In this inspiring talk, composer and educator Danny Clay explores how play, curiosity, and collaboration can turn music-making into a joyful act of community. From classrooms to concert halls, he invites us to reimagine creativity as something we build together. Danny Clay is a composer and music educator whose work is deeply rooted in play, curiosity, collaboration, and the sheer joy of creating community experiences with people of all ages and artistic backgrounds. He sees “composing” as the act of putting sounds together, and strives to find ways to utilize this act to foster creativity and connection – whether it be conducting musical games with visitors to Chicago’s Millennium Park, making experimental audio installations with students at Stanford University, or building orchestras of recycled instruments with his elementary schoolers at Alta Vista School in San Francisco.Recent collaborations outside the classroom include a work for Kronos Quartet with members of the Academy for Teachers, interactive children’s programs with the Santa Rosa Symphony and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and instructional videos on composing for the Kennedy Center Education. His current interests lie in developing games that explore sound and creativity through interactive music-making. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx