We were lucky to catch up with Ryan Buchanan recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ryan, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My journey with music began at a young age. I was 9 years old when I first picked up the trumpet for my elementary school band program. It started out as nothing more than just a fun after school activity where I got to learn some of my favorite songs from movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Those first 3 years on the horn truly taught me how enjoyable it was to make music with others. After elementary school, I was excited to move onto junior high and begin learning more difficult material and getting the opportunity to play in larger ensembles.
I had no idea going into it, that junior high school was the place where I would find that music was going to play a crucial role in my future. My band director, Jeff Stephan was known to push all of his students to their highest levels of potential. I had heard from many students that were older than me, that he could be hard on them if they didn’t come to class prepared. This was a challenge that I was eager to take on.
At the very beginning of 7th grade, we had auditions for chair placements in the advanced band. I remember the audition being a two octave chromatic scale that had to be performed in front of the entire class one at a time. This was a frightening experience to say the least. Having a 60 person classroom filled with all of your peers watching you is no simple task. With that being said, I completely bombed my audition and let the nerves get the best of me. When we got the results back, I remember getting 8th chair out of the 9 trumpets in the band. I was frustrated, but all I wanted to do was redeem myself when we had the district honor band auditions in the spring semester.
The advanced band was set up where we had new chair placements in the spring following the results of the honor band auditions. My only goal was to get 1st chair at my school. We were given the audition music right before winter break. I practiced almost every day and tried to make sure that I had everything perfect and ready to go for my audition. When that day finally came, my practice paid off more than I knew.
After leaving my audition, I felt pretty good about my playing that day and couldn’t wait for the results. It wasn’t until Monday at school when we were given the announcements. When I got to school, there were a lot of rumors going around that Mr. Stephan was very happy with one of the trumpet players, and I can just remember hoping that it was me. Once I got to band class that day everyone was feeling nervous and excited, anxiously awaiting their results. Mr. Stephan began reading out the results by telling us he was very proud of us because we had a good amount of students who made the honor band. When he finally got to the trumpet section he announced that I had not only gotten 1st chair, but that I had also beaten out the entire district as a 7th grader. I was really shocked and happy that my hard work had gotten me to that point.
It was after that day when I realized that playing the trumpet was something that I could potentially do for the rest of my life. Mr. Stephan helped guide me to more and more success during the remainder of my short time spent with him in junior high. He introduced me to my first experience playing in a jazz band, as well as making sure that I learned an abundance of music theory and life skills as a musician. He was so motivational for me at that age, and his teaching ability undoubtedly helped me realize that music was the biggest purpose in my life.
He has always kept in contact with me over the years all the way through college. He even came to one of my recent shows in Montana with the Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective. He remains to be someone that I can learn from and look up to. I am forever thankful for the impact he had on me in the early stages of my musical career.
My private lesson rate is $60.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Currently I am finishing up my education at California State University, Northridge while maintaining my music career on the side. I recently graduated with my Bachelors of Music degree in Jazz Studies in 2022. I am now in my final year of the graduate program at CSUN and plan to have my Masters of Music in Trumpet Performance by spring of 2024.
Balancing out grad school with my gigs and teaching jobs can be quite difficult. Fortunately, I have been given many great opportunities thus far into my career. Since my last interview with Voyage LA, I have gotten to work with some pretty incredible groups.
Last year, I was given the wonderful opportunity to join the band Phat Cat Swinger. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Phat Cat Swinger, they are known for being Hollywood’s hottest little-big band. I performed with them for the Festival of Holidays and Food and Wine seasons at Disneyland California Adventure this past year. I have nothing but great things to say about the group’s commitment to professionalism and showmanship. It is truly an honor to be up on stage at Disneyland wearing my Phat Cat pin with such great musicians. I’m so thankful to be a part of of Phat Cat Swinger and I am definitely looking forward to my future within the band.
Back in 2021, I was called by a former teacher of mine, Scott Jeppesen, to join the Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective in Billings, Montana. This is a jazz big band that consists of musicians mostly from Billings, but there are a few of us in the band that fly out for each show from Los Angeles. This group is known for its community outreach and themed concert programs that leave the audience with a better education on the cultural and historical significance of black American music.
A majority of the work I have been doing around town recently has been in the latin music scene. I have gotten to work with countless cumbia, merengue, and salsa groups that have helped me expand my musical palate over the years. My favorite latin group to work with is my friend Andy Ocampo’s group, Los Chicos Del Mambo. This group was started with a good number of CSUN alumni and we have been having lots of success performing the classics of Celia Cruz and Oscar D’León while drawing in big dancing crowds for our shows.
