
Those that know me know I'm never bored. There are too many things I want to see, learn, and experience in life, so I tend to seek out challenges. A few friends that are used to my somewhat over-ambitious pursuits (shenanigans?) have adopted a saying whenever I share a story about the great lengths I'm going to in order to make an adventure happen, or a new goal that requires a lot of work, or just the little lessons I learn daily when doing something outside my comfort zone: "Classic Sanchez". I think the moniker came about while playing with a group of musicians in Juneau, Alaska as I was probably recounting stories of years of gig drama and travel adventures (and some near-misses when the two don't coincide well!). Especially over the last couple of years, I share my slightly ridiculous plans and someone inevitably laughs and calls out "Classic Sanchez" now. I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of the branding, especially since I'm sure a lot of my ambition and perseverance comes from my parents- my dad always had great stories to tell while my brother and I were growing up (with my mom laughing and usually saying I don't remember it quiiiite like that!) and I remember thinking I would never have any stories to tell. Well, apparently this apple didn't fall far from the tree, even though it's on the other side of the country.
Since I'm obviously horrible at updating this site (insert more big ambitions about writing regularly, sharing not only my music and teaching news, but my photography, travels, and other pursuits), I thought I might just take a minute to list some of the Classic Sanchez things I've been up to in the last few years. While I've always had diverse passions and skills, since the pandemic began in 2020, I've embarked on some new projects and long term goals. The loss of almost all performance and most recording during the pandemic was terribly difficult, however, I gained something I've never had much of- free time. It turns out that free time and flexibility allowed me to find even more of what makes me feel happy and balanced. I was so grateful to be able to teach my students at UCLA remotely during that time, and while it wasn't nearly as rewarding as being in-person, I think we all gained massive insight from the experience, and grew by being forced to learn differently, along the way.
One of my biggest revelations has come in the discovery of how much I thrive on learning as I go. The excitement of the unknown; the way my attention focuses, my awareness peaks, and my energy skyrockets. I could easily write chapters on the daily epiphanies I encounter when teaching, playing music, or when working toward any of the following endeavors I've been up to. But for now, here's a simple list of pursuits over the last few years that have felt anything but simple on my end.... Classic Sanchez.
-Took a 99 day solo cross county road trip through 30 National Parks/Monuments and 28 states in the summer of 2020. 16,000 miles to go see family in a Jeep Wrangler that I outfitted for "vanlife" solo camping. Learned the difference between loneliness and solitude and treasured every moment.
-Fell in love with Alaska after photographing brown bears while backcountry camping in Katmai National Park in July 2020 (I've now visited Katmai 3 times!). That trip somehow lead to repeat trips to Sitka and Juneau Alaska to play music, and spoiler alert, I found the most incredibly welcoming and inspiring community I could've ever imagined... (see below for more on my continued Alaskan love affair)
-Started a US 501c3 nonprofit organization, Nkombe Wild, to support the South African endangered wildlife nonprofit Nkombe Rhino. The pandemic slowed some of my momentum in Africa, but I'm still organizing trips and conservation safaris, and still planning to record a benefit album with Horns for Rhinos, the brass ensemble I started in 2019.
-Earned my Private Pilot License in 2021. It's a long story, but I've always loved aviation, and that first float plane trip to Katmai, along with glimpses into the aviation world for conservation work in Africa inspired me to jump into flight training before performances came back during the pandemic. My dwindling free time motivated me to complete all the training requirements in just 6 weeks, flying almost daily and studying like crazy. Easily the hardest thing I've ever done. I still have goals to get my instrument and commercial seaplane ratings, and perhaps fly floatplanes in Alaska someday?! (And no, I don't fly to gigs... while that would be nice, someone would have to buy me a plane first. Any takers?)
-Bought a small unfinished cabin on an island in Sitka, Alaska in February 2023. To say I'm learning as I'm going here is a huge understatement, and I'd love to share more about my experiences in this project as time goes on. Alaska will humble you! I do feel I have to keep posting this disclaimer because of freelance work in Los Angeles- I am NOT MOVING, and I still live and work full time in LA. But having an Alaskan cabin in the Tongass National Forest to escape to is a pretty good excuse to turn down work from time to time.... sorry/not sorry. [Insert cheesy quote about work/life balance]
-I've done A LOT of traveling over the last few years, and continue to have experiences that I would love to share more of, but I'm wayyyy behind on sharing photos and videos. I tend to update Instagram stories @amyoutsidethemusic most often (even though I struggle there too), and hope to share a lot more of my photography online. I have a massive backlog of photos from my road trip through the US, multiple trips to Africa and Alaska, and many fun music related photos as well. I've gifted and sold some prints of my work, and would eventually like to share a gallery of prints here, available for purchase. For now, just send me a message if you're interested.
-A few personal life updates: still single, still want a dog more than anything, still very close with my family in NY and Pennsylvania, still have great friends spread out all over the world and seem to be drawing in new great connections in my travels. I'm starting year 10 teaching horn at UCLA, have lived in a tiny guest house in beautiful Palos Verdes for about 14 years, and have been freelancing in LA for over 20 years now!
-Obviously, all of these updates are about things other than my music career and teaching, which are certainly the biggest parts of my life. I tend not to share as much about that simply because I feel torn on the "self-promotion" or bragging vibe that can sometimes give off- and because I know it's sometimes difficult in the freelance musician community to see the work others are doing. There are a lot of incredible opportunities out there, and often those opportunities can go to any number of hard-working, talented musicians. When I share the music I'm involved with, it's because I'm proud of the work I've put in, honored to be included, and excited to share with family and supporters.
Thanks for sharing in life's crazy adventures! The more we learn, the more we grow.
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