter of the Percussive Arts. His growing catalog of student-driven solos and ensembles includes a nearly 500-page total percussion method book called The Compleat Percussionist. 

Beyond teaching and advocating for the percussive arts, Mr. Dandeles continues to perform in his school and community. Along with freelance solo and chamber percussion performances, he can frequently be seen performing with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, the CoLegno saxophone and marimba duo, and the Rosewooden Carols marimba quartet. Recent solo projects have included his “The Color of Rosewood” marimba recital, and his narrative solo percussion recital “unbrOKen.” 

Mr. Dandeles earned his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, Master's Degree in Music Education from Northern Illinois University, and Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Francis. Mr. Dandeles lives in Aurora with his wife Amy, their daughter Annika, and son Henry.