Teenager Josh Krushel has been playing the piano since he was five years old – but he suspects his journey into a life of music may have begun a whole lot earlier.
“(My parents) are both music teachers,” said the 17-year-old Bow Valley High School student with a smile. “I credit them … It’s been something that I’ve done my whole life – (something) I’ve just kind of always loved to do.”
Later this month, Krushel will take the stage at Bow Valley for the last time at the annual Black and White Night, a fun and fancy evening where he and his friends in the senior jazz and concert ensembles will entertain a crowd alongside two junior ensembles and a school choir.
Krushel said he always looks forward to the oratory occasion, which allows he and his classmates to showcase their skills on a number of different instruments in a sophisticated space.
The senior student – whose iPhone is filled with tunes by inventive jazz pianist Bill Evans, who was born in the 1920s and played with legend Miles Davis, alongside young London, England, jazz phenomenon Jacob Collier – plays French horn in the Bow Valley ensemble.
“It’ll be great to just show off all the work we’ve done through the year. You work hard at something and it sounds good … it’s just an awesome feeling,” he said, adding feedback from fans in the moment helps to push the dynamics of the sound.
“You definitely feel the energy that you’re giving them through the music, and they give it back to you,” he said. “That pushes you further.”
While most of his classmates’ connections to music will likely fade when the high school years come to an end in June, Krushel will be moving further into the melody.
He’s the only one from his graduating class who will focus on music for his post-secondary studies. Just this week, he had a piano audition for McEwen University in Edmonton, and in addition to his time with the Bow Valley group, he also plays French horn with the Calgary Youth Orchestra.
Kurshel credits his band teacher Rob Billington with “setting the bar high” and encouraging him to create the best music he can, adding there’s nothing quite like discovering a song and watching it come alive with practice and diligence.
“Your work hard at something and it sounds good,” said Kurshel. “It’s just an awesome feeling.”
