Meet Jonathan Kochik

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jonathan Kochik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jonathan below.

Jonathan, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I’d say my work ethic is an ongoing journey and ever-evolving. Growing up, my parents were great examples of putting in the work to achieve whatever goal you have set for yourself. I’ve spent many years trying to find a system that works for me, with numerous failed attempts, but I realized that while my quality of work and consistency don’t change, how I approach each project does change based on what’s being asked of me. Each collaboration has its own story that must be told so you can’t, nor should you, try to approach everything the same way.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’ve been around music my entire life. I grew up singing in the church choir, performing with the church handbell choir, and when I started 8th grade I joined the church orchestra. That same year, with the assistance of my middle school band director, Sonya Williams, I composed my first piece. Throughout high school and undergrad, I continued writing but none of my music was being performed live so you can imagine how heavily the imposter syndrome started setting in.

Not long after graduating with my first degree, my life turned away from music, and my focus became one of necessity. I took jobs purely to pay bills and keep a roof over my head, but I felt that something was missing like I wasn’t doing what I was meant to be doing. So, I decided it was time to put my life back on track and find my purpose.

In 2017, I went back to school for my Master of Music degree in Wind Band Conducting along with my teaching certification. Following graduation, in the fall of 2019, I became a high school band director, and while I was making music daily there was still something missing. As we know, the following year the world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having more free time, I rediscovered my love for composing and producing music and, as they say, the rest is history!

Fast forwarding to the present day, I left the public school teaching profession and joined the staff of the band program at Georgia State University – my alma mater – Go Panthers! Shifting the direction of my career has allowed me to devote more time to my music and opened doors to some incredible opportunities to collaborate with band, orchestra, choir, and winter guard programs across the country and internationally. I have composed music for concert ensembles ranging from beginner to professional level, I’ve arranged music for competitive marching bands, I’ve produced music for winter guard teams (some productions earning 1st place at various national and international contests), and in 2023 I teamed up with Imagistrom Productions on their short film “Others” earning Runner Up for Best Original Score at the 54 Film Fest in Nashville, TN.

Even though my main focus is now on composing and producing music, I’m still an active guest teacher and clinician across the southeast.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

What has been most impactful to me has been working with the incredible leaders and teachers in the music profession/industry. Each of them, consistent in wanting to bring beauty into the world, approaches it from a different angle. If I had to sum everything into three most important qualities, I would say you must be accepting of failure because it will happen 95% of the time, you must have the drive for constant growth and want to get better with each project you work on, and (the most important, in my opinion) you must care for yourself; you cannot produce high-quality work unless you make your health – mental, physical, etc – your top priority. The “hustle” and “grind” mentality is a slippery slope if you’re not careful!

The biggest piece of advice I want to share with those early in their journey comes from a quote by one of the greatest film composers to grace us with his music, John Williams. There will be many days where nothing you create works, or sounds good, and you feel like a failure, but he says, “…if I’m ever blocked or I feel like I don’t know where to go at the next turn, the best thing for me is to keep writing.” So, as John says, keep going when it feels like you can’t go any further.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I think we can all agree that the world we live in is very overstimulating with a lot going on all the time. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, or am struggling with a project, I purposefully make myself disconnect. I stop working and go for a walk, or a hike, because returning to nature is the biggest stress reliever that allows me to clear my mind and recenter myself before moving forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jonathanpkochik.com/
• Instagram: @jonathankochikmusic
• Other: Spotify: @jonathanpkochik

Image Credits

Piano Photo – Jordan Grimes Photography
Outdoor Photo w/ Horn – Devin Aaron Witt