JP. Claussen, a dedicated special education teacher at West, channels his passion for music into leading the folk rock band JP Claussen and Friends. With a guitar in hand and songs inspired by folk legends, Claussen brings both creativity and spirit to his performances.
Claussen has been active in music and singing throughout his life. Having grown up loving music, Claussen decided he wanted to chase that passion with others.
“I was hanging out with a lot of people who played music and I loved that. So I decided I wanted to start a band,” Claussen said.
Wanting to connect with other local performers, in the early 2000s, Claussen personally organized a festival, called the Mud River Music Festival.
“The idea of this music festival is to [feature] really small, local musicians. In putting that together, I met tons of people,” Claussen said.
After gathering some friends to play with him, his band booked a show later that year. Due to Claussen’s love of activism and using music to speak out, he and his band played at many Iraq war protests apart from regular shows.
“Music was the common medium that everybody understood,” Claussen said. “Some of my greatest memories were playing at these big events and seeing people come together for a cause.”
Claussen’s interest in using music to speak out began during his time at the University of Iowa. While studying there, Claussen described the area as being strongly active in war protests. He noted the large crowds the protests attracted and a strong community opposition to the war.
“There was no problem with attendance. Everyone was really fired up about the war,” Claussen said.
Claussen and other musicians at the time used common church hymns to create war protest songs. By layering new lyrics over common songs, they created more impactful music.
“Lots of people went to church, so they all knew these melodies. [Musicians] would then change the words to match whatever protest. So I would draw a lot of inspiration from that,” Claussen said.
Claussen’s love of topical songs was also shaped by folk and country music legends like Woody Guthrie and John Prine.
“Folk music is [what] I was really into; I like to say it’s three chords and the truth. I like songs about things going on and issues happening,” Claussen said.
When he was exposed to more information regarding the Civil Rights movement, Claussen became more interested in American history and the existence of unions and labor movements.
“The Civil Rights Movement and Malcolm X are big inspirations to me. As I got more interested in civil rights, the more I learned about that, the more I learned about Labor’s connection with it,” Claussen said.
Claussen connected his growing interest in various human rights movements with Woody Guthrie songs he had already enjoyed. Claussen appreciates how these old songs can still be connected to modern-day issues and arguments.
“Woody Guthrie [wrote] a song about illegal immigration and about recognizing the humanity of all people. He wrote that song in the early 40s. I connect that with some of the immigration debate going on today, and it’s not very different even though that was 80 years ago,” Claussen said. “To me, these old songs just speak to our contemporary experiences. I guess there’s a big part of me who appreciates that connection and then sharing that.”
Along with his desire to sing about social issues, Claussen’s interest in starting a band stemmed from his appreciation for the collaborative nature of bands. He values the creativity and exchange of ideas that come from working together in a musical group.
“Four heads are better than one. And especially in creative endeavors, there are opportunities for people to collaborate and create something better than you can do on your own,” Claussen said.
With a past in theater, Claussen is no stranger to being on stage. He finds the most rewarding aspect of being in a band is the rush he gets while performing, something that he previously felt while pursuing theater.
“It’s good when you get out there and people are listening to your stuff like that,” Claussen said. “I was a theater guy and that was sort of why I came here to be a theater major; the band gives me that stage [feeling].”
For Claussen, the most important lesson learned from his time in the band is the importance of practice.
“The main skill is practice…You put the work in and you get the payoff,” Claussen said.
But the importance of practice is just one lesson he’s learned. Claussen finds that there are a lot of similarities between being in a band and teaching.
“I think that a lot of teaching is performative, so being in a band [teaches] you things like confidence, being prepared and being able to adjust on the flow,” Claussen said.
Claussen combines his love of teaching and music by bringing his songs into the classroom. As a teacher, Claussen incorporates Woody Guthrie and other songs into his lessons to showcase music’s importance in society.
“Kids love it. It’s not something that happens very often so it’s kind of a novelty,” Claussen said.
