Faculty Q&A
Q&A with Sungmin Shin
Associate Professor of Practice (Guitar), Department of Music
BY: JACKIE HAUSLER
Q: Can you tell us about your music?
A: I have been very lucky to have collaborated with so many wonderful musicians over the years and various collaborative projects have been a large part of my career. That being said, I currently have a solo project that is nearing completion. It's an album entitled "Generation One - Music of Immigration" and it consists of all newly composed music for the solo guitar including works for the classical and electric guitars. The core theme of the program deals with identity and authenticity as an Asian American performing artist living in the United States through the lens of the guitar. This genre bending album lives without borders and draws from Brahms to Debussy, King Crimson to Steve Reich, Jobim to Villa-Lobos, Seo Taiji to Stevie Wonder and more!
Q: What is your favorite thing about teaching?
A: There is nothing quite like having front row seats to witness students transform and make a huge amount of progress during their time here. It's amazing to see students develop skills through hard work and putting in the time, which in turn develops their confidence.
Q: What attracted you to UB?
A: I decided fairly early on when I was a student in college that I wanted to teach and work in higher education. I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by colleagues and students that have a passion for music. The freedom to explore and immerse myself in music that I care about deeply in a supportive community is a real privilege. Joining the faculty at UB has been a real dream come true for me!
Q: What do you enjoy most about being in the Department of Music?
A: Our department is highly collaborative and the environment is very supportive. This is incredibly important for me as a guitarist as I know out there at other schools this is not always the case. The guitar is a relatively new instrument in higher ed and many programs are still quite conservative in their outlook and view the guitar as a fringe instrument that doesn't deserve the attention and resources. This is certainly not the case here at UB and it makes working in the music department a true joy for me.
Q: What do you believe makes UB stand out in the academic community?
A: There are not very many places out there that you can pursue the wide range of disciplines that we offer while working with world-class faculty members that care about the students. Our students can create a unique path for themselves with all of the amazing opportunities we have to offer.
Q: Is there anything to add about your UB experience so far?
A: We have been able to create a wonderful community around the guitar at UB over the years. We have a strong community that consists not only of UB students, staff and faculty, but members from the Buffalo-Niagara community and various community partners such as the Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY. We host a big guitar concert at the end of each semester, which includes a 70-piece guitar orchestra which is quite unique. I encourage those that haven't attended to come see us!