RJ Schinner Sales Rep Also a Professional Musician

David Mirarchi, a sales representative for RJ Schinner, is a professional saxophonist and composer.

A lot can change in a year—just ask David Mirarchi.

A sales represenative for RJ Schinner, Mirarchi began his jan/san career just one year ago. While it’s not unusual for people to pivot from other industries into jan/san, it’s not typical to make the move from working as a New York-based professional musician.

Mirarchi’s life in music started as a child when he began taking piano lessons. In fifth grade, he joined the school band and was immediately drawn to the saxophone. He spent years playing the instrument with a classical focus, until his high school band director suggested he join jazz band. At no surprise to his band director, Mirarchi was hooked.

A native of Scranton, Pennslyvania, Mirarchi began performing in the local jazz festival. To this day, he still returns home for the event.

"It’s really a nice, full-circle experience to be able to go back and play. I get to see students in the same position I was in high school,” says Mirarchi. “The students perform at the festival, and they’re allowed to be backstage with the big band.”

In talking about his love for both the saxophone and jazz, Mirarchi recalls one of his most influential experiences: band camp, which he attended during his high school years.

“I went to Birch Creek Music Performance Camp in Door County, Wisconsin,” he says. “Going to that camp convinced me that music was what I wanted to do and that it was something that I cared about deeply.”

That experience at camp helped shape Mirarchi's future. It led him to pursue a career in music.

“I ended up going to Bowling Green University to study jazz saxophone because my Birch Creek saxophone teacher was a music professor there,” Mirarchi says.

After attending Bowling Green in Ohio, Mirarchi moved to New York for graduate school at City College, where he received his Master of Music degree. While in New York, Mirarchi performed everywhere he could—from bars to music venues to house shows.

“New York has a lot of tight-knit music communities,” Mirarchi says. “A lot of the playing you do when you first get to New York City happens in jazz clubs. I had the benefit of being in grad school, so I was thrown into a cohort of new contacts.”

The drawback of playing these clubs is that musicians often don’t get home until the sun rises. Mirarchi’s a morning person, so becoming a jan/san sales rep was a better fit. Fortunately, the schedule also permits him to perform professionally on most weekends.

“There can be a lot of baggage tied to music when you make your living from it, and it takes away from the things that speak to you most,” Mirarchi reflects. “Since I joined RJ Schinner, playing music after work and on the weekends allows me to focus on exactly the kind of music I want to play.”

A good job and fulfilling life outside of work: That’s music to one's ears.

Gretchen Roufs, a 25-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns a marketing and public relations company in San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in "Freetime," contact her at Gretchen@GretchenRoufs.com.