Meet Jenna Duranko

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jenna Duranko. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jenna below.

Jenna , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

Through out my early school days I was not someone who got excited about school. I was never a student who was motivated to get straight A’s. I think I found my motivation when I was in college. I was a music major, studying music business and percussion performance. I started playing percussion my sophomore year of college with little percussion background. I had to work hard to get up to a college level of playing and technique in just one year of lessons. My motivation through this came from my percussion professor. He would always remind us in the percussion studio that we are given all of the tools we need to succeed, we just need to do our part; practice, study and ask for help when we need it. That motivation and work ethic of having to schedule my days to ensure that I get enough hours of practice in among my classes and studying and rehearsals, and other aspects of life, definitely transfers to other aspects of my life and jobs I have had since college. Being able to manage my time is essential because as a musician and seminary student who is taking classes, performing, writing and recording while also working and studying, I must be able to allow time for everything and still make time for my personal life. My friends and family and time with my dog and time for healthy eating and exercising are the things that get me through the busy days managing everything else. I do attribute my work ethic and ability to stay motivated while also organize and manage my time and work load, back to my percussion professor at Radford University, when I was first developing and learning those work ethic habits.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My work is unique because I see my self as having two strong passions and callings. Music, writing and performing is my first passion. I have played and written music since I was ten years old. I studied music business and percussion performance at Radford University as an undergrad. Since graduating in 2013 I have continued to play and perform and have released music world wide. I am currently working to finish my second full length album. The second passion is the calling of ministry. Being with those who are dying or experiencing grief and loss and exploring the faith journey through those times. I have a Master’s degree in Thanatology (the study of death, dying, grief and mourning), and am scheduled to graduate from Seminary with a degree in ministry in the Spring of 2025. I have been discerning ways of merging these two passions and callings. Working to find ways how I can intertwine my music with serving people and helping to guide people through times of grief and loss, with the undercurrent of faith. I have been able to successfully do this through poetry and songs that I have written. I have done this through performances I have given in senior care and memory care homes and at NIH. I often play marimba at local churches and I have organized and played fundraising concerts for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. I feel most like myself when I am creating and especially creating and playing music. If I can do that and also be fortunate to touch people and have them find meaning in my music, well then that is the goal achieved.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Three qualities, skills or knowledge that has been most helpful would include, first, follow your heart. If your heart is not in it, then you will not be successful in the ways it counts. You will not be fulfilled. Second, It is up to you to decide how far you can go. If you are determined and really want to accomplish something, you can make it happen. We are more capable than we think, even on our bad days. Third, There is always enough time for the things that are important to you. We always make time. We make the effort for things we care about. I wake up early and stay up late to make sure I fit in time to work on my music. Being intentional is essential for success.
The skills that are important depend on your chosen field, but I think the from my music education, skills that have been helpful would include time management and interpersonal skills from learning how to play and depend on other musicians. From my work in thanatology, I think one of the most impactful skills I learned was the awareness to meet people where they are. We can help and guide people, but we must listen and be with them in their emotional, mental and spiritual space to get an understanding of their world. We must know where they are standing and encourage them from there before we can hope to help them move in any direction.
The other, maybe most influential skill or quality that I have learned to embrace through my work is knowing what is right for me, and making decisions from a felt-sense place. Even if I am torn about something, If I pause and take a beat, listen to what feels like the right decision for me, the right thing will come forward. This takes practice and a good amount of self awareness, but like most things, with practice, it gets more familiar.
So my advice for someone else would boil down to this: Follow your heart, know your craft and work hard at it, and listen to what your body is telling you when making decisions, lean in to that and trust yourself when you know something is right or not.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The number one obstacle or challenge I am currently facing is two fold. First, imposter syndrome. Feeling like I am too young to inhabit the spaces that I find myself in. Feeling like I am not qualified to do the things that I have been called to do or want to do. The best way I have learned to combat this is a good amount of self talk and reflection on what I have accomplished. Knowing that I continue to work hard and strive to excel at my craft, I go into performances feeling more confident as a musician. Always, refining my song lyrics and instrumentation of my recordings, and seeking others help in production to teach me those skills, helps me know that my song recordings are the best of what I am capable in that moment in time.

The second obstacle or challenge is feeling like I am not doing enough. I can get in a mindset that if I am not being productive than I am not being successful. There is always more that I could be doing to reach my goals and accomplish all that I want to accomplish. What I try to do is remind myself that rest is productive too. I know that I if I am mentally or physically tired, I will not get the results I want in what I am trying to get done. This is where my time management has really helped me prioritize and gain perspective. If I schedule time to do just a little bit more of specific tasks each day, break it down to smaller goals weeks at a time, then I can ensure I have time to rest, play, see family and friends. Knowing that there is time for everything and for everything to get done, I can enjoy the “down time”.

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