Faculty Spotlight: Aiden Jensen
What's your main instrument?
Guitar because I had one at the house and chose that instrument to play in 8th grade!
What's your musical origin story? What lit the spark for you?
When I was in 8th grade, my music teacher had everyone pick an instrument in class and I chose guitar! I learned songs like "Paint it Black" and "Message in a Bottle". I also learned fundamentals like barre chords and open chords before taking private lessons which kickstarted my journey into the blues scene in KC. I started going to jams every week for the next many years and started gigging and doing it ever since!
Can you share a good gig story?
One time I played a 4th of July Party in rural Kansas and they blew up a box truck on the hill in the distance before we played the show!
Tell us about your practice routine and share some practice tips.
I don't really have a solid routine when it comes to practice but every so often I will get a spark for a new concept or something to work on. Most of my work put in to music is listening and playing what I hear for things like gigs where I might have to play 40+ songs in a night. As far as tips, when it comes to practice I encourage staying focused on fundamentals with other things that excite you mixed in. Simple concepts make up most music everyone hears on a regular basis, like the major scale, triads, pentatonics, and more. The better you know these things, the more you can express yourself freely!
What drew you to the Music House team?
I wanted a job doing something related to music and I started subbing and got into it from there. It has been a cool challenge and motivator for me to learn new things that all of the folks I teach bring in — stuff I would have never heard otherwise.
