Hi there!

I'm James, I'm 26 years old and I'm from New Zealand. I grew up in a small town in the southern region of the north island, before moving to the capitol, Wellington, to study at the New Zealand School of Music. After 5 years there, I moved up to Auckland and became a trumpet teacher and freelance musician. I have also done acting professionally and make films with my friends back in New Zealand, with the aspiration of one day creating our own feature film.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Being a musician and amateur film-maker, I draw on personal experiences to inspire and enhance my creative projects. I've had so many beautiful experiences in Europe so far, and I can't wait to add more as my travels continue. Couchsurfing seems perfect for this; meeting people from all walks of life, travelling to places people can't normally travel to, and having first hand, authentic experiences of different cultures.

After taking French in high school and travelling to France for a month long exchange, I had always wanted to return to France to learn the language properly. Having gotten a grasp of the language after recently being France for a year, I am now focusing on improving my fluency and am looking to practise wherever I can.

Interests

• film making
• music festivals
• music
• piano
• trumpet
• rugby
• football
• film
• french
• maori culture

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my favourite albums:

To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
Ventura - Anderson Paak
Black Radio III - Robert Glasper
Bays - Fat Freddys Drop
Blue Note Re:imagined - Various Artists
Unlock Your Mind - The Soul Rebels
The Tuku Years - Oliver Mtukudzi
The Mood - Maurice Brown
We Like It Here - Snarkey Puppy
Art - Art Farmer
Mood Variant - Hiatus Kaiyote
Traveller - Chris Stapleton

Some of my favourite films:

12 Angry Men
There Will Be Blood
What We Do in the Shadows
The Pianist
Gladiator
The Blues Brothers

Some of my favourite books:

The Slap
The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Noughts and Crosses
The Inner Game of Tennis

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I moved down to Wellington for my studies, I joined an acapella barbershop choir called Vocal FX. This choir became very special to me, and I stayed a member for all my 5 years in Wellington. During this time, I travelled round the country with them, performing in competitions, doing concerts, and having weekend retreats away together where we would stay at a marae (a sacred Māori meeting place) to connect and hone our craft. After placing 1st in the Pan Pacific competition, we qualified for the international competition in Orlando, Florida. The experience of relentlessly driving towards perfection, becomming the very best we could be, was invauable to me. We performed at internationals in front of over 6000 people and placed 9th. This was an incredible experience, but the most memorable experience I've had with this choir was when we performed our set at the marae in preparation for the international competition in 2020. We had prepared a set that spoke to the Māori and Polynesian culture, which would have been the first of it's kind in the competition. Performing this to the kaumatua (elders) of the marae and witnessing their reactions will remain with me forever. Unfortunately, the international competition was cancelled due to Covid, but I don't consider our countless hours of preparation at all wasted. If anything, it's a real reminder to me that the journey can be just as vauable the destination.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English and would love to learn about your culture and languages. I partiularly would love the oppourtunity to practise my French. I would love to share my music and also learn about the music of your culture.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my knowledge of NZ culture, my music, and general travel stories. Creating music together would be perfect!

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, New Zealand