Matthew Suckling has an impressive music portfolio. He’ll add to that later this month when he performs with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-National Honor Jazz Ensemble. With trumpet in tow, from Oct. 27 to 30, Suckling will join more than 670 of the most musically talented and skilled high school students in the United States to perform at a gala concert in Nashville, Tenn.
“I really didn’t believe it,” the Cornwall High School senior said when he received the news. Suckling was attending the Ithaca Summer Music Academy when his parents sent him an e-mail letting him know he had been selected. “It was pretty exciting.”
Although he initially considered it a long shot to make it to the national stage, Suckling submitted an application believing it to be the next step in his journey to studying music in college.
Influenced by his father, a trumpet player and a music performance major in college, Suckling picked up the brass instrument for the first time in third grade. For the first two years of his playing career, Suckling received lessons from his father, but now practices with a professional trumpet player who lives in his neighborhood.
Suckling joined the band in elementary school and the chorus half-way through middle school. As a freshman, he joined the band, chorus, and jazz band. On top of that, he still tries to find time to practice for an hour or two a day outside of school. For the most part, balancing all three is not a problem, until it comes time for rehearsals.
“During the school day it’s not too bad because band and jazz band rotate second period every other day. I have chorus every other day eighth period. When we get close to concerts, there are after school rehearsals. Often the band will meet for two hours and then right after that the chorus will meet for another two hours.”
Outside the district, Suckling has been a part of the all-county band each year since fifth grade. Last year he participated in the all-state jazz band. Suckling said he likes playing for different conductors at the county level, but playing at the state level is an entirely different experience.
“The caliber of play is better. I find at the state level everyone is a lot more serious about music. At all-county there are some people who plan to go into music like me, but others do it because it’s a fun thing to do. It’s more professional at the state level.”
This past summer Suckling attended a two-week summer music academy at Ithaca College.
“I worked with the professors at Ithaca and I played in the wind ensemble, as well as the jazz band. I took some music theory classes and a classical guitar elective. It wasn’t necessarily college-level, but they were taught by college professors.”
Suckling auditioned to be accepted into the program and he was one of 10 trumpet players selected nationwide. For the national ensemble, Suckling will be one of five trumpet players and one of about 70 New Yorkers attending. In order to be accepted as a member of the ensemble, he was judged on his all-state auditions from his sophomore and junior years, as well as a submitted video recording.
The first three days in Nashville will be dedicated to rehearsals culminating with a gala concert on Oct. 30 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. The NAfME All-National Honors Ensembles, consisting of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed chorus, and jazz ensemble, are organized by members of the National Association for Music Education. The concert band and symphony orchestra will each have approximately 150 instrumentalists, the jazz ensemble will have 20 instrumentalists, and the mixed chorus will have approximately 350 vocalists.
Following graduation, Suckling plans to continue following a path toward a career in music. Right now he’s working on an audition repertoire for the schools to which he’s applying, including Ithaca College, SUNY Potsdam: Crane School of Music, Julliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Messiah College, and Wheaton College. Suckling plans to major in music performance and, if possible, have a double major in music education.
He’s uncertain about his professional career. He could end up with a steady job playing in an orchestra, or be a freelance musician playing gigs on a nightly basis. A third possibility is teaching music in a school or university.
Matthew Suckling’s musical portfolio includes performances in the New York State Band Directors Association Honors Jazz Band, New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Area All-State Symphonic Band, several NYSSMA all-county ensembles, the Hudson Valley Youth Wind Ensemble, and the NYSSMA All-State Jazz Ensemble.
