Nellie Konopka ’16: Joe Buches, Chair of the Music Department, has been a member of the Episcopal Academy faculty since 1998; however, he has had a passion for music and teaching all his life. Buches, who plays the organ for chapel services at Episcopal, began his musical career at the age of five when his father taught him to play the organ. At the age of seven, he began taking formal organ lessons, which continued into his teenage years. By the age of 14, Buches was playing the organ in churches. However, it was not until high school that he realized he had a true passion for music. “In high school, I realized the importance of music in my life,” said Buches. “I was always in the school musicals, sang in the choir, and was very active in the music program of my high school.”
Buches continued to follow his passion for music while attending West Chester University, where he majored in music. It was during his time at college when he realized that he also had a desire to share his love of music with others. “I knew that I still wanted to perform as an organist and singer, but I also knew that I had a passion for teaching,” explained Buches.
The summer after his graduation in 1992, Buches was offered a teaching position at Chestnut Hill Academy, where he worked until 1998. While at CHA, his passion for teaching and conducting young musicians grew, which led him to pursue graduate study in choral conducing.
After his time at Chestnut Hill Academy, Buches came to Episcopal when a position as choral conductor for the Middle and Upper schools opened. Two years later, Buches became the Chair of the Music Department.
Throughout his tenure at Episcopal, Buches has made significant changes to the Music Department. “I feel that I have built a fine music faculty who together have developed a strong music program, despite our limits on time in the classroom,” Buches stated.
Among the changes he instituted upon coming to Episcopal is the development of the music technology program. “When I first arrived to EA, I set up a three-desk workstation lab in the old choir room of the Music Studio on the Merion campus. Very shortly after, I put in a request with the EAPA and they funded a 10 station MIDI lab,” recalled Buches. “The success of the music technology program is still going strong here in Newtown Square, where [Ryan Dankanich] and [Katie Bechtold] teach the music technology courses.”
Buches also improved the choral program at Episcopal. “I turned the Glee Club into the Concert Choir, creating a more curricular structure. I created both Vocal Ensemble and Middle School Singers during my time here, which gives advanced choral students an opportunity to build their strong musical talents in co-educational singing ensembles,” said Buches. Since Buches’s arrival at Episcopal, he has developed performance tours for Upper School Music ensembles in the United States and abroad. Destinations have included Boston, Washington D.C., Slovakia, and Vienna. Buches is also excited for the possibility of a trip to Rio de Janeiro next year for the J-term.
Buches’ 15 years at Episcopal have not come without challenges, the most difficult of which being the limited time slots available to teach. Over time, the class periods have been shortened, which has made preparing students for concerts a more difficult task. However, Buches and his colleagues always overcome such challenges. “We do have a passionate music faculty who make it all work, and I am very happy to be working with each of them,” commented Buches.
“I love seeing the progress and development of my students as they get older. That was one of the things I truly enjoyed when I taught choirs for grades six through twelve,” expressed Buches. “To have the students for six years and see them develop as musicians and human beings is a wonderful thing. I also love it when former students come back to visit after they graduate. I feel like I had a real impact on their lives and that makes it all worthwhile.”
Outside of school, music is still very much a part of Buches’s life. Since 2004, Buches has been serving as the artistic director for the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, which will be performing at Episcopal in February. He also has been the organist at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion in Philadelphia since 2008.

PDF Download