
By Samantha Hustedsam@coastalbreezenews.com
Last month the Coastal Breeze News sat down with 18-year-old Marco Island resident, Daniel Hodsdon and his grandfather Terry McCreanor. Hodsdon, now on the verge of beginning his freshmen year of college, has been playing the bagpipes since he was in middle school. The bagpipes have allowed Hodsdon a world of opportunity, both as a musician and a performer. Over the years he has been asked to perform for private parties as well as local events such as Relay For Life and the annual Christmas Parade.
Inspired by Jonathan Davis, lead singer of metal band Korn, Hodsdon, then in 8th grade, decided that he would like to pursue the bagpipes. “Their singer played the bagpipes on a couple songs and I was like ‘hey, I want to learn that,” said Hodsdon. “I told my grandparents and about two weeks later he [McCreanor] calls me and says ‘We’re going to Bonita, we have a bagpipe lesson.’ That night we went up and met Don Goller, world champion bagpiper and Harp & Thistle Band’s Pipe Major.”
For three straight years he and his grandfather would drive an hour up to Bonita for lessons. “Three years, every

Terry McCreanor (center) with Daniel Hodsdon (right) and his brother Cooper Hodsdon at the Bill Rose Memorial Clay Shoot.
Over the years as Hodsdon’s reputation as a bagpiper grew, strangers began asking him to perform at events on Marco. “People would call and be like ‘Oh, I hear you play the bagpipes,’ said Hodsdon. “I was in the Christmas parade and I learned ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ on the bagpipe. Santa wore a kilt that night.” For the past two years Hodsdon has also performed at the Naples Relay for

Daniel with Dick Shanahan after performing in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Besides the bagpipe, Hodsdon also plays the bass guitar, guitar, piano and the trombone. It seems that he is into all things music, a quality he attributes to his grandfather. “I’m into literally any genre of music,” said Hodsdon. “In my car I’ll hit next and it’ll go from death metal to jazz to rap to classical music. There is no in between with me, I will listen to anything.”
Currently Hodsdon is enrolled in a six week program where he is learning how to build guitars. This fall Hodsdon will begin his freshmen year at the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media in Georgia. He plans on studying the bass guitar as well as recording and audio engineering. “They teach you to be an instrument. You become extremely versatile and valuable to anybody who needs you. At the end of this, if I really buckle down and do it, I’ll be able to be called in to be a studio musician,” said Hodsdon.
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