Student Musician Receives National Recognition

Downbeat magazine has honored HutchCC student Bralen Martin with two different awards. Martin, a member of HutchCC Badinage, received a 2019 award for his solo performance in the song “Dream On”. In Spring of 2020, he received recognition as the national Community College winner for his musical arrangement of “Eye of the Tiger”.

Martin credits the HutchCC Jazz Program for inspiring his success. “It astounds me to this day that I almost didn’t join Badinage. The profound impact it has had on my life is unquantifiable, and I honestly cannot say where I would be if not for the relationships, knowledge and experiences I gained through the incredible program.”

“Bralen is one of the most remarkable students I have ever seen.” Neal Allsup, Professor & Director of Choral Activities, shares. “First, his musicianship is absolutely ‘Top Shelf’. Second, he has a need to constantly be given a challenge to work on. His problem-solving skills are on a different level. Give Bralen a project and he, not only figures it out, but has devised several other possibilities to complete or add on to the project.”

Martin, a 2020 HutchCC graduate, plans to attend Wichita State University in the fall and study computer science. STUDENTS EXCEL AT KANSAS COLLEGIATE MEDIA AWARDS