"It's Good to be an Adult and an Eagle"
NOTE: I have nightmares about the infamous “canoe disaster of 2012.” I know I looked right into the eyes of Jessica Landsteiner and the rest of my NHS kids and told them to NOT grab hold of any overhanging branches while canoeing the Blue Earth River. What does she do? Yep. A decade after we wrecked two canoes (turning one into a Z shape), Landsteiner looked back on that moment as one of her “fun” memories in school. Sometimes disasters can teach you more than victories.
Modulation
Before you attempt playing jazz, you have to achieve a certain mastery of music before you begin breaking the rules. You need to find the right key. For Jessica Landsteiner, her career in music began by surrounding herself with music during her time at Maple River. “I think it was the last year of marching band that we got to do “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and I'm a Queen fanatic. My mom raised me listening to Queen, and I even got a Freddie Mercury poster in my music room. I pleaded to Ms. Roche and Mrs Carpenter to do “Bohemian Rhapsody” and they let me play one of the trumpet solos. I think Sam (Schultz) got the other one and I got one of them. The trip to Washington DC was obviously a blast and actually that trip to New Orleans is what got me to fall in love with New Orleans style music that I am still trying to play today but it's really hard to get someone to hire a six-piece band.” This self-described “shy” kid let her trumpet be her voice, and Landsteiner took opportunities to attend music camps at UMD during her time in school. Along with music, Landsteiner was a great student, allowing her to be part of the National Honor Society, and also to take challenging courses for college credit. “The college courses with Southwest were so good. I mean they just prepped you for what you had no idea was coming at you–even though you guys kept telling us over and over and over again. I will never ever regret taking those really tough courses and being so frustrated because it really did set you up for what was to come in college, so that was a good thing.”
Improvisation
Despite her love of music, Landsteiner decided to pursue accounting at Minnesota State University. Unfortunately, after being an honor student in high school, Landsteiner found several challenges in college. “I was going all over campus trying to find tutoring, and I was just really down and struggling. I ended up actually failing that class and trying it again and I finally just kind of decided to have a little heart to heart with myself and decide that ‘you know if you're hating it this much at this point you still have another year and a half more to go and this is the rest of your career’ so I was like ‘you don't! Let's stop the boat. Let's do something else’ and I actually moved into finance thinking that I would still want to do the numbers business portion of it. I found out very quickly that was the wrong answer.”
Fortunately, Landsteiner still had music during these rough times. “I remember going the first week of school to audition for the Wind Ensemble on campus and the Jazz Band went through it all. I remember getting into them both and thinking ‘Wow, I didn't think I am going to make it.’ They were playing music that was so far above me, and not saying that I had a bad music education, but I just didn't expect it to be so hard.” After overcoming the initial shock, Landsteiner began to spread her musical wings in a variety of ways. She became part of Director Michael Thursby’s “Maverick Machine” debut season and a decade after being part of its creation, she looks at what it has now become with pride. Help also came in the form of former mentors, Carpenter and Roche, who remained active in her personal life while also suggesting new ways to stay involved with music. “I ended up buying my first pro trumpet and really getting into all the music stuff. I was taking private lessons an hour a week and sometimes more. I was just advancing. I actually joined the Mankato Community Band in high school thanks to Mrs Carpenter, who talked me into going up there. It was crazy but that experience playing with people that are so much better than you–it's fun.”
Syncopation
Sadly, modern life expects college kids to actually earn a degree. After struggling to find her place in accounting and finance, Landsteiner believed she’d found the solution when MSU offered a music business degree. “Unfortunately they didn't really have a good grip on it yet; it was too new and so they made us take things like song writing. I'm like ‘I'm not here to be a songwriter!’” Her struggles continued as she encountered a series of unfortunate events that once again left her without a degree. This led her to speak frankly with her academic adviser: “I need to get my degree and get out.” It turns out that all of her struggles were leading to a final victory. “We found the fastest way out was a Bachelors in Music, so I think I had to take a couple more courses, which turned out to be really helpful in the long run. I actually already had a business administration minor just because of all the stuff I had already been through. I got those two degrees and I graduated.”
Turnaround
So Landsteiner found her way right back to music. Even before she (finally) graduated, she’d found her place working at Music Mart in Mankato. Her part-time job (which she loved) turned into a full-time position. “Honestly, I don't think my path could have been more perfect for where I'm at right now because I've got that business background minor situation. I've got all the Music Ed. that I need. As far as being able to sell instruments and help kids start with their new journeys and everything–yeah I just love where I'm at and I couldn't say anything better about where I'm at right now it's awesome now.”
Landsteiner has also remained very active as a full-time semi-professional musician. Along with the Mankato Community Band, she’s an active member of the Schell’s Hobo Band. After an invite from Sarah Houle to just “hang out” with the Hobo Band, Landsteiner has become an active member. “We do 40 some parades. I've actually been in that since high school and I play with them during the summer and I've met a lot of really cool people through that band.”
She also plays in several smaller groups. Machiko is a brass trio consisting of Michelle Roche and Sarah Houle: Sarah and the Houligans (word play on the name Houles); and Powerhouse. “I've been keeping in contact with both Michelle and Rebecca Carpenter this whole time. I can't give enough credit to them about where I am today for my musical journey.They were incredible directors, incredible mentors, and they still are. Rebecca Carpenter still messages me once in a while and just tells me how proud she is.” Through Roche, Landsteiner also set her sights on recording professional music. “Michelle was trying to get her original music off the ground and getting it recorded, so we've done some recording. We want to do some more. We'd like to keep going, but life gets in the way.” Now that she’s settled into her life as a musician, she also has dreams for her own recording. With her musical partner Sarah Houle, she has plans for a New Orleans style release. “We would really love to get a CD recorded–I know these aren't cool anymore but you know an album I guess. We really want to meet and do it even if it's just a bunch of traditional songs. We do have a bunch of originals for the album.”
Finding the Cadence
Having seen the world of business, Landsteiner has finally made music the most important part of her life. “I strive everyday to keep learning more stuff here at the store and it's awesome connecting with those fifth and sixth graders. Through her time with her various bands, including the Minnesota River Valley Wind Ensemble, she’s also seen first hand how music can bring a community together. “It's a really fun group because you've got anybody from the lady who manages the kitchen at Pizza Ranch to the stay at home dad to the St James band director. It's just a group of people that want to come together and they want to play more challenging music at this point.” Back in June, during the epic flooding that threatened Mankato, she saw how music soothed the savage beast. “This entire town was in a frenzy over that dam. Mankato was a disaster! People were freaking out moving their furniture out of their houses in lower North. I remember going to rehearsal that night we still decided to hold it and going into it with all this stuff surrounding you and just thinking about how horrible this was for the environment down river. Coming out of the rehearsal, I was like ‘Oh yeah I forgot about that.’ Music allows you to separate yourself from a totally different thing and get in there. It's just so cool to be able to come together for that stress relief–that camaraderie.”
Sometimes a disaster can indeed lead a person to understand what matters in life. Now, Landsteiner looks back at her time in school with wisdom acquired through hardship. Her advice to graduates? “I'd say: pursue your dreams! You know, just go after it! Especially if you're in any sort of arts or sports or anything. Just go after it and really get out there and do it because it's tough”
Oh, and one last bit of advice: “Be smart, keep track of your finances, and enjoy life!”
(The infamous Canoe Disaster of 2012. Having t-boned this canoe, you can see Jessica in the background slinking away).
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