Juan Martinez

Juan is a music educator from Western Oregon University and has been involved with music since 5th grade, though he was not born into a musical family and didn't know that he wanted to go into a musical career until his early years in college. He went through his secondary educational years taking band and choir, but never felt fully expressive with the music. 

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"I remember people asking me what it was that I liked about making music in those ensembles. I felt that the correct answer to give was that it allowed me to express myself, but I never felt that answer was fully true. It wasn't until I started writing poetry and composing that I felt that I could truly communicate what was on my mind."

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The majority of his skills as a musician came from his time on the worship team at Open Bible Christian Center in Riddle, OR, USA. At first, it was learning to play the drums, then a backup singer, then he was learning lead sheets. Since age 12, he played on the worship team until he left the faith in 2020. 

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He started composing in the music program at Western Oregon University. While he is most comfortable in choral music, he likes to dip his toes into numerous styles across the board, including rock/metal, jazz, salsa, chamber music, and even avant-garde arrangements.

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"Music has always been a big part of stability in my life. I believe having an appreciation for music is important to having a balanced mental state."