Jake Smucker began his music studies with piano lessons at the age of three. Growing up in the Mennonite tradition, he was also exposed to the rich four-part harmonies of Mennonite hymns. This musical background sparked his interest in creating rather than performing music, and he began songwriting and arranging music for his high school choir and the Gingersnaps, a male a cappella quartet he sang in. He formally began his composition studies with Dr. Jorge Muñiz in the spring of 2012 at Goshen College.

Since then, Smucker has arranged and written several pieces for on-campus ensembles, most notably the Goshen College Women’s World Music Choir. Aside from composing music for his 30-minute sophomore recital and 60-minute senior recital, he’s also featured in the soundtrack for the documentary Goshen Monologues: The Storytellers, and has written music for Goshen College’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s play Eurydice.