Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherri Jensen.
Hi Sherri, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I feel that I have received the equivalent of a Doctor of Music degree through my life’s work. I started out as an undergrad pianist and am now a pianist, organist, arranger, orchestrator, conductor, entrepreneur, owner of a music school, and have brought into existence a college-level pedagogy curriculum that has the power to transform teachers into true life-changing mentors. I asked God to maintain my abilities as a pianist while I raised my family. He not only did that but also expanded my other talents and skills 100-fold.
Just six years ago, I had never conducted a full orchestra. I had not yet mastered the skill of reading a full score with anywhere from 16-24 lines of music, usually in very small print, for every orchestral instrument and for vocalists. Orchestral scores are usually very intense to read, with some instruments written in different keys than others, meters sometimes changing every measure, choir and soloist entrances and exits, and dynamics and musical interpretation for all of the above.
Conducting a full philharmonic orchestra, with all of our strings, winds, brass and percussion instruments, is one of the most thrilling things, in fact, maybe the most thrilling thing I’ve ever done. There is a great deal of energy and power that arises from conducting that large group of musicians and being immersed in the sounds produced by the variety of instruments being played. At times, I wonder if they even need me beating time up there in front of them. But often I can see that my leadership as a conductor is key to transforming the notes on the page into soul-stirring and even life-changing music.
Then there is the challenge of coordinating 13 to 20 soloists with the orchestra and choir as we present our musical masterworks. The soloists do not keep strict time. They take ritardandos and rubatos and even stop for emotional effect. Everyone else depends on my ability to keep them right with the soloists. I often have only the soloists’ intake of breath or even just an energetic feeling to know the moment to move, to keep the 90 members of the philharmonic and choir moving exactly with them. This is electrifying to me. One day I realized that I had been nurturing this ability by accompanying choirs and soloists on the piano starting as early as my 7th-grade year. For a conductor and even for an accompanist, it is like a choreographed dance, to be one with a soloist and to allow their emotional and energetic artistry to be the leading factor while bringing 90-plus musicians and choir members into that perfect dance. It’s especially interesting during concerts when the soloists do something totally new under the pressure of performance. This is actually where some of the very best artistry
happens. A conductor must always be at the height of focus in order to manage the moments that create a life-changing musical experience for the participants and the audience.
I have also established the Vezzoso (Vay-ZTO-zto) School of Music in Draper, Utah. Here we hold music classes for young children using the” Let’s Play Music” curriculum including Sound Beginnings for ages 0-4, Let’s Play Music ages 4-6, Presto ages 7-12. The private lessons also taught here follow the Vezzoso Method curriculum which I created. This curriculum and its accompanying manual could serve as a college-level course and could be a Master’s project. It would deserve an “A,” unlike my first attempt in college to create a curriculum. This is where I have poured all that I have learned about teaching the language of Music. It is fool-proof, if the parent and child will dedicate the needed time to the activities provided and follow the outlined protocols.
The Vezzoso School of Music is on the verge of a large growth spurt. We are looking for excellent, dedicated musicians who will join our team as teachers, who want to learn methods of teaching that will truly change lives.
The Vandewiele Conservatory of Fine Arts is still in the uppermost part of my mind, but we need philanthropists who love big visions and big ideas to make this dream a reality. We need people to join our team and help us create the Vandewiele Publishing arm to print our original music and to prepare to create the conservatory.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. For instance when we created “King of Kings,” the first version was literally thrown away and we had to start all over. Creating a large musical work, an hour or 90 minutes long, is a HUGE undertaking.
First, a storyline has to be hammered out, and if you want it to be true to history or scripture, the story has to be vetted to the point that you can stand behind the storyline. It has to be strong enough and the sources cited have to be reputable enough to withstand the criticisms of people who have different viewpoints.
Then lyrics and musical lines have to be created that match each other and that also draw the ear. Not just any musical lines will do. They have to be the kind of musical melodies that people leave the concert singing. If they can’t sing them, the work will fail. And then it has to be orchestrated and there are varying degrees of talented people who can orchestrate. This is such an important part of the process. If it’s not well done, the public will leave at intermission.
