Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Paddock.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story starts at a very young age, took private piano lessons when I was about 5 years old. I did this for a couple of years until I was in elementary and then started in the school band playing the clarinet. I was quickly developing a strong love and passion for music. When I went into middle school, they had a much bigger music program and I was given more opportunities to choose an instrument and think about what I wanted to learn next. Originally, I wanted to learn to play the saxophone, but they quickly told me how popular the instrument was and that they had too many already! They ended up pitching the idea to play a string instrument, and immediately I thought to myself “No WAY!” but instead I told them I would think about it. Later that week, I was filling in my grandmother about the school and how I could pick a new instrument to play, and without even telling her that they asked me to play strings she told me that I should play the cello, as it was her favorite instrument. My mom ended up backing her up on that decision and encouraged me to try it. Although it wasn’t at all what I had in mind for my middle school experience, it later became one of the best decisions I have ever made. I soon made friends in the string program and was having tons of fun learning the cello even though the progress was very slow to start. I continued through high school in addition to joining the choir and the band, getting the opportunity to finally learn to play the saxophone. Though before I knew it, I had fallen in love with the cello and was hungry to learn as much as I could. I started taking private cello lessons which exploded my progress in just a few short years. It got to the point where I couldn’t see myself doing anything else as a career and made the decision to study Cello Performance in college. Now, I teach privately in addition to writing and recording my own music. Following my college experience in Connecticut, I moved to Salt Lake City to study the craft of violin/cello making at the Violin Making School of America where I have been for the past year working hard on my own instruments. Being a string player, it’s easy to get fascinated by the 500 years of history of violin making, in addition to being very close with the luthier who made my instrument, it made me want to pursue the craft as well.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to where I am now has not always been perfectly smooth, keeping up with my studies and also finding time to practice my instrument for at least 3 hours a day and often much more than that is a struggle of balance. It takes some serious time and patience to get used to such a busy schedule. Eventually, you will settle into the groove and find time to do all the things you need to and not burn yourself out so quick. In addition to that, like many others, Covid put a temporary hold on my life as it felt near impossible to continue my studies online. I was also in the middle of transferring schools and that didn’t end up working out for the same reason, I ended up having to move back home and reconsider my options. I didn’t let it get in the way of my drive and what I wanted to do for my career. I started understanding that progress isn’t always linear and came to terms with my situation but had to keep pushing on regardless of the unfortunate circumstances. Although it was an incredibly difficult kind of work and a lot of time convincing myself it was going to be worth it, I am endlessly thankful for all the experiences I’ve had along the way and can confidently say – it has never felt more worth it. Believe in yourself, work hard, and keep going. It is all possible.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At this point in my career, I teach private cello lessons and write/record my own music. When I moved to Salt Lake City about a year ago, I went to all the local string shops I could find and made friends with the owners and people who worked there. Moving here completely blind and having no connections wasn’t going to get me students easily so I had to try to get people to advocate for me too. I would go in and play for them and talk with them about myself, leave my name, number, and business cards and then the students started coming. I’m thankful for these people that helped me get my feet on the ground so I could hit the ground running and make a name for myself here. As far as my music goes, I’ve always been really into film scoring, I think it fits my creative side the best and I am able to make music that compliments the emotions in the film. However, a lot of my personal recorded music is based around jam sessions where we would jump in as a group and try to riff off each other and typically we will record the session and end up revisiting the sessions later and build more on what we all liked from the jam. I also love being asked to play with a friend’s group and record with them, it is incredibly fulfilling to be able to work on a friend’s project and help them get the ideas out and into the music.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
When I was growing up I was a very friendly, outgoing, and curious individual. I loved other people’s company and would always try to talk to anyone and make friends with everyone I could. I loved acting as a kid, having the opportunity to play a part or get into character and be someone I’m not was always really fun for me. I was always a big fan of the outdoors too, spending a lot of time hiking, camping, and fishing with friends or family. When I became old enough to drive, I got into working on and fixing cars and trucks and would always have a project going on even if my mom wasn’t as excited as I was. I still love driving and traveling these days although I haven’t been as much as I used to, but it is nice to be able to get out and enjoy something new and just experience the world around me.
Contact Info:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3kT1DXrJ7MDtYycpIVz0of
- Instagram: @stpaddockcellos
- Other: https://seanpaddock.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Casey Segal
