Zach Cheever
Zach Cheever knows what it’s like to find your people. It happened to him when he first got involved in music as a child, and it continues today as director of the IUP Marching Band. Learn more about Cheever in this installment of Meet Our Faculty.
What is it about the music field that initially drew you in—and ultimately keeps you interested?
I started in music at an early age, singing in church and playing the French horn in middle school. We moved around when I was a child, so it was always hard for me to find my place and my people . . . my family. Music gave me that community for which I was searching. I found great joy in the expressive qualities of music-making and the comradery of being involved in bands. As I entered high school and college, the band continued to be my place and my people. Entering a career in music was daunting, as I struggled to balance the idea of the “starving artist” with a future I saw myself as a part of. Ultimately, I found the most fulfillment in teaching and, more specifically, in the marching arts community. Today, I stay involved in music to allow other young people the opportunity to engage in music-making and art in the same way I did . . . to find their family.
What role do you see the IUP Marching Band having on campus and in the community?
Marching bands are the most visible and mobile musical aspect of any college campus. We at “the Legend” have the unique opportunity to provide many facets to the IUP community: sports engagement, quality entertainment, moving musical performances, and recruitment efforts. We take these jobs very seriously, because, for most people in western Pennsylvania, we are the face of IUP.
What advice would you give students about how to succeed in college?
College is not about learning everything you need for your next stage of life or career. It’s about experiencing new opportunities and learning how to look at the world in new ways. It’s about being challenged to encounter life and society with new perspectives. This is one of the few places in your life in which you will get to engage with superb thinkers and many diverse perspectives daily in the way we do at IUP. Take every opportunity with the same vigor and tenacity as you did when you decided to come to campus.