“There’s no real network of western musicians here,他说 from Hainan. “It’s taken a good amount of sweat and tears to get musicians together, find places to play and educate people about the value of western music. Just finding a bass player to play a basic jazz line took us four or five months, but I’m learning to be a better educator by teaching people and performing. 这绝对是一次冒险.”
Busch had been teaching music and performing in Las Vegas and California, including with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, 一天，电话响了. It was a former mentor saying he had the perfect job for Busch—in China. “I laughed and thought he was joking,” Busch recalls.
但是在调查之后, and realizing he would have freedom to hire other positions around him, 他对这种前景产生了兴趣. Within six months he and his handpicked team were headed to Hainan to help introduce playing principles that have shaped the western jazz and orchestral traditions.
“I had no idea what the culture or language were like in China, but I’ve always been a seat-of-the-pants guy,Busch说.
He found himself one of just a handful of foreigners on a campus of 22,000, 在海口市, 在2点.5 million residents is small by Chinese standards. Busch leads the wind ensemble at the conservatory.
“Part of what we’re doing is training teachers and performers so they can teach primary and high school and participate in local orchestras or wind bands,他说.
The first year held plenty of lessons on how to work successfully within a foreign culture. 一年后, Busch and his team teach fully in Mandarin Chinese, though deeper conversations remain a challenge.
Busch grew up in a musician’s home, his father Dr. 迈克尔·布希 working as an organist at church and professor of music and director of 合唱活动 在欧文的康考迪亚大学.
“Every Sunday I sat in the pew and was completely enveloped by the sound of the organ,马修回忆道. “这真的让小时候的我很感动. One time when Dad finished playing something in a service, 我站在长椅上说, “那是我爸爸!’”
Matthew chose the trumpet and warmed to the idea of being a musician, then realized he had skill as an educator as well.
“I feel most fulfilled when I’m teaching as well as performing,他说.
四年来 studied music 在欧文的康考迪亚大学, becoming familiar with the piano, woodwinds, and percussion and string instruments.
“What was great about Concordia was I took each of those varied pursuits and applied them to my instrument,他说.
I feel most fulfilled when I’m teaching as well as performing.
Another key building block was playing and singing in various venues on tours in different states as part of the 肯考迪娅合唱团 还有器乐合奏.
“在同一个地方打球是一回事, but experiencing different halls and challenges and meeting new people was such a joy,他说. “I was given so many opportunities to grow as a player. 这对我来说太棒了.”
Not to mention having his dad as his professor in choir and music theory.
“Seeing him in the role of an educator was such a huge inspiration for me,” Matthew says. “I value so highly the liberal arts education I received at Concordia. I learned to write, to speak and to solve problems. That became so invaluable not just here but in my master’s education and everywhere I go.”
Busch graduated from Concordia Irvine with a BA in music performance in trumpet, then continued to the University of Redlands, earning a master’s degree in trumpet performance. Today he plays four different trumpets in different keys depending on the piece of music. The smallest is used in baroque music such as Bach or Vivaldi. The big B-flat trumpet he uses for everything from jazz to orchestra.
His main non-musical hobby is Brazilian jujitsu, in which he has attained his blue belt. 摔跤运动, which Busch describes humorously as “uncooperative yoga in pajamas,” focuses and clears his mind in the midst of a foreign culture which can at times be overwhelming.
“The studio is a great place to go unwind,他说. “I get to drop in at different academies and gyms when I travel, and study with different people. When you’re sparring with a partner or drilling a technique, you can only think about that or you’ll react late.”
The other benefits of living in southern China are the food and travel. Busch says he hasn’t had one bad meal since being there, and that the food is diverse — and spicy. Travel to nearby Asian countries has been “a huge positive.”
Busch aims to earn a doctorate in music at some point, becoming a conductor and a performing artist. 目前，中国的冒险还在继续.
“I hope to be at the conservatory another two years, building a program and starting a culture to pass on to the next batch of teachers,Busch说.