We were lucky to catch up with Nathan Jensen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nathan, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I believe finding my purpose is a continuous journey that will evolve as I do, but from a very young age, I knew music would be a part of my purpose. Growing up in a musical home, where my dad was a college music professor, my mom sang and played in various groups, and my older sister built a musical career created a natural space for music in my life. I started playing piano at six years old and added trumpet and voice lessons soon after. Honing my skills provided me opportunities to perform, teach, and mentor. I began my undergraduate studies as a Voice Performance and Music Education Double Major with a Spanish Minor. I quickly discovered this was too much, and decided to solely focus on my passion: music performance.
However, I still found opportunities to teach lessons, tutor, and work at summer music camps for young children because it felt like part of my purpose was missing. That was teaching. Knowing my purpose was twofold between performing and teaching, I picked up the Music Education degree again and completed it the following two years.
I then decided to continue to pursue music through my Master’s program, where I focused on opera. By the time I finished grad school, it was the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. As many young professionals know, that was a difficult time to enter the professional world. I found it difficult to reconcile the limited opportunities knowing my purpose in life was to teach music and perform. However, I slowly found my footing. I was eventually hired as the music director at a local church, where I get to both perform and teach. I also work as a middle school music teacher, and have performed in multiple operas across the country.
As I said earlier, discovering my purpose in life is a continuous journey. The next step for me in finding and living into my purpose is starting my own private lesson company. While I enjoy the public school setting, private lessons allow me to get to know my students on a deeper level, and to see and hear their individual musical growth on a weekly basis. I hope that in these private lessons, I can help my students discover their purpose, whatever that might be.
I’m sure throughout the rest of my life, my purpose will continue to evolve, but right now, I am so excited to be where I am.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My family played a huge role in my love of music. Growing up, there was music playing in our house constantly, and we attended many concerts of various genres. Of course those experiences helped my musical development, but so did my time taking private lessons. Having a weekly lesson with an expert in their musical field was crucial for my growth as a musician. Not only did lessons teach me technique, repertoire, practice habits, and more, but they also assisted in honing life skills like determination, focus, and critical thinking. My teachers provided me guidance and support in a safe environment where it was okay to make mistakes, because that was a part of my development. My goal is to create a similar space for students. Currently, my focus is on broadening my passion to providing private music lessons to musicians of all ages. I recently launched my private music lesson studio, where I am currently offering voice and piano lessons, but I’m open to teaching other instruments. Private lesson information can be found on my website, www.nathanjensenmusic.com. My website also serves as a place for people to see my upcoming performance schedule and resume, another very important part of my musical journey. I’m very excited about starting my private lesson company and helping students foster their love of music.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I believe one quality that serves me well is perseverance. Whether it was conquering stage fright when I was younger, navigating what majors I should pursue in undergrad, or getting turned down after auditions, perseverance has been crucial. Certainly, persevering through these challenges and others has been easier said than done, but I know that if I want to achieve my goals, then I must keep trying and not giving up.
Two additional qualities I rely on daily are: making connections and a willingness to learn/try new things. Unlike perseverance, I did not discover the magnitude of connections and trying new things until recently. After graduating with my undergraduate degrees I moved to Colorado, a new state, to begin my Master’s degree. One of the main reasons I chose the University of Northern Colorado was the connection I made with a professor. I reached out to professors at different universities, all of whom were delightful and helpful, but Professor Wilson at UNC was different. Over the course of about a year we fostered a strong connection, which provided me comfort and assurance that I was making the right decision for my future. Since then, the connections I have made in the music world have given me a larger support system for my musical journey, garnered more opportunities, and taught me so much.
There are some things, though, I’ve had to learn just by doing and trying. Figuring out where to find auditions, how to make and edit recordings, how to write a performance resume, and how to create a website are all big undertakings. I got there with my willingness to learn and discover, which helped get me through career milestones such as expanding my repertoire, performing in different countries, and starting my own lesson company. Without trying new things, persevering through the challenges, and making connections along the way, I would not be where I am today.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The biggest challenge I’m facing now with starting my own lesson company is building my studio. It was easier to build a studio having grown up in a small town because I knew the majority of the community and they knew me and my skills. Now, living in the Denver Metro area, there are so many more people and communities to get to know. I am still working to find my niche. I am learning to combat this challenge by leaning on the communities that I do have (my school and church community as well as my friends and family) and by simply trying new things. Some work and some do not, but my job is to give it all a try and see where I end up. I now have a website and am cold calling different community groups I think would be interested in learning more about my company. I know these methods won’t work 100% of the time, but it’s a matter of continuing to try, experiment, and believe that what I’m doing is making a difference. Music is a powerful way of connecting with others, so I am excited to build my studio and bring more beauty to the community around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nathanjensenmusic.com
- Instagram: @nathan_jensen_bass
- Facebook: Nathan Jensen
- Linkedin: Nathan Jensen
