Life & Work with Jonathan P. Kochik of Norcross, GA (northeast Atlanta)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan P. Kochik

Hi Jonathan P., please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been around music my entire life. Almost everyone in my family is musically inclined, whether they sing, play an instrument, or do a little bit in between, you can say my house growing up was never a quiet one. I began my musical journey when I was 9 years old. At that time, my family was heavily involved with our church so I joined the children’s handbell choir and sang in the children’s choir. As I grew up, I moved through the different levels of those groups — once I moved to middle school I transitioned to the youth handbell choir and youth choir. Outside of the church, in 6th grade I joined the band program at my school. Wanting to follow in my mom’s footsteps, I really wanted to play the flute but she said “no” and that I would play the French Horn because “hardly anyone plays it and you’ll grow to love it.” So, since mothers know best, I played the horn and as she said, grew to really enjoy playing it — and became somewhat good at it!

Throughout the next three years I was constantly busy going between school, band rehearsals, church events, community ensemble rehearsals, concerts, and a multitude of other things. If that wasn’t enough, in 8th grade I decided to join the church orchestra. We were far from a professional-level group but, as the scripture says, we made a joyful noise and I had a lot of fun performing with everyone on Sundays and special holidays! This was also the same I realized I wanted to compose the music played by orchestras, played by school bands, played by handbells choirs, and sang by choirs. You can think of it as a “spiritual awakening” but I like to think of it as finding my calling, and what I was meant to do with my life.

With the assistance of my band director, I composed my first piece in 8th grade. It was a fun little piece for concert band titled “Three Year Finale” — how original, right? I went on to compose a few other pieces l through high school, even arranging “Be Thou M Vision” for our church orchestra that was performed during a Sunday service! It was during that time I began coming to terms with my sexuality — wanting to accept myself for who I am but having an internal conflict of how my family would react since we had been so involved with the church my entire life.

Ultimately, I came out as gay to my family twice. The first time wasn’t received with the warmest of welcomes so I “took it back” and stepped back into the closet just for comfort and wanting to just get through to high school graduation. I stayed in the closet for the longest time and it wasn’t until my second year of undergrad that I officially came out and accepted myself regardless of what anyone else thought; including my family. From then on, I made the artist choice to express my emotions and use my voice through the music I compose because I find words incredibly limiting — not to mention I am bad at using words to express my thoughts.

I graduated with my Bachelor of Music in Performance in 2016 from Georgia State University (Go Panthers) and entered society as a college graduate with the world at my fingertips, but quickly realized there were limited jobs in the music industry for someone with a performance degree. Because of that, I left music (playing and composing) for a year just trying to find jobs and make ends me, I even moved back home to save money. Fast forward a few years, I returned to GSU to pursue a Master of Music degree in Wind Band Conducting while also earning my teaching certificate. Following graduation I became a high school band director in Gwinnett County — my first year of teaching being the same year the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down.

Finding myself with more time on my hands than ever before, I rediscovered my love for composing music — I hadn’t realized how much I missed it! For the next four years, I focused my time between being a full-time teacher and composing music. I loved my life and loved making music with my students so it made it even more difficult in January 2023 when I made the decision to leave teaching and my students to dedicate more time to composition. Knowing that a creative lifestyle has its own set of challenges, I needed a steady job to pay the bills but would also allow for more time to be dedicated to my craft.

Since leaving the public school teaching profession, I became the Administrative Coordinator for the band program at Georgia State University (it’s like I never left). With this redirection in careers, it’s allowed me to do some incredible things! I have composed music for concert ensembles ranging from beginner to professional level, I’ve arranged competitive shows for high school marching bands, I’ve produced music for winter guard teams (some productions earning 1st place at various local and international competitions), and I even had an opportunity to score the soundtrack to a short film — earning runner-up for best original score at a local film festival!

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

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road, but it also hasn’t been a rough road. The journey has been one of those roads you drive on and every now and then you hit a pothole but it doesn’t destroy the car — just blows the tire or creates a small dent. The biggest obstacle has honestly been my self-doubt and imposter syndrome in not fully believing that I am a good composer or that the voice I have to share, musically, is one worth listening to. It’s a constant battle that I’m sure many creatives experience throughout their life but I keep reminding myself that I have a story to tell, and it deserves to be told because (like I tell my students) if I don’t tell it… no one will! And who knows, maybe my story will help someone through a rough patch in their own journey.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
It might seem weird and not that big a deal, but many people come up to me and ask how I’m able to stay so busy between work and my music career AND make time for my partner, family, and friends. While it’s not the most revolutionary thing, I’ve learned that “managing your time” is not a practical lifestyle model. It’s more about how I prioritize my time — no matter the day or time, I also know the important thing in that particular moment in time. It’s been eye opening to see how much more efficient I am with using my time which in turn leaves time for my other life interests. Not to say that others aren’t doing this or that there isn’t someone out there who does it better than me, but to paraphrase Dolly Parton, I’ve found the system that works best for me and I’m doing it on purpose!

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
In my opinion, taking risks is essential for moving forward. You know that saying “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”? I believe that also applies to life — you can’t progress forward by doing the same thing over and over. I’ve taken many small risks and leaps of faith in my life, but the biggest risk was accepting who I am and coming out to my family. And while I don’t think people in the LGBTQIA+ community should have to “come out,” doing so came with a lot of uncertainty about what my future would look like. Would I be accepted by my family? My friends? Would I go through the rest of my life alone because they couldn’t love me for me? Though it’s been a journey of patience, I’m happy to say that 10 years after coming out I’m happily partnered, with an incredible support system of both my chosen family and given family! I know that’s not the case for everyone, so I count myself very blessed in that regard.

Contact Info:

• Website: Website – https://www.jonathanpkochik.com/
• Instagram: Instagram – @jonathankochikmusic
• Youtube: YouTube – @jonathan.p.kochik

Image Credits
Piano Photo – Jordan Grimes Photography
Red Shirt Photo – Devin Aaron Witt