Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Bryce Hansen of The Nonprofit Sector

We recently had the chance to connect with Bryce Hansen and have shared our conversation below.

Bryce, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me starts around 7:30 in the morning. I usually make breakfast, head straight to the gym to clear my mind, then come home to shower and get myself grounded before the day speeds up. By 10:00 I am at Danman’s Music, where I manage the entire store. That includes supporting more than five hundred active clients, coordinating thirty five teachers, handling scheduling changes, organizing repairs, ordering instruments, and making sure every family who walks through the door feels taken care of. I’m also juggling our chess camp program and keeping communication moving between our ten Arts For All board members.

Once the afternoon hits, my focus shifts toward Taco Tuesday Live. There is a whole rhythm to preparing for the show: lining up performers, setting the stage, working with our panel, checking the livestream setup, and making sure the room feels welcoming for students, parents, and community musicians. From about 6:00 to 10:00 I am fully in host mode, running the live show, connecting with performers, keeping the energy up, and making sure our mission shines through the fun.

By the time I get home around 11, I am usually exhausted in the best way. Then I wake up the next day and do it all again. It’s a lot, but every part of it feels meaningful.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Bryce Hansen, and I’m the Founder and CEO of Arts For All, a volunteer-driven nonprofit based in Orange County that provides one on one music lessons and performance opportunities for underserved youth, especially kids with disabilities or families facing financial hardship. My journey into this work is personal. I grew up with Charcot Marie Tooth disease, a neurological disability that made school and sports really difficult. Music was the first place where I felt capable, confident, and genuinely myself, and it changed the entire direction of my life.

I started Arts For All at twenty two with no staff and no funding, just a belief that every kid deserves the same chance I had to discover their voice. Today we partner with local music schools, small businesses, and a team of more than a dozen volunteers to support over a hundred students a year. We also run Taco Tuesday Live, a weekly all ages music show and livestream that gives young musicians a real stage to grow on while raising awareness for our mission.

What makes our organization unique is that everything is personal, intentional, and rooted in lived experience. No one on our board takes a salary. Every dollar goes directly to lessons, instruments, and student support. And every student is paired with a teacher who genuinely sees them, meets them where they are, and helps them fall in love with learning.

We’re growing fast, building new partnerships, expanding our Spread the Music Initiative, and working toward serving three hundred students in the next few years. At the core of it all is the same promise I made when I founded Arts For All: no child should ever feel left out of music simply because of their circumstance.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
When I was a kid, I truly believed my disability meant I would never be able to do much. I thought it put a limit on who I could become. Doctors told me what I wouldn’t be able to do, schools took me out of sports, and I spent a lot of time feeling like I was always a step behind everyone else. For a long time I carried the idea that I was fragile or incapable.

I don’t believe that anymore. The older I got, the more I realized my disability didn’t take anything away from me. It actually gave me grit, perspective, and a level of empathy that shaped my entire life. It’s the reason I started Arts For All. It’s the reason I fight so hard for kids who feel overlooked. It’s the reason I can walk into tough situations with calm and confidence.

I used to think my disability would hold me back. Now I see that it’s one of the main reasons I’m able to do what I do today.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. There was a period in my life where I had completely checked out. I was stuck in this loop of self pity, no direction, no motivation, and no belief that anything good was ahead of me. I spent entire days just sitting in front of the TV, drowning out the world because I didn’t know who I was or what my future could look like. I genuinely thought there was no chance, no hope, and nothing meant for me.

Looking back, that was one of the darkest stretches of my life, but it also became the turning point. It was the moment where I realized that if I wanted anything to change, I had to move. I had to try. I had to give myself a chance. Music was the first thing that pulled me out of that place. It gave me structure, identity, and something to work toward. And eventually, it gave me a mission.

That period still fuels the work I do with Arts For All. I know what it feels like to believe you have nothing to offer. I never want a kid to sit in that same silence.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes and no. The version of me people see through Arts For All and Taco Tuesday Live is real, but it’s only one part of who I am. I genuinely love what I do, I care deeply about the kids we serve, and the energy I bring onstage or in the community is authentic. But I definitely have a side of me that people don’t always see. I have a darker, sarcastic sense of humor that is strictly playful and meant to bring joy, and I have a whole world of interests outside of music and nonprofit work. I like exploring different hobbies, learning new things, being active, and just living life like anyone else.

So the public version of me is true, it’s just not the whole picture. The full version has more layers, more humor, more depth, and more sides that don’t always show up in the spotlight.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Honestly, nothing. I would keep doing exactly what I’m doing right now. I’m already building the legacy I want to leave behind. Arts For All, the kids we serve, the lessons we fund, the community we’re creating, the weekly shows, the partnerships, the culture we’re shaping… this is the work I’d want my last decade to look like. I wouldn’t change course or chase something different. I’d just pour even more into the mission and the people I love, and make sure the impact we’re building keeps going long after I’m gone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artsforall-ca.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arts.for.all.foundation/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryce-hansen-135065259/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088008263978
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Taco-Tuesday-Live