By Jennifer Lo
Many in this school would agree that one of the great prides of Collingwood’s music program lies in Mr. David Buchan, director of CW’s choir ensembles and an occasional but valuable guest player in the instrumental music bands. From his musical talents during his youth – starting his own choir during grad year, then later performing across Belgium, France, the U.S, and India during a 3-month tour – stems true passion for the world of music, and also the love for helping young, talented musicians to self-improve.
Having taught at Collingwood for 21 years, Mr. Buchan had had a rich history of music education after graduating from high-school. In 1984, he left Alberta to go to California and then San Francisco to study before coming back to Canada and receiving a first degree on piano performance at UVIC. After working as a professional musician for a year, Mr. Buchan completed a PDPP program at UVIC before stepping into the world of teaching. Having first tried his hands at the Diana Krall’s School in the Nanaimo District, Mr. Buchan taught in Langley for some time before finally settling into the Collingwood community, teaching band for the first 10 years, then transitioning to be the choir director that we all admire and love today
Many in this school would agree that one of the great prides of Collingwood’s music program lies in Mr. David Buchan, director of CW’s choir ensembles and an occasional but valuable guest player in the instrumental music bands. From his musical talents during his youth – starting his own choir during grad year, then later performing across Belgium, France, the U.S, and India during a 3-month tour – stems true passion for the world of music, and also the love for helping young, talented musicians to self-improve.
Having taught at Collingwood for 21 years, Mr. Buchan had had a rich history of music education after graduating from high-school. In 1984, he left Alberta to go to California and then San Francisco to study before coming back to Canada and receiving a first degree on piano performance at UVIC. After working as a professional musician for a year, Mr. Buchan completed a PDPP program at UVIC before stepping into the world of teaching. Having first tried his hands at the Diana Krall’s School in the Nanaimo District, Mr. Buchan taught in Langley for some time before finally settling into the Collingwood community, teaching band for the first 10 years, then transitioning to be the choir director that we all admire and love today
Being a passionate musician with incredible talents with the piano, Mr. Buchan also plays the trombone, the trumpet, the flute, the clarinet, the bassoon, and the saxophone. When not teaching in choir classes both inside and outside of the school’s timetable (ex. Chamber Choir Classes starting at 7:00am before school), Mr. Buchan can be found in the various bands in Collingwood and offering much-appreciated help to young players. Outside of school, Mr. Buchan had been the assistant director for Welshman Choir for 20 years and had “the great pleasure to perform in the Royal Albert Hall in London”.
When asked about his philosophy on art, Mr. Buchan smiled and said – quite simply – that “music is life”. Life – in his view – would be incomplete without music. Not only does it bring great joy and laughter to our lives, but music also heals when we have suffered through some difficulties and it provides us with a new perspective on things. Mr. Buchan like all forms of music but finds classical, jazz, and western music exceptionally interesting. Various musicians also inspired him with his music, including Frederic Chopin and Cyndi Lauper.
As for any future aspirations, Mr. Buchan expresses that he would like to keep working to perfect his music, always be a student to learn new lessons in life, and always pushing himself to be better. We can be sure that, as more and more budding artists show their talents in music, Mr. Buchan will continue to be the admirable teacher that he is today and he will introduce the brilliance of music to more and more dedicated students!
When asked about his philosophy on art, Mr. Buchan smiled and said – quite simply – that “music is life”. Life – in his view – would be incomplete without music. Not only does it bring great joy and laughter to our lives, but music also heals when we have suffered through some difficulties and it provides us with a new perspective on things. Mr. Buchan like all forms of music but finds classical, jazz, and western music exceptionally interesting. Various musicians also inspired him with his music, including Frederic Chopin and Cyndi Lauper.
As for any future aspirations, Mr. Buchan expresses that he would like to keep working to perfect his music, always be a student to learn new lessons in life, and always pushing himself to be better. We can be sure that, as more and more budding artists show their talents in music, Mr. Buchan will continue to be the admirable teacher that he is today and he will introduce the brilliance of music to more and more dedicated students!