Dr. Juan Hernandez, assistant dean of music at Grand Canyon University (GCU), has played a central role in establishing and growing the university’s music program over the past 15 years. When he first arrived on campus, GCU did not have an active music department or equipment, following a period when the university had eliminated its arts department.
“When I came, it was starting the department from scratch, buying instruments and building the program,” Hernandez said. He noted that the campus itself was also in transition at that time: “The university was very different at the time. It was basically a whole lot of dirt everywhere, but little by little, we have been building and growing as a part in the university’s transformation.”
Hernandez’s background includes a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from The Master’s University, a master’s degree in choral conducting from Yale University, and a doctoral degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Arizona. Before joining GCU, he taught for two years at MidAmerica Nazarene University.
Spanish is Hernandez’s native language; he began singing in Spanish before learning to sing in English. He described this process as manageable due to his prior experience with singing in multiple languages: “When you are learning to sing, you learn in foreign languages because the sound of those languages is different and that affects the tuning of your voice and the way you sing. Because I was already into that, learning different languages for choir specifically was not that much of a challenge.” He recalled that his first English song learned was likely “Happy Birthday.”
At GCU commencements, Hernandez leads Critical Mass—one of several vocal performing groups—which often requires students to perform multiple times across several days. He encourages students to maintain enthusiasm through each performance: “Part of the students’ training is learning to not get bored with music in general. There are different nuances that we do within each performance… For the people that are listening, it is their first time listening and it might be their last time, too. You owe it to them, to give them that energy, that freshness…”
Hernandez explained his choice for concert attire—a black suit—citing comfort during long performances such as Handel’s “Messiah,” which can last over two hours: “The most important part is that the material is comfortable and breathable… When we do commencements… one shirt for each day.”
He works closely with Music Director Mark Fearey on piano: “We are together in rehearsal for at least 20 hours every week… That has developed into camaraderie.” Their collaboration extends beyond rehearsals due to Hernandez’s administrative duties.
In 2018, Hernandez conducted at Carnegie Hall alongside GCU students who joined another choir from Pennsylvania for a combined performance involving about 70 students. Reflecting on receiving this invitation he said: “When I first got the invitation, it was just like ‘AHHHHHH!’ It doesn’t matter how far you are in your career… but to perform at Carnegie Hall is always considered the epitome of your career… I was excited but it certainly came with pressure… You want to present a good concert which our students did—they really came through.”
