JJ Kuchan is a Masters of Music Education graduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He played trumpet with the Wind Ensemble all four years of his time at William & Mary and served as Publicity Officer, Vice President, and President. JJ graduated from William & Mary in 2013 with History and Music degrees.
When I first arrived at the University of Colorado I wasn’t exactly sure how I’d fit in with the other graduate students. I arrived in Boulder with the assumption that there would be an unequal level of knowledge, skill, and experience between myself and others who took typical paths towards their graduate music degrees. I was wrong. Now after a full year of classes, lessons, and ensembles, I can confidently say that I felt competitive and well-adjusted to a school of music environment thanks to the William & Mary Wind Ensemble. Looking back, it’s easy for me to remember how I grew as a musician, leader, and educator through the Wind Ensemble’s unique balance of high performance standards and liberal arts creativity.
The curricular backbone of the WMWE closely parallels what I’ve experienced in my large university school of music ensembles: exposure to high quality repertoire, unique performances, and collaborative opportunities with world class soloists. W&M’s liberal arts background gives the Wind Ensemble the flexibility to program numerous works of artistic and historic merit that I cherished studying and performing.
I also gained valuable performance experiences at W&M from the Wind Ensemble’s numerous venues, themes, and sheer quantity of its concerts. While at Colorado I’ve had the pleasure of performing two full ensemble concerts per semester, but at William & Mary we performed four concerts a semester in numerous auditoriums, theatres, amphitheatres, and the Wren Great Hall. These concerts featured both full wind ensemble and select chamber ensembles. In terms of performing a variety of music in unique spaces, W&M provided a more extensive list. Finally, I loved the exciting collaborative performance opportunities between the ensemble, W&M faculty, and Washington DC professional musicians. One such performance was a Global Film Festival concert which featured Aaron Copland’s Quiet City with Professors David Vonderheide and Sherri Aguirre, both adjunct faculty and principals in the Virginia Symphony. I am still jealous that I missed last year’s opportunity to perform a side by side concert with the Langley Air Force Band and I look forward to hearing the ensemble’s progress as they prepare for their 2015 China Tour.
There are also a few traits of the WMWE that make it entirely unique and, I believe, more rewarding than performing in a large university ensemble. A few of these include opportunities for leadership, national and international tours, and a cultural atmosphere that takes music and friendships seriously. From managing social media, designing concert programs, and organizing community performances to leading intramural sports teams, I was very fortunate for the numerous opportunities to lead my peers and foster traditions. Not only did the Wind Ensemble helped me become a confident, skilled, and articulate musician and leader, but it also gave me a family and home away from home that defined my William & Mary experience.