AKA: “Switch”, “Mr. Oliver”
Singer/Songwriter/Web Designer/Educator
Instruments: Lead vocals, backing vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar
Day Job: Middle School General/Vocal Music Educator
Branden composes music for the band by writing parts for each instrument, presenting those parts to the other members, and then the band works together for further arrangement work.
He graduated from Drake University in 2008 with a bachelors of music education with emphasis in percussion and a developed interest and understanding in music theory and composition. Throughout his time at Drake he composed music in the styles of J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, L. Beethoven, F. Chopin, I. Stravinsky, among others. He learned to write in sonata form, fugues, rondo form, ternary form, and many more.
Branden began taking tap and jazz dance lessons at the age of 7 from Betty Hill Dance Studios. He became a teachers assistant 2 years later, helping teach preschool and primary boys classes. He continued to take lessons until graduating from the studio in 2003, when he became an instructor at the studio. He still teaches dance today and incorporates his tap dancing skills into the band with a song called, “Younger Version of Me”.
