A choral conductor and music educator, Jun Terasawa is also a skilled guitarist, pianist, singer, composer, and arranger. Graduating from Colorado State University (CSU) with a Master of Music in Choral Conducting under the guidance of Dr. James Kim in 2018, Jun currently serves as the music director of Kashiwa Children's Choir (KCC) located in Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan. He also teaches voice, guitar, ukulele, and composition privately at Sheer Music Schools, Kashiwa, Funabashi campuses. Jun is dedicated to providing guidance and support to students and colleagues of all ages in their musical pursuits.

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During his master's studies at CSU, Jun performed two recitals where he composed and conducted a diverse range of choral repertoire. He conducted the CSU Concert Choir in the final concert piece, Mass in G Major (F. Schubert), featuring a string quartet.

 

After graduating from CSU, Jun has held six professional music teaching positions, including 1) K-12 Music Teacher at Valier Public Schools (VPS) in Montana, USA, 2) Director of Musical Activities at American Global Prep School (AGPS) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 3) Voice, Guitar, Ukulele, and Composition Instructor at SMS Kashiwa/Funabashi Campuses in Japan, 4) Music Director of Kashiwa Children's Choir (KCC) in Japan, 5) Assistant Conductor of Women's Choir: Chor Menora in Japan, and 6) Conductor of Women's Choir: NAYUTA.

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In February 2020, just before the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan, Jun started teaching at SMS. In June, he created a new studio setup that allowed students and teachers to make real music without compromising their safety – two practice rooms connected by wires, with cameras, microphones, a keyboard, and speakers without time lag. Shortly after he designed this studio setup, it became the standard at all 98 SMS locations throughout Japan. As a result, the enrollment at the Kashiwa campus increased significantly, from 93 students in June 2020 to 204 in November 2021. In 2021, Jun taught 3,177 lessons (45 minutes each), and in 2022, he taught 3,348 lessons, breaking the company record for the number of lessons taught in a year.

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As a professional voice instructor, Jun provides high-level lessons outside of SMS. One of his private studio students, Anri Ogasawara, won First Place out of over 48,000 applicants on the Japanese audition TV program, "iCONZ, Dreams For Children." At Musica House N, where he teaches voice and music theory lessons, his student Tomoka Kawano was accepted to Aichi University of the Arts in Nagakute, Aichi, Japan and awarded a music talent scholarship. She will begin her studies in spring 2023.

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Jun's love and care for his students extend beyond his current ones to former students in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He mentored two former students from AGPS, Sok Channy and Julie Lee, in the university application process, resulting in their admission to respected American universities (Abilene Christian University and Michigan State University) with strong financial aid packages.

 

As an active professional conductor, Jun currently directs two choirs: Chor Menora – SSAA Choir (approximately 30 singers) since 1983, and Kashiwa Children’s Choir (KCC) – SSAA(B) Choir (approximately 40 singers) since 1987. In addition to conducting music, his job duties include training sight singing using a solfege system. In February 2022, he led older singers of KCC to participate in the Ensemble Contest, Chiba Division, performing Lily of the Valley and My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord (M. Hogan). His dedication to his craft has led to the success of both choirs, with numerous accolades and performances throughout the years.

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In addition to conducting and teaching, Jun is an active composer/arranger. He studied composition with Dr. Anne Guzzo at the University of Wyoming for one year and with Dr. James David at CSU for two years. Jun won second place in the CSU Art Song Composition Contest for his piece, I heard a Fly buzz - when I died (text by E. Dickinson).