Student Profile On Blake Carter

Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Elle Gunter

“I first heard Blake play when I was working at a band camp at Graham High School. He was playing trombone, and it was good. Then we took a break, and I heard some piano playing, and I thought, Who is that?” said Dr. Necessary, Bluefield University Band Director.

“It was Blake, and he was playing the piece that we were playing in marching band. But he was playing it on piano, and he just sounded it out by ear,” reminisced Dr. Necessary.

“This kid’s got to go to Bluefield,” said Dr. Necessary, “and he did.”

Carter came to Bluefield University in the fall of 2023 with about 56 credits to his name. Carter is now finishing out his third and final year here at BU with high marks and high hopes.

Carter has made repeated appearances on the president’s list and has been a vital part of many of the fine arts programs here at BU, as well as being an advocate for the community-driven campus life.

“It’s been pretty good. It’s a good space, if you want and are willing to learn, then it is a good environment where you get to be around people and get to have fellowship with your fellow image bearers of God and have that connectedness and have all of your social things satisfied so it feels like nothing is missing in your life, so you actually have the room to grow. And that is a good thing that is overlooked in our age of atomization and diminished community.”

-Blake Carter

For the past three years, Carter has been the pianist for the BU jazz, marching, and concert bands. Which makes sense, he is the only pianist.

Carter has a big appreciation for the music community and fostering it beyond the college level, being an accompanist and singer for the Masterworks and Variations Choirs while simultaneously taking up a job at Trinity United Methodist Church as Minister of Music, Directing Choir and playing worship music for his community.

“Because community is a very vital thing that people don’t take into account. I feel like if people are isolated and try to work on themselves for themselves, it turns into an anti-social thing, and it’s impossible to tell if you’re growing without someone else.”

Carter attributes a lot of his development and experiences to community. From his humble beginnings at the local Dudley Primary to his current positions in the school and church. Blake feels like community is a necessary part of anyone’s development.

“Without feedback, and not even just verbal feedback, some feedback is just implicit. If you feel like you’re going to do everything yourself, you still need community.”

-Blake Carter

“That’s what I like about this place, it kind of instills a little bit of humility; you still have to connect with others to grow,” said Carter.

Blake loves Bluefield and loves his community and plans to be a servant leader for his home, family, friends, and ministry.

“I may teach piano through FACS here. But in any sequence of events, I want to keep sharpening my skill set and keep getting better at what I do, preferably with community still around me,” said Carter.