“The way I feel about music influences me a lot. I don’t know what I would do without it in my life.”
Ethan Schroeder has proved himself a renaissance man of the arts, mastering seven different instruments through his dedication and love for music.
When it comes to music, Ethan Schroeder pretty much does it all. Ever since this self taught musician’s first performance in an elementary school talent show, it seems as if he cannot put down the guitar. Or the bass, the ukulele, the violin, the cello, and the microphone. He can’t keep his fingers off the piano, either.
Ethan’s obvious love for everything musical derived from exposure to instruments at an early age. “I first started teaching myself to play the guitar because of my family’s influence,” said Schroeder. “My mom and my grandma are really musical, so it’s not surprising that I came to love music, too.” With a house full of musicians, Schroeder was plucking the strings of his first guitar in no time at all. “I loved the way that the guitar sounded,” Schroeder remembered. “That and my family’s influence got me interested in music.”
Since his first guitar performance in the sixth grade, Schroeder has progressed impressively as a musician. He has mastered six other instruments in the time span of only five years, one of which being the piano, which he learned by himself. He has even begun to compose his own songs, writing about “everything from stories to things that have happened to me.” Though it may seem difficult for Schroeder’s songwriting abilities to outshine his immense and diverse musical talent, he has already been recognized for his compositions. “I’ve started recording with an independent company, and am doing a CD release soon,” Schroeder said. “I haven’t been signed yet, but am looking around at some other producers.”
It shouldn’t be hard for the producers to find Schroeder. His musical capabilities have already landed him many gigs despite his young age. “I’ve played at some conferences and some blues and jazz clubs, like Jammin’ Java,” Schroeder said. Yet, for Schroeder, these performances are just starting points upon which a future career is built. “I am planning on pursuing music as a career,” Schroeder said. “If not in performing, then I hope to do studio work for commercials or movies.”
With so many goals for his future, Schroeder feels the pressure of balancing his music with school and other extracurricular activities. “I try to play music whenever I have spare time,” Schroeder said. “But I also gotta have some time
to relax.”
Music has obviously had an enormous impact on Schroder’s life and continues to be one of his main focuses today. “The way I feel about music influences me a lot,” Schroeder said. “I don’t know what I would do without it in my life.”
by Morgan Harwood
FENDER SCHRODES