On pitch and on target

Joey Butcher always hits his target, whether he steps onto the battlefield as an infantry rifleman in the United States Marine Corps, or onto the stage as an Honors College student majoring in vocal performance with a minor in dance. In both spaces, commitment, discipline and precision define success, even if the environments could not appear more different.

Specializing in jazz and opera, Butcher has embraced two of the most technically demanding and historically rich musical genres. But his work also extends beyond singing, incorporating piano, saxophone and drums, as well as leadership in forming his own jazz band, Swing Syndicate.

"Put simply, I really like how opera and jazz sound, but there's also a rich history behind both genres," said Butcher. "On one end, classical music is stereotypically held as Western European music, but there's a lot in the contemporary abstract that has been produced by people of color and LGBTQIA2S+ people. Then with jazz, a lot of African traditions were erased by slavery, so they had to form their own culture, which is how we got the folk music that makes up a majority of jazz today. So as a person of color myself who is also LGBTQIA2S+, I appreciate how much representation there is in the history and culture behind those genres."

Born and raised in Anchorage, Butcher's path into both the military and music can be traced back to his upbringing. His father served in the U.S. Navy and studied music. That foundation deepened through participation in church choir and JROTC during his youth. In choir, Butcher developed his ear and learned to engage with music through repetition and listening, building his skills without formal theoretical knowledge. In JROTC, he found structure, community and a sense of purpose that would eventually lead him to enlist.

After enlisting in the Marines right after high school, Butcher committed fully to the demands of military life. As an infantry rifleman, he trained extensively, deployed overseas and eventually rose to the rank of sergeant. Even in that environment, however, music remained present. In that time, he began taking piano lessons, marking the first time he seriously engaged with reading music and developing technical skills.

Following his discharge after five years of service, Butcher returned to Anchorage and took some time readjusting to civilian life before enrolling at UAA in fall 2022. There, he committed to pursuing music in a formal academic setting, despite entering as what he describes as a "true beginner" - without the training many of his peers had developed earlier in life, he faced a steep learning curve. Still, the discipline instilled during his time in the Marines translated directly into his studies, allowing him to approach challenges with persistence.

At UAA, Butcher found an environment that supported growth at all levels, particularly for adult learners entering the arts later than usual. Faculty mentorship and a comprehensive curriculum allowed him to build skills from the ground up, turning what initially felt like a gap in experience into the room to approach music at his own pace. Additionally, through the McNair Scholars Program , which provides support to first-generation college students, Butcher has access to resources that are helping him chart a path beyond his undergraduate degree, with aspirations of pursuing advanced study and continuing to grow as a performer.

"I wanted to be at a university where I could feel comfortable being a true beginner, because other than choir, karaoke and a few piano lessons, I didn't know anything about music," said Butcher. "In the arts, it's much harder to start as an adult learner. It's kind of like a foreign language - all the people who are succeeding are the ones who did immersion in elementary school. So even though UAA is a smaller school, I really enjoyed how patient the faculty was to the adult learner like me."

Outside his own studies, Butcher has taken on a teaching role at the Anchorage Music and Dance Center where he gives private lessons to elementary-aged students. Since starting two years ago, he has built a reputation as an effective and engaging instructor, with demand for his lessons continuing to grow. Not only has teaching become a professional outlet, but a way to reinforce his own learning as he adapts techniques from his own UAA instructors.

Through learning, performing and teaching, Butcher has come to view music as an essential force within communities for its ability to bring people together in ways that few other disciplines can.

"As cliche as it sounds, to make music is to be human," said Butcher. "Sure, there are tangible benefits like improving mental health and raising test scores. But aside from that, what I think is more important is the community you get out of it. You can build a community around anything. But to me, you can't build the kind of community that the arts does because of how expressive it is. Whether you're a painter, a dancer, a musician, an actor, the whole point is sharing your practice with other people. It's essentially a lifelong pursuit of being a servant to society."