Today we’d like to introduce you to Dale Duncan.
Hi Dale, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My resume is very unusual. It’s sort of all over the map. I graduated with a masters degree in music. I sang and danced in theme parks during college. I sang on a cruise ship after my masters degree was complete. Then, I taught public school for 30 years and retired in 2022. During my career, I developed a curriculum to help teachers teach their beginning singers to read music in the group setting. It’s called S-cubed sight singing program for beginners. I had no idea whether people would like it or not, but I put it up on Teachers Pay Teachers and Teachers have loved it. It is still sold on several outlets and continues to sell and help teachers and their student students in their classrooms.
I became certified to teach group fitness in the late 80s when aerobics was booming. There were competitions in Aerobics that began at that time that were aired on ESPN, and I started competing in the early 90s while teaching school full-time. I won the gold medal at the nationals in 1993. I was very involved in the sport for many many years coaching athletes from all over the country. I coached in choreographed 72 athletes to their medal winning moments at the National and World championships. In the late 2000s I became an international judge for the sport and I continue to judge until the pandemic. When the pandemic happened, I picked up racket sports. I started with Tennis but soon fell in love with PICKLEBALL. I was obsessed. I played seven days a week. I decided to become a coach so I got certified and started coaching at a tennis center here in town. In January 2025, I was hired at Lifetime fitness on Sheridan Road to be a PICKLEBALL coach. In September of of 2025 I decided to get certified as a personal trainer and return to Fitness as well as continued to coach PICKLEBALL. I was hired as a personal trainer officially in mid October 2025.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I always say that nothing worth anything is ever easy. I tried for years to get a book published about Sight singing, and it just wasn’t meant to be in that format. When I found Teachers Pay Teachers, that was the form it was supposed to take.. I’ve always been a very hard worker, and I continue to be. I enjoy working. I enjoy helping people. I enjoy helping people to get healthier and to get better at Pickleball. I think it’s really important for one’s life to have a purpose everyday. I think that many people in their 60s as I am can often retire from their careers and then get sick because they have nothing to do or nothing to look forward to or no real reason for living. Or they end up obsessing about the latest pain they have, or they go to the doctor all the time and become hypochondriacs or end up being a caretaker and they lose their own identity. It’s wonderful to be a caretaker. I am a caretaker of my father. But that is not my only purpose. I won’t let it be.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My curriculum, S cubed Sight Singing program for beginners, is unique because there are many books out there on this subject designed to help Teachers teach their beginners, but they’re all books. They’re a dime a dozen. When I found Teachers Pay Teachers, I knew that I could put my program together in power points. And that would permit me to upload videos of me, teaching the program and upload videos of me giving teaching tips directly to the camera. So I put the entire curriculum along with the video links into the PowerPoint. I did it that way because I always wanted to watch other teachers teach because it helped me. So I thought this would be a great way to help them understand how this could go. I basically hold their hand step-by-step through the entire program. It’s a massive program. I poured my heart and soul into it. I have to develop up to many other lessons since then. From substitute plans for Choir Teachers to giving ideas on how to teach the changing voice, part independence, classroom management- all of it. Anything that a middle school choir teacher deals with I’ve covered.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Well, my résumé is unique as I mentioned. From my fitness background and my competition background to my teaching career… Now to PICKLEBALL and getting certified to be a become a personal trainer at age 61, I am always just following my heart and my gut. I wake up every day and it’s different than the day before and I love that.
Pricing:
- S-cubed sightsinging program for beginners- $379
- Pickleball coaching at Lifetime- $140 per hour
- Personal training at Lifetime- $165 per hour
- Sun plans for 2 months. $50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Inthemiddlewithmrd1.blogspot.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inthemiddlewithmrdmusiced?igsh=c3E5cmh3NHo3YWJi&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheMiddleWithMrDBlog/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuSvE1y-FTytuFfndvTVUtQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@musicinthemiddlewithmrd?_t=ZT-8tghKNqV8H5&_r=1
Image Credits
Head shot by Rayna Sklar
