Music is an essential part of life for Chris Burkhart

Born into a performance-oriented family in a Philadelphia suburb, Cape High Band Director Chris Burkhart has been surrounded by the sound of music his entire life.

His mother directed a children’s church choir and sang for the Philly POPS orchestra, and his sister is a professional French hornist. Burkhart followed in the footsteps of his trumpet-playing grandfather and father.

“We definitely had a musical family,” he said. “We were always going to concerts.”

The jazz and classical trumpeter received his bachelor’s degree in music from Temple University, where he also had to learn and be tested on other instruments so that he could effectively teach them.

“There’s probably a video of me playing a clarinet somewhere,” he shuddered with a smile.

Right after college, Burkhart auditioned for and was selected as a member of the 78th Army Band; he spent his first summer after graduation at basic training. For six years, he performed in the brass quintet and also served as musical director of the jazz band, giving him high-profile opportunities to perform at a young age.

Playing the national anthem to open a Phillies game and performing for President Barack Obama in the Fort Dix aviation hangar are highlights of his time with the Army band, which also included playing concerts throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, and performing military funeral honors.

During this time, Burkhart took a position as a long-term substitute for an elementary school band in Delaware County and found his niche working with students.

“I started applying for a bunch of jobs, and I applied at Cape because I thought since it was in Delaware it was close to Philly,” he laughed.

Burkhart interviewed with Beacon Middle Principal Dave Frederick and then-Assistant Superintendent Bob Fulton, who at the time was responsible for hiring and human resources. While he was on his way to the beach one day, Fulton called Burkhart. The call helped seal the deal for Burkhart.

“I loved it here,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want to live at the beach?” 

He taught music for two years at Beacon, where he also coached baseball for eight years, and joined Cape High in 2013. While with the Cape district, he completed his master’s degree in music education at Boston University.

At Cape, Burkhart conducts the wind bands, jazz ensembles, athletic bands and percussion ensemble, and teaches music technology and music theory. 

Under his direction, the instrumental program has flourished with the addition of a second wind band, a second jazz band and a percussion ensemble. 

“It’s a fun program to teach, and the growth has been fabulous,” Burkhart said.

Just 10 years ago, about 40 to 50 kids were in the program, he said. Now, it comprises 150 students and continues to expand.

Cape High bands perform regularly throughout the community, and the jazz ensembles play annually at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival in Rockville, Md., and at the True Blue Jazz and Rehoboth Beach Jazz festivals in coastal Delaware. 

True Blue organizers even arrange for premier musicians including pianist Emmitt Cohen, trombonist Wycliff Gordon, bassist Christian McBride and saxophonist Jimmy Heath to hold student workshops in his classroom for free.

“This community is really special,” he said. “It is pretty incredible to have a resource like that available for the kids.” 

Playing with others gives students skills they can’t learn in many other places, Burkhart said.

“You need to be able to read music and react to each other, and if you’re not prepared, it impacts everyone,” he said. “Band gives students a part of the day they get to engage their brains in a different way.”

Burkhart’s current work toward a second master’s degree in music technology, which focuses on recording, mixing, writing and editing music, came in handy during the pandemic. 

COVID-19 pandemic restrictions took a big hit on the performing arts in the 2020-21 school year, when bands couldn’t play in front of a live audience.

By recording student sessions and posting them online, Burkhart found a way for students to perform in front of a virtual audience. Performances are available in the Viking Vault section at capehenlopenschools.com.

Burkhart’s genuine enthusiasm for his students shines through as he guides them during performances, smiling and encouraging them to succeed. And succeed they have. Last year, Cape students were overwhelmingly chosen for All State, and Cape High students dominated the All State Jazz Band roster. 

In April, the jazz band will perform at the National Association for Music Education Eastern Division Conference in Rochester, N.Y. Cape’s band is one of only two jazz bands in the region to earn an invitation.

NAfME is the largest U.S. organization dedicated to music education, and the Eastern Division competition, referred to as the All Easterns, includes greater New York, Philadelphia, Boston and the D.C./Baltimore area. Applicants include invited high schools, colleges and military ensembles.

In his free time, Burkhart and his wife Jenna, whom he knew in high school and reconnected with when they both student taught in Pennsylvania, enjoy reading and traveling, and have lately gotten into disc golf.

“It’s a good excuse for a walk in the woods,” he smiled.

Burkhart also freelances as a trumpet player and is on the faculty of the New England Music Camp, which he also attended as a child. He now plays in the Delaware Winds band, a semi-professional ensemble comprising music educators and college music students from Delaware and surrounding areas. 

“Music feels like a thing I need to do and be around every day,” he said.

His father and other Cape district teachers play in the Dover-based ensemble as well.

“It’s fun to play together, and it’s helpful for our program when we get out and engage as musicians,” he said. “It’s essential for me to get out and play to help me do this job as well as I can.”

Burkhart’s mind always seems to return to his students, and he noted the district has a reputation for producing great musicians.

“It’s cool to see what kids in the program go on to do,” he said. “They become crazy successful.”

Cape has placed enormous value in the performing arts programs, he said, and renovated the band space in recent years, doubling its size and adding six practice rooms for students, who can be found working solo or with bandmates during free periods, and before and after school. 

“It was huge that the district was willing to do that,” he said. “It’s what’s best for kids, and I’m super grateful. This place is pretty special.”