A New Era for Arts at Rancho Christian School
Rancho Christian School Welcomes Mr. Daniel Lybeck as Director of Performing Arts
Rancho Christian School is excited to celebrate Mr. Daniel Lybeck as he steps into his new role as Director of Performing Arts, bringing increased focus, energy, and vision to the future of the arts at Rancho Christian.
Mr. Lybeck joined Rancho Christian in 2021, originally serving as an English teacher while also helping restart and rebuild the school’s band program. Since then, he has helped reestablish secondary band, grow the elementary band program, launch jazz band, and strengthen the foundation for students to explore music from a young age.
In this new role, Mr. Lybeck will help lead and grow Rancho Christian’s Performing Arts programs, including band and theatre. For him, the new role represents an intentional step forward.
“We are making a deliberate step forward,” Lybeck shared. “We are focused on growing this department, bolstering this program, and giving our students really great opportunities along the way.”
One of the most exciting parts of this new season is the opportunity to create a more unified and consistent experience across the Performing Arts. In theatre, Mr. Lybeck hopes to help develop a clear “this is how Rancho does theatre” process, from preparing for shows to promoting performances and inviting more students into the experience.
The goal is not simply to put on better concerts or productions, but to create meaningful spaces where students can discover gifts, build confidence, and find belonging.
Reflecting on his own experience as a student, Mr. Lybeck shared that theatre helped him come out of his shell and find a place where he could express himself. He hopes Rancho students experience that same sense of confidence, connection, and joy.
“There might be some students here who haven’t found their thing yet,” he said. “I’m hoping we are providing a place where they get to come to school and do this, see their theatre friends, be crazy on stage, play an instrument, and play awesome music.”
Mr. Lybeck also believes the arts play an important role in the holistic development of students. Music strengthens discipline, focus, and brain function. Theatre builds public speaking, teamwork, confidence, memorization, and emotional expression. These skills extend far beyond the stage, helping students grow as communicators, collaborators, and Christlike leaders.
Faith will remain central to the vision for Performing Arts at Rancho Christian. Mr. Lybeck often comes back to the idea of “fanning into flame” the gifts God has given each student. Whether through music, theatre, or storytelling, the goal is to help students use their abilities with diligence, joy, and purpose.
Looking ahead, Mr. Lybeck dreams of Rancho Christian’s Performing Arts programs becoming “can’t miss” moments for the school and local community. He hopes students take ownership of the process, not only performing on stage, but helping build, create, prepare, and invest in the work behind the scenes.
His message to students is simple: try it - you’ll love it.
“This is the time to try things,” Lybeck said. “You don’t need any experience. Just come try it. We’re going to work it out. It’s going to be a great experience.”
Rancho Christian School is grateful for Mr. Lybeck’s leadership, passion, and heart for students as we step into a new season of growth for Performing Arts.