Hey, I'm a Canadian born Korean boy, who's 20 years old, but feels like he's still 15. I'm currently studying at Hillsong college here in Sydney. I'm in my 3rd term and I love it. I'll stay for 2 years for sure... maybe 3...
I love music. I want to fill my ears with the best of it. I play most woodwind instruments, and the piano. I focus most of my efforts on the saxophone though, because it's quite sexy.
I'm not quite sure in what capacity God's going to use me in the future after college, but I'm just focusing on what I'm supposed to learn here, so that whatever God wants for me, I can live it. Probably gonna go back to Toronto though.
I don't think there is any other genre of music that involves oneself so completely like jazz does. It involves your mind as you compose music on the spot, and playing the notes your ears want you to play. It involves your body of course as you sing, or play your instrument. It involves your ears soooo much as you listen to what's being played and what's NOT being played; sound and space, and then responding to that sound or space. It involves your soul as you do your best to create something beautiful on the spot. And it involves your spirit, because we all play for something, whether it's God, people, ourselves, whatever... we all worship something when we play music.
I think music is communication, and when you improvise in jazz, I think that's as spontaneous as the communication can get. I actually think out of all the art forms that music is the highest, sorry if that offends any other artists. Language was created as a practical form of communication. It can be art through novels, poetry etc., but it is still in it's most basic form, basic communication. Music, and the other art forms (dance, drama, film, visual arts) were created as an outlet for creativity. You know when you have some sheet music in front of you, and let's say the composer wrote at the top of it how they want it to be played with some vague word like: majestic, with feeling, expressive, mournfully, vibrant, etc. The reason they use vague words like that isn't because the music is vague, but because music so precisely describes the human condition that the words are what fall short to describe it.
Although I love almost every kind of music out there, I love and will always love live jazz the best. The reason is that jazz is truth. A studio recorded album will have effects on it, reverb, over-dubbing, etc. The musicians will have practiced what they're going to play over and over again until it becomes perfect. And the songs on the album will have been written and re-written until they say what the writer wants. This is all great, but it's a polished, packaged, and compressed version of the original truth. When you hear live improvised jazz... it's the TRUTH! It's on the spot, spontaneous humanity coming up with musical ideas and concepts that are just raw and brutally honest. I love that! You can't lie or fancy up what you want to express when you play jazz. You gotta just play it how it is; or more specifically, play it how you are... I love jazz sooo much!
Jazz is about taking RISKS! It's about being yourself in what you play. It's about getting up and being honest, stripping off the layers of musical timidity and showing/playing what's in there deep inside. It might not be beautiful all the time, but at least it's honest right? Jazz is true real time music, where the only preperation is preparing your mind, body, and soul for that LEAP moment, where it's not about what you've practiced, but it becomes about what's inside of you at that very moment in time. And then you take that leap, and whatever's inside comes out. And it can be soooo liberating. And it can be soooo painful. It can be pure joy, or it can be the deepest lament. Cause it doesn't matter what the material is, or what the occasion is, or anything... all that matters is that what's coming out of you is YOU. THAT'S expression...
I think the blues is something else entirely, which is why I'm glad that in music stores, they don't categorize it as jazz or anything else. They categorize the blues by itself for a reason. To me, the blues makes no sense. How can the mere 6 different notes in a blues scale portray such a wide range of emotions? It's the SAME 6 NOTES OVER AND OVER AGAIN(with some exceptions)! How on earth is that possible? The blues is straight from the soul, no matter what. I also think that there is a time and place for the blues, and it must be the right time and place for the blues to be heard, or played for that matter. And when that time comes, man... it sings and swings oh-so-sweetly...
Bah! I wrote so much! But seriously, that's what I'm passionate about... MUSIC and most of all JAZZ!
Name: Justin Shin
Birthday: 09/03/86
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada..... such a chill city...
Current Location: Sydney, Australia
Eye Color: black
Hair Color: say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud
Height: pretty short, prob around 5'7?
Right Handed or Left Handed: right
Your Heritage: 2nd generation korean canadian
The Shoes You Wore Today: adidas stan smith comforts
Your Weakness: chicken pesto on penne from redstar
Your Fears: big, mean, and scary robert fergusson
Your Perfect Pizza: lots of meat, lots of cheese, lots of heartpains
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year: learn how to play piano properly
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger: some form of laughter
Thoughts First Waking Up: lately, it's been about God, which I'm pretty happy about
Your Best Physical Feature: left cheek of my buttocks
Your Bedtime: anytime
Your Most Missed Memory: worship nights in Toronto, those were noiiiice
Pepsi or Coke: zerooo
MacDonalds or Burger King: I miss Wendy's... spicy chicken...
Single or Group Dates: single for sureee
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: zerooo
Chocolate or Vanilla: the best is when black and white can live in harmony
Cappuccino or Coffee: cappuccinoooo ohhh mannnnn
Do you Smoke: no, but if it didn't kill you I probably would. a good cigarette is like a good coffee.
Do you Swear: I usually have pretty good self control
Do you Sing: Is the pope catholic?
Do you Shower Daily: definitely... can't understand people who choose not to...
Have you Been in Love: I don't like how, in english especially, words can mean so many different things? how can anyone know if they've been in love if they don't know what the word means?
Do you want to go to College: If it'll lead to earning money doing something I love for God, then yeah sure
Do you want to get Married: yeah, but I don't wanna think about that for a while lol
Do you belive in yourself: Hillsong does
Do you get Motion Sickness: I cured that with videogames as a kid
Do you think you are Attractive: no, but the wrong people do. sometimes I get lucky, and the right people do.
Are you a Health Freak: I have to go to the gym, because of my eating habits...
Do you get along with your Parents: yahh, they're great
Do you like Thunderstorms: indoors with a special someone, yes. outdoors with no one, no.
Do you play an Instrument: hammond b-3 organ major
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol: I swear, the olives that they put on pizzas at redstar have alcohol in them...
In the past month have you Smoked: a few of the ground level apartments here at the meritons smell like reefer everytime I walk by... so I stand outside for a while and party. jk
In the past month have you been on Drugs: cough medicine makes me really drowsy
In the past month have you gone on a Date: no, I'm a good Hillsong college student
In the past month have you gone to a Mall: I love shopping
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos: each oreo cookie contains over 50 calories
In the past month have you eaten Sushi: oh man, sushi bay right by the meritons... good stuff, and discounts galore!
In the past month have you been on Stage: Justin the diva
In the past month have you been Dumped: best way to not get dumped? don't date! Hillsong is GENIUS!
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping: or fat dipping
In the past month have you Stolen Anything: no, but someone stole my iron!
Ever been Drunk: I'm a very well mannered drunk
Ever been called a Tease: my nickname
Ever been Beaten up: nope, but I think I've come close a lot of times, and then I manage to weasel out somehow haha
Ever Shoplifted: when I was a kid I stole these glow in the dark bouncy balls all the time.
How do you want to Die: of old age, or making love to my wife, but not both at the same time
What do you want to be when you Grow Up: a really good musician, composer, worship pastor, and youth leader extraordinaire
What country would you most like to Visit: way too many... probably korea first though
Favourite Eye Color: something dark
Favourite Hair Color: something dark
Short or Long Hair: not too long, not too short
Height: not taller than me, haha
Weight: not heavier than me, haha
Best Clothing Style: no emo, no punk, no asian fob
Number of Drugs I have taken: gateway drugs shouldn't count
Number of CDs I own: tons... mostly from ECM records
Number of Piercings: zerooo
Number of Tattoos: zerooo