Touring and traveling has been another big part of my life this year. Most recently, I was called by my good friend Macrae Eckelberry to sub for him on tour with Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras band. Tom Sandoval is famous for being an actor on the hit Bravo reality T.V. series, Vanderpump Rules. Getting to work with this band was absolutely one of the best musical experiences I have had. First and foremost, the band is filled with some of the most talented people I have ever met. Every show was a blast from start to finish. Because of the band’s ridiculously high energy and Tom’s massive following, the performances were always sold out and filled to the max with his fans. This definitely gave me a feel for what it was like to live the rockstar lifestyle for a few days and I can’t wait for the next time I’m on stage with them.
CSUN also gave me some unforgettable touring memories this past semester. I was fortunate enough to travel to the Loyola New Orleans Jazz Festival with the CSUN Jazz A Band back in March. A few weeks later, the CSUN Trumpet Studio made history with our Trumpet Quartet making the National Trumpet Competition in Boulder, Colorado for the first time in school history. Lastly, in April, the CSUN Wind Ensemble traveled to Oahu, Hawaii and gave performances at Pearl Harbor and a state prison. It was quite the busy semester to say the least.
Teaching students has been another passion of mine during these busy times. I have a private studio of kids with an age range of elementary school to high school that I work with on a weekly basis. I also teach part time with various elementary school beginning bands in the Sulphur Springs School District through a non profit program called Cultivating Creative Minds. This is actually the same program that I started out with when I was 9 years old. It feels really accomplishing to be on the other side of things now, but it’s very humbling that I get to give these kids the same experience that I had when I was their age.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
When looking back over the last few years, I feel that the most important skills that I have picked up from working as a professional musician would have to consist of my time management skills, networking abilities, and overall professionalism while on the job. Being a working musician in LA would feel impossible without having a good system of time management skills. I love to use the reminders app on my phone to keep my calendar up to date with all of the gigs and rehearsals that I have on a weekly basis. A rule that I strive to live by is the rule that to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable. In the music world, it is inexcusable to show up late to a gig or a rehearsal. Consistently showing up early to everything will always leave you in a great position to continue getting more work.
In my opinion, one’s ability to network well can completely determine their future in the music scene. I have seen countless musicians decide to give up on their dreams of being a musician because they didn’t enjoy being social and refused to promote themselves on social media. It is sad to see this affect so many young musicians, but it is simply the nature of the music world. Networking is a constant goal of mine when I am hired for new work. I go into a gig with the mindset that I will make multiple new connections every time. This can be with members of the band I am playing with or even audience members. You never know who you might meet and what connections they may have. Staying heavily active on social media is also essential in today’s world. We live in an online world; if you are not present on social media, then you will simply be forgotten more often than not when someone is looking to make that call.
Maintaining professionalism at all times is of the highest importance in the music industry. Even if a gig may not seem important to you at the time, you never know who is watching you while you are working. It is best to maintain a persistent level of professionalism no matter where you are. This is something that younger musicians often have to learn the hard way when they are coming into the scene for the first time. All it takes is one simple mistake or miscommunication to get fired, but it is a lesson that must be learned.
My advice to younger musicians with aspirations of doing this for a living is to work hard at your craft and to practice as much as you can while in school. It is extremely important to surround yourself with the music you enjoy playing as much as possible. Listening to the music you love and attending live shows when manageable will highly benefit you. Studying with a great private lesson instructor will make a tremendous improvement to your goals as a musician as well. I believe that playing with others who are more experienced than you is the fastest way to learn and grow as an artist.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I have always been very lucky to have a family that has supported me every step of the way in my music career. For as long as the trumpet has been a part of my life, my parents have attended every major concert and performance that I have ever been a part of. They always assure me that they are proud of what I have accomplished in my life and they are just as excited as I am to see what my future holds. My Mom has always been there to take pictures and videos of my performances for me. I am so grateful that I will always have these memories to look back on when I am older. One of the biggest impacts that my parents have had on my musical journey was their willingness to pay for my private lessons as a kid growing up. Those years of working with my private instructors were the most crucial years for my development as a trumpet player. Without the work that I was able to put in with my teachers, I don’t know where I’d be today.
My younger siblings and I have all been a part of our school music programs since we were in elementary school. Because of this, my parents have always volunteered to help with the band in any way that they could. This was especially notable when we were in high school with the school’s marching band program. My Dad has always been the one to help out with props for the field shows or tow the band trailer with his truck or help fix something when needed. My Mom used to wash all of the band uniforms and has always been one of the booster parents for my high school. They both have sacrificed countless hours of their lives for the three of us and it never went unnoticed or unappreciated.
Having a support group like this with your family and friends truly makes things so much easier when you are trying to achieve your goals and dreams. I feel extremely lucky that I not only have had the support of my family, but also the support of my amazing girlfriend Risejah. She has helped me in countless ways over the last few years in ways that no one else could. Without her constant positivity and love for what I do, this would be a much harder lifestyle to maintain without question.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @hornsnhalos11
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005693266316
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ryanbuchanan4330
Image Credits
Jennifer Buchanan Risejah Velasco Christina Alegre Kim Lawrence
