Community Highlights: Meet Jason Hirth of Jason Hirth Music

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Hirth.

Hi Jason, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory. 
I was born in NYC and grew up in Orange, CT, where my father exposed me to music at a very young age. My parents both shared their love of music with my brothers and me. They also encouraged us to take lessons, and I started learning the piano at age 7. When I was 14, my best friend brought over his new guitar, and I was instantly hooked. We stayed up the entire night learning rock songs and probably driving my family nuts with the Iron Man riff on loop. Around the same time, I started studying with a fantastic piano teacher who had a flexible approach and was excited to work with me on any song or genre. 

By the time I reached the end of high school, music was a driving force my life, and I chose to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. I studied jazz piano during the first two years and then shifted my focus to a major in film scoring. As a senior, I took a job tutoring underclassmen in the core music classes. I found out quickly that I had a passion and an innate ability for teaching. After graduating, I returned to Connecticut, where I played with several bands and started a business teaching piano lessons. 

In 2015, I made the move to Los Angeles to be in a city with bigger music opportunities and tap into the incredible network of Berklee Alumni here. I started out working with several music teaching studios and slowly branched off to start my own teaching business- Jason Hirth Music. In the past few years, I’ve also been doing session work as a pianist and keyboardist. If you’d like to hear some of my recent work, Spelles just released their debut LP, Diving Into The Arms Of The Divine, and you can hear my keys featured throughout. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Becoming established in Los Angeles can be difficult, and it took a long time to get my feet on the ground after moving here. When you move from a small town to a big city 3,000 miles away, it’s easy to feel a bit lost. I’m grateful to have an incredibly supportive group of family and friends to help me navigate big life changes. I was also fortunate to have a network of friends from college to tap into when I arrived in LA. We were able to reconnect and some of them are best friends and creative collaborators now. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Jason Hirth Music is a business focused on music education and sharing the love of music. We offer individualized lessons, performance opportunities, and custom recordings. My teaching approach is unique in the way that I aspire to create well-rounded musicians and tailor lessons according to each student’s interests, goals, and learning style. My guiding principle when structuring lessons is to set students up for long-term success and enjoyment. Especially when working with younger students, I want them to develop skills and a passion for music which will last their entire lifetime. 

Some of my proudest moments with the business have been during our bi-annual recitals. Students have a chance to display pieces they have been working hard on and gain performance experience in a relaxed, supportive environment. We’ve had family members and friends perform together, which is a really special experience. I love seeing friends and family share their love for music with one another and develop stronger bonds in the process. 

We are currently offering piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, music theory, and composition lessons. We welcome students of all ages and can focus on your favorite genre/style of music. We host bi-annual recitals for those students interested in performing. Those less keen on taking the stage have the option of creating custom audio and video recordings when they finish a song or piece. Please check out our website for more info or follow us on social media. 

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Yes, I’ve definitely taken some major risks in life. Some have planned out better than others! They don’t always lead to the desired outcome, but by taking risks, you can break up stagnation and become closer to achieving your goals rather than remaining in your comfort zone. If things go wrong, you can always course-correct and find another way to get back on track. 

One risk I’m grateful for taking was starting my own business in Los Angeles. It’s taken years grow and involved more work than I could have imagined, but it has completely changed my life for the better. 

I’m a big advocate of taking calculated risks. There are some situations where spontaneous risk taking is worthwhile, like accepting a last-minute gig offer when the downside is low. However, in my experience the smartest way to take a big risk is to carefully plan out your move, prepare for potential pros/cons and then take the leap. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JasonHirth.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/JasonHirthMusic
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/JasonHirthMusic
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/JasonHirth

Image Credits
Ryan Burnett
Kathryn Baar
Erin Clendenin