#iamnucisspace- Camp Amped Instructor Matt Vu!

Meet one of our two new Camp Amped Instructors this summer, Matt Vu!

Matt is originally from Norwalk, California and has been playing music since his parents put him in piano lessons at 8 years old. Matt dutifully toiled at piano and learned the canon of classical music until he arrived at middle school jazz band, where the Bill Evans tune “Waltz for Debby” blew the doors off of his perception of what was possible outside of the world of classical music. The devilishly complex 1961 jazz trio performance inspired Matt to practice constantly in an attempt to master the song–years later, he still feels that he can’t quiiiite play it just right… yet.

Now at 27, Matt plays piano, guitar, and brass instruments. His commitment to music is clear; Matt doesn’t go a single day without thinking about it–what he should be doing and what he wants to do. Each day is an opportunity to pursue, practice, and play. 

Pursue, practice, and play he does–Matt is in the well-known Athens band “Misnomer”, which is how he actually first got connected to Nuçi's Space. A 9 person ensemble of horns, jazz fusion, deep funk, instrumental hip hop, and modern classical all blended into something wildly innovative and exciting, Misnomer’s rhythm section and horns are loud. In fact, they are too loud to reasonably practice in a band member’s house, so they have used Nuçi's Space’s rehearsal rooms over the last several years. 

Also like many of the musicians in Athens, Matt wasn’t aware that Nuçi's Space had a purpose beyond providing affordable rehearsal and performance spaces for local musicians. Andrea DeMarcus, the Lead Camp Instructor, recruited Matt during a wedding gig that both their bands had been playing. During a break, Andrea gave Matt the full pitch about what makes Camp Amped so different and important; Matt immediately felt that it was an incredible opportunity to get involved in the musical journey of impressive (and impressionable) teenagers. 

Now at the beginning of his second week at Camp, after seeing how well versed and skilled our Campers already are, Matt feels inspired to give them an education and experience that will help them grow even further. Matt describes that the lesson he feels most compelled to teach them is that of harmony. He doesn’t mean just layering chords, but rather cohesive collaboration. To Matt, harmony and collaboration are what makes music so special - connecting with others to make something that you could not do on your own. The best and most effective collaborations allow musicians to use their unique abilities and musicality in a way that supports and highlights the best parts of their peers. 

And to end on a sweet note, harmony for Matt isn’t exclusive to music. On the occasions where he’s not playing music, Matt loves to cook and bake. He finds that cooking is very similar to music: you can be super technical and recipe oriented, but also can improvise, free style, and use your imagination to bring flavors together in a way that brings a dish to an entirely new level.