Dave began music at the age of 4 with the violin. His studies in music, which have included cello, double bass, piano, guitar, vocals and electronics eventually led to a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from UBC. He has performed in as many orcherstras and classical ensembles as he has with pop/rock groups. In 2008, Dave and colleague Kevin Saltarelli formed a ensemble called Red City, which is a conceptual music and film live soundtracking project. Their first commission, a 3-part music/film odyssey saluting the history of Iroquois Falls, ON was received with much acclaim.

Aside from playing in many various orchestras and classical ensembles, Dave is also an accomplished singer/songwriter and producer. In recent years, however, he shifted from the performing world to the world of education and has pioneered many educational projects. As Vice-President of Maxwell's Music House in Waterloo, one of those projects was the development and growth of the core teaching philosophy behind their popular Rockstar Camp which has now branched outward into various community areas such as public schools and city-sponsored programs.

As an academic, he has been working in conjunction with Wilfrid Laurier, Edwin Outwater, the K-W Symphony and eager local rock musicians to bridge genre gaps and strengthen the music community as a whole. He is currently on the board of directors for the Creative Enterprise Enabling Organization which is an organization devoted to creating jobs and a better quality of life in Waterloo Region. He, along with many others who are involved, hope to bring sustainability to the arts in his home town of Kitchener-Waterloo, ON.