Introduction
Johnathan Couch (MM) is a music educator and performer. He studied at Florida State University, achieving dual Bachelor of Music degrees in organ performance and music composition. He continued studying the organ at Florida State, graduating in 2024 with a Master of Music in organ performance. During his graduate studies, he also worked with the Ocala Youth Symphony as Assistant Conductor. Johnathan enjoys teaching music and specializes in developing student-centered curricula, providing each learner with knowledge and coaching in the areas that are most important to them.
Narrative Biography
When he was about seven years old, Johnathan began taking piano lessons in Ocala, FL. At age ten, he also started cello lessons. Through the rest of his childhood and teenage years, he continued studying these instruments, adding on studies in music theory, composition, and conducting in the last two years of high school. Through his teenage years, he was also involved in numerous sacred music engagements in the Central Florida area, providing piano accompaniment for services, playing cello in small ensembles, and conducting instrumental and choral ensembles.
In 2018, Johnathan moved to Tallahassee, FL to pursue a university level education in music at Florida State University. During his six years of studies there, he prepared and presented four different solo organ recitals (including an Honors in the Major creative project), participated each semester in multiple ensembles, presented a recital of original works as part of his Bachelor of Music in music composition degree, graduated summa cum laude in both Bachelor of Music degrees (and with honors for his organ performance Bachelor of Music degree), and graduated from the Master of Music in organ performance program with a 4.0 graduate GPA.
As he worked on his master’s degree, Johnathan also joined the Ocala Youth Symphony as Assistant Conductor. He facilitated weekly rehearsals, coached students in the development of individual and group musicianship, and led multiple concerts with the orchestra, often speaking to the audience on behalf of the organization.
In the Spring of 2024, Johnathan participated in a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program, working at a large hospital as an interfaith chaplain. He currently is finishing a residency program in CPE, which will end in August of 2025. He has worked closely with the CPE educator at his program to integrate his musical background and training with the educational side of the CPE process.
Johnathan uses his robust educational background in music along with his unique experience of working as a healthcare chaplain to provide a research-informed, pedagogically sound approach to teaching that emphasizes a healthy balance of proper technique, excellent musicianship, and constant self-definition and expression through music.