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Face of Defense: Army Band Flutist Connects Through Music

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Army Spc. Michael Kwak was 15 when he and his family moved from South Korea to California in 1987. A stranger in a strange land, Kwak said he was faced with adapting to a new culture and a language with which he was only vaguely familiar.

It wasn’t easy, he said, but it got easier when Kwak discovered something that changed everything: the universal language of music.

“I have a little bit of difficulty when it comes to communication,” he said. “But I don’t have that struggle when it comes to music.”

He played in a number of bands and ensembles throughout high school, and by the time Kwak graduated, he was skilled and talented enough to be accepted to the California Institute of the Arts.

Kwak said he had to put school on hold during his sophomore year while he worked in the insurance industry and taught private flute lessons. But the vision of being a musician never left his mind, he said.

That’s when a friend suggested something he had never thought of: joining the Army Band. Kwak decided to give it a try. The minimum audition score to join was 18, and Kwak scored 29.5.

Sharing Skills, Music

Now a full-fledged soldier and Army Band member, Kwak recently traveled with fellow 323rd Army Band instrumentalists to La Vernia High School in La Vernia, Texas, to assist with the school’s annual summer band camp Aug. 3-7.

Participating gave Kwak an opportunity to show students a non-traditional path to being a working musician. He enjoys giving students an avenue to test their musical strengths and see what they’re truly capable of as musicians.

“I want them to really have an interest in what they’re playing," he said. "I don’t want them to waste their potential. Who knows? One of them might be a great candidate to join the U.S Army Band.”

Teaching music is what Kwak eventually wants to do, he said. He plans to use his education benefits to finish his degree, but also to stay in the Army for at least 20 years.

“It has always my dream to become a musician. I’m glad that I’m part of the band,” Kwak said. “I’m proud to serve this country, and proud to serve as a musician.”

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