Then it has to be produced, which costs tens of thousands of dollars. So to throw a version away is a BIG deal. There have been many times that we could have thrown in the towel for the troubles that have arisen, but my team is strong and we continue to push forward with our goals.
Just working to get funding is one of the hardest hurdles imaginable. If significantly more money flowed to the arts and to our group, it would be incredible to finish bringing my vision into reality, especially the creation of the Vandewiele Conservatory of Fine Arts.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My specialty is teaching and being able to help anyone learn, especially the language of music. I have broken down learning the language of music to a step-by-step process so that no matter how slow or fast a child or adult wants to move, the program can accommodate each person where they are and for where they are destined to go.
I also have a very discerning ear, especially for the strings. I have founded the Draper Philharmonic & Choral Society and I have turned what would be a regular “community” orchestra and choir, with people at many different levels of playing ability, into a group that has garnered the attention of some of the best singers in the state of Utah. They want solo positions with the Society because of the level of professionalism of our performances.
What sets me apart from others is my energized work capacity and being able to give 100% nearly 100% of the time. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve taught a lesson, I LOVE teaching it again to a new student. It enlivens me to help other people desire to learn and grow their own talents. I LOVE giving opportunities to people who are looking for a chance to grow their skill. I LOVE mining the gifts in others and helping them feel the true feeling of self-confidence. And that confidence allows a person to start living their vision with confidence that they can do hard things. I LOVE helping children gain the ability to push through hard things and gain deeper capacities. This is what correct music instruction affords my students, and all of this enlivens me and fills me with incredible energy.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am sooooooo excited to share how people could collaborate with me. One of my goals is to have satellite teachers all over the world who have been Vezzoso trained and are teaching with the Vezzoso method in their own studios. This knowledge of HOW to teach the language of Music, while making sure the student feels loved and of great worth, will have a far-reaching effect when teachers realize its importance.
We all know people who have a natural acumen for learning languages. For them, picking up a new language isn’t painful; it’s no big deal. These are the kinds of students who succeed under “neighborhood” teachers who play the piano quite well but often do not understand the language of music very well themselves. These teachers may get one or two students in the course of
their careers who flourish and become really good at their instruments, basically teaching themselves the language of music, and end up in a music school in a university setting. Or if teachers are very strong and expect excellent results but do not show love to their students, they can produce high-end players but damage the students’ psyche while doing so. Often, it is really the dedication of the mothers that create excellence within a teacher’s studio through their consistent dedicated practice with their children. I have learned that to have EVERY student in a studio flourish as much as the next student WITHOUT doing damage to the delicate souls being instructed, is a true phenomenon. This is what my curriculum will do in the hands of teachers who desire within themselves to be taught how to be great teachers.
We are also looking for financial support at this time to aid us in our European tour for next summer. Although our members are paying for their own travel expenses, we need serious help to rent venues and to rent and transport larger instruments and tech equipment in Europe. Our tour dates are set for June 17-27, 2023. Last year my husband told me that he had gathered several dozen pictures of European theaters that might fit the description I gave. He showed them to me and it was an incredible moment to see the Theatre de Chatelet in Paris, France, which looked exactly like the theater I saw in my dream.
Here are the 4 financial needs for which we hope to garner immediate assistance:
110,000 Euros: Rental of the Theatre de Chatelet
30,000 Euros: Rental and inter-continental transport of larger instrumentation that cannot be taken with us (i.e. timpani, harp, bass, gong, bass drum etc.)
40,000 Euros: Tech rental
$50,000: Scholarships for key players in the Philharmonic who cannot fund their own travel. There are 88 of us paying our own way, but we also need these 10 players to go with us. They have supported us these 5 years. We want to find the revenue to provide them with scholarships for their trip.
Pricing:
- $1000 for the Vezzoso Training & Franchise purchase
- 110,000 Euros rental of the Chatelet
- 30,000 Euros instrumental rental in Europe
- 40,000 Euros tech rental in Europe
- $50,000 musician’s scholarships who are unable to pay their way
Contact Info:
- Website: Draperphilharmonic.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpacsociety/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DPACSociety/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dpacsociety
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@draperphilharmonic
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_dpacs_society
