His mother plays while a little boy sits under a piano, feeling the vibrations resonating down the old wooden leg beside him. Through the years, he slowly became too tall to sit under the piano like he used to, and started sitting on the bench alongside his mom. Now, he’s commanding his own stage, continuing his passion for music. 

East Junior, Owen Koch, plays the euphonium in Symphonic Winds, trumpet in the East Marching Band, and is a Vocalist and player in Eastside Jazz”

His friends and advisers said it takes a lot of diversity and dedication to have such a broad range of musicality like he does. Koch went through many singing programs before becoming a jazz vocalist.

“I was in the Salvation Army for many years,” Koch told Spark. “I sang for church choir since I was three until I was 15,” 

He was also a part of the East choir program from 8th grade to his sophomore year, where he took his experiences and lessons and shaped who he is as a musician today. According to Koch, he has paved his own path and found a unique rhythm to play his life by. Band director Andrew Desmond described him as mature and an “old soul.”

Since he was a freshman he has been described as someone who rolls with the punches, experienced East band director, Andrew Desmond, noted. 

“As a freshman that stands out a lot,” Desmond told Spark. 

Koch feels that jazz is a place that encourages collaboration among students and directors, and he feels that he has a lot of creative liberty in the process. 

“I think he’s got a great attitude. He very much understands what we’re trying to do as a group, and he’s a team player” Desmond said.

Arron Todalh, East jazz director, said Koch “is definitely enjoying the freedom to express and sing a song the way that he hears it.” 

Koch said some of his biggest influences in jazz are Frank Sinatra and Micheal Buble. He takes the music off the page by envisioning the message he’s trying to send.

“When I listen to a recording, I think of what the performer is trying to do with their expressions in their voice, because you can’t see the singer from the recording,” said Koch.  

Koch is considering a profession in therapy, but is interested to see how he can combine his musical passion with it. 

“He has a lot of the traits that set people up to be successful no matter what they do,” said Desmond.