Federico Dantoni
Pianist · Composer · Music Educator
Federico Dantoni grew up in Argentina as the son of a trumpet player, started playing accordion at age 5, and by his teens was fluent on saxophone, flute, organ, and keyboards. He studied modern harmony, composition, and conducting at UCA Buenos Aires, and went on to build a professional career spanning jazz performance, music production, film scoring, and international touring.
InsidePiano came directly from his teaching work. Over years of working with intermediate and advanced students, Federico kept encountering the same gap: musicians who could play, but couldn't hear why what they were playing worked. The curriculum he built is his answer to that problem.
Four decades in music
The background that informs every lesson.
PolyGram Records — Spanish Fly
Signed to PolyGram Records with the band Spanish Fly. Toured North and Latin America sharing the stage with Liza Minelli, Peter Frampton, and Tito Puente. Performed at the World Cup and private events for Sandra Bullock and Oliver Stone.
"All You Need Is Love" — PFC Love Album
Playing for Change partnered with Starbucks to fight the African AIDS epidemic. Federico recorded accordion on the original Los Angeles sessions alongside bassist Fefe Lee, with Mark Johnson and Enzo Buono producing. The finished track brought in Trombone Shorty, Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton, and strings arranged by David Bowie's former arranger. A million copies sold in its first month, with $1 per album going directly to the Global Fund. Also on the project: U2, John Legend, and Dave Matthews Band.
Starbucks Red Album & The Bonnie Hunt Show
Played accordion with Playing for Change on "All You Need Is Love" for the Starbucks RED Album, raising funds to fight AIDS in Africa alongside U2, John Legend, and Dave Matthews Band. The band then performed the song live on The Bonnie Hunt Show in Los Angeles.
Chicago International Film Festival
Selected to compose the official music for both the 49th and 50th Chicago International Film Festival — two consecutive years of original composition for one of the oldest competitive film festivals in North America.
"Let's Not Discuss It" — Top 5 Jazz in Chicago
Composed and produced the jazz single "Let's Not Discuss It" for Chicago singer Jesse Charbonier. The track reached the top 5 of ReverbNation's Best Jazz Music in Chicago during spring 2014.
Selected discography
Albums and recordings from four decades of studio and live work.
PFC Love Album
Playing for Change
Spanish Fly & Company
Spanish Fly
Songs Around the World
Playing for Change 3
Let's Not Discuss It
Jesse Charbonier
Habibi
Bandoleros
El Mundo
Joef
Compas de Fuego
Bandoleros
Bandolero
Bandoleros
Why understanding changes everything
Most pianists learn to play music. Federico teaches you to understand it. There is a difference between memorizing a chord voicing and knowing why that voicing works in that moment, what it implies harmonically, and how you could alter it to change the emotional direction of a phrase.
After decades of performing and teaching, Federico noticed that the students who progressed fastest were not the ones who practiced the most. They were the ones who could hear the harmonic logic behind what they were playing. That is the gap InsidePiano is built to close.
The curriculum starts with functional harmony and builds upward: how chords relate to each other, how scales connect to chord quality, how that translates to improvisation, and ultimately how all of it comes together in real performance. Not abstract theory. A practical toolkit you use at the keyboard.