Meet Nick Jensen of Strum University in North Phoenix and Deer Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Jensen.

Nick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always had a love for music, especially the guitar. I began teaching the guitar at age 17 as a side job while I was still in high school. I quickly realized how much I enjoyed teaching and began to build a small student base where I would travel to their homes to teach the lessons. I was also playing in an original rock band and going to ASU for business/marketing at the same time. After only a year of college, I decided to drop out of school to pursue my music career with the band full time. As is the case for most young rock bands, we “broke up” just shortly after our first “tour.” I quickly found myself as a college dropout and a rocker without a band. I had been teaching guitar lessons on the side this whole time and decided that I would direct all of my efforts towards building up my teaching business. After a few years, I built up a student base of about 50 students a week for private in-home lessons (I would travel to my student’s homes to teach them guitar). This was great, however I began to grow tired of being in the car all day, driving from home to home, and I also yearned to have a place of my mine that I could teach from as well as offer a place of community where my students could come together to collaborate, jam and perform. After much consideration, I decided to take the plunge and I signed a lease on a small space and Strum University was born. The first year was tough and there were plenty of days when I thought that I had made a terrible mistake. Owning and operating a music school was much more work than I anticipated, but I was determined for it to be a success. Our student base began to grow slowly and I worked hard to keep everything together. Now, as we move into our third year, I can proudly say that we are blessed to be able to share our experience, love and passion for music with many students each week!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The first year was tough. It was a challenge to keep the school open with limited enrollment in the early months.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Strum University story. Tell us more about the business.
We help people learn to play the music that they love. It’s as simple as that. We’re not your average music studio that is taking each student through the same beginner music book. We believe in customizing the lessons to each individual student. That means that whether you love Taylor Swift or Eric Clapton, we can teach you the fundamentals of your instrument through songs that you personally enjoy.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
A little bit of good luck always helps! We’ve been very fortunate to have been blessed with amazing students and families, who have shared the positive experience that they’ve had here with their friends and family which have turned into many referrals!

Contact Info:

• Address: 320 W. Lone Cactus Dr
  Suite 1
  Phoenix, AZ 85027
• Website: www.StrumUniversity.com
• Phone: 623-451-0976
• Email: info@StrumUniversity.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strum_university/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrumUniversity/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/strum-university-phoenix

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