*Nozomi Imamura,* Doing Good Teaching Artist

This month, we introduce you to Teaching Artist Nozomi Imamura. Nozomi teaches Project 440’s Doing Good program alongside Hanul Park. Nozomi is a musician, educator, skateboarder, and coffee aficionado! He is a trumpet player who performs with various ensembles, including the Allentown Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Opera Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Ballet Orchestra, where he is nearing the end of a 31-performance marathon of The Nutcracker.

From Australia to Philadelphia

Nozomi was born in Australia, lived in Japan and Germany, and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, before moving to Philadelphia in 2009. He began playing the piano at two and the euphonium at 9. He shared, “However, once I started playing the trumpet at 11, I became so captivated by it that I stopped playing other instruments. He received his bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and master's degree from the Yale School of Music, both in trumpet performance. He returned to Curtis to complete the Community Artist Fellowship program.

Getting Involved with Project 440

Nozomi was a Community Artist Fellow at Curtis in 2017 and was eager to learn more about how music becomes a vehicle for change. His mentor (now a great friend), Mary Javian, told him about Project 440 and its work. Nozomi says, “I knew I wanted the opportunity to work with the organization. I reached out to Founder Joe Conyers, talked over coffee, and the rest is history.” Nozomi has taught the Doing Good program since 2018.

*Hanul Park and Nozomi Imamura teaching* Doing Good

Seven Schools Throughout the City

In addition to teaching at Project 440 and his busy performance career, Nozomi teaches music to students in fifth through twelfth grades. Each week, he travels to seven schools located all over the city. As an instrumental music teacher, Nozomi has to know how to play all woodwind and brass instruments. He says, “I am thankful I don’t have to teach string instruments; otherwise, my head would explode!”

Nozomi says, “My favorite part of teaching is witnessing the growth and development of students, both academically and personally, and knowing that you have played a role in their learning journey is rewarding. Additionally, having the ability to be creative in lesson planning and finding innovative ways to engage students, making the learning experience enjoyable, has also helped me become a better trumpet player.”

Teaching Doing Good

Nozomi shared the biggest difference between being a classroom teacher and Doing Good Teaching Artist. “I don’t use my trumpet to teach Doing Good. It took some time for me to feel comfortable conducting lesson plans without the comfort of holding my instrument. My favorite aspect of teaching Doing Good is meeting incredibly talented and passionate students. They never cease to amaze me with their creativity, compassion, and willingness to make a positive impact in our communities.”

Nozomi advises young artists with multi-faceted careers to focus on improving time management and organizational skills. He also recommends finding a way to destress. For him, it's cooking and working out.

*Nozomi and* Doing Good *student Rasmey at Community Association for Music’s service-learning project.*

Look for Nozomi on his electric skateboard

Nozomi says, “I go everywhere with my electric skateboard! It's such a great way to get around the city. If you spot someone on a skateboard with an instrument case on their back, that's probably me!”

His favorite music to perform is Sibelius. He shared, “I love Sibelius symphonies. So far, I’ve performed four of them (out of the seven), and I hope to play the rest of his symphonies one day. He also loves coffee and said, “I love coffee so much that I built my own coffee bar at home, consisting of an espresso machine, grinder, kettle, and a ton of mugs and gadgets. I enjoy a good cup of cortado or a pour-over.”