WIU Senior Following Love of Singing Jazz to Graduate School

University News

Yoseph Henry (Photo courtesy of Vertrell Yates of Trells Eye Photography)
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WIU Senior Following Love of Singing Jazz to Graduate School

April 28, 2022

MACOMB, IL – Among the student musicians performing at the March 31 inauguration dinner of Western Illinois University's 12th President Guiyou Huang, the voice of Jazz Studio Orchestra (JSO) vocalist Yoseph Henry, charmed the audience with songs by performers such as Ray Charles.

As Henry prepares to graduate next month, his deep, smooth voice has earned him a graduate school assistantship at Western Michigan University to pursue his master's degree in jazz studies, bringing him closer to his goal of becoming jazz and commercial voice teacher, hopefully within a jazz studies program at a college or university. WMU attracts students from around the world, and its graduates are among modern leaders in jazz and pop performance.

Henry is a non-traditional student, coming to WIU after serving two tours in Iraq as a U.S. Marine. The 38-year-old son of a Chicago minister, who is also a singer, Henry grew up scouring neighborhood record stores on his way home from school on the north side of Chicago. This was the introduction to his research into the varied voices of jazz. He laughs recalling playing those purchases over and over in his childhood home, repeating back what he was learning, and discovering unique aspects of the genre, including "scat."

While serving in Iraq, Henry said, he would end the last 10 minutes of his watch post singing to himself the just over 10-minute song, "Green Eyes," by Erykah Badu.

"If the person who was replacing me was late, I would get all the way through it; if they were early, I just kept singing after I left," he said.

After leaving the military, Henry spent time in Chicago, working at selling security systems, and working in a mental health facility. He took classes at a community college before coming to WIU in Spring 2018, choosing the school to pursue a degree in nursing.

"I came here and had to decide what classes to take," he said. "I decided to take an introduction to music theory class."

Henry said his passion for nursing was dimmed by his time working as a home healthcare worker. As he studied, and widened his choices of musical courses, his love of music grew. During his second semester, WIU's jazz program added a vocal component to the jazz studies degree program, which he took as a sign to pursue music.

Henry began singing gospel music in church at age 5, during lessons with his father and his siblings. As he worked his various jobs in Chicago he sang to himself, catching the attention of several music-industry people who happened to overhear him in coffee shops and other stops across town.

Though he was unable to read music at the time, Henry began performing in a few jazz clubs in Chicago and met piano player Mark Burnell, who began teaching him the keys he was singing in, so when he was asked by musicians later he would know.

"He would write out the keys I should be singing certain songs in on the back of a receipt, which helped me a ton," said Henry. "I was so passionate about learning."

As Henry began receiving invitations to jam sessions, he began learning session etiquette from world class musicians. He also began buying jazz songbooks, with lyrics, even before he could read music. He would then listen to the recording, learn the melody and follow along with the notes on the page and how they were being sung.

"It was real jazz with both veteran and up-and-coming jazz musicians," he said. "I was improvising and singing lyrics from CDs and the radio. Great music is great music if it has two things – great lyrics or a story, and great singing,"

Out of the military and working as a home-health caregiver, Henry said he felt a strong pull to change the trajectory of his life.

"Music was never an option for a career – I didn't think I could do what I love as a career," he said. "I was raised in a strict church home, and only gospel music was allowed. My dad would say, 'Don't sing for the devil.'"

As Henry began taking music classes at WIU, he began taking lessons and classes from several members of the School of Music faculty. He learned WIU's JSO was holding auditions and he took a chance and just showed up.

WIU Director of Jazz Studies John Cooper said he remembers Henry's jaw-dropping audition, an assessment which makes Henry chuckle because he said those he auditioned for "didn't give anything away at the time" in terms of the quality of his singing.

"Yoseph is an amazing young man," said Cooper. "We are all enriched by his musicianship and his presence. He is always looking for opportunities to better himself and is eager to tackle challenges. We all will be hearing more from this talented young artist."

While at WIU, Henry has taken piano lessons and progressed so far he can accompany himself as he sings. He admits he's had struggles in his life's path, but coming to WIU has taught him a lot about himself.

"I would never have had the chance to perform in an environment like this," he said of WIU's Jazz Studies program and JSO. "They are a family to me. As I come to the end of my time at WIU, I'm trying to live in the moment. It's been a hell of a ride and graduation is the validation of the work I have put in. Sometimes you don't recognize the climb until you get to the top of the hill, and the music faculty at WIU have played an important role in me being able to realize my dream."

For more information on WIU's School of Music, visit wiu.edu/music.