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Led by the heart
Written by Ben Jorgensen, The Clearwater Progress
CVHS grad Jason Schuster credits God for musical gift, life-changing career
Music has always been at the heart of Jason Schuster’s life, but last summer it stirred a new chord. Schuster, a 1999 graduate of Clearwater Valley High School, walked away from a great job and relatively secure life at Lewiston to pursue a music career hundreds of miles away with no guarantee of success.
So far it’s been an amazing ride for this music prodigy who got his start in a highchair. Instead of entertaining himself by pounding on the piano keys, Schuster says his mother recognized his gift early on and placed him in a highchair before the piano, directing him “to play the pretty notes.” Little did he know at the time he was already cuing in on chords. “It was obvious early on that I was learning to play by ear,” said Schuster, who said it was easier to “feel the music than to look at it and redo what someone else already did.”
By the second grade piano lessons were a given, but he found the whole note reading task tedious. He preferred learning and playing by ear, which he likens to a language. “For me with the piano it’s literally like speaking a language. As long as I can remember the phrase I can play it.”
And play it he did both in the high school choir and then for about 13 years for the Stites Baptist Church, where his musical style was grounded in Christian Values. So too is his faith. “My faith is extremely important to me,” said Schuster. So much so that he willingly left a good life to pursue what he feels is God’s calling. “I had everything going for me. I made a good living, a great living,” he said of his work at ATK in Lewiston. “I got to travel all over the country at the company’s expense. I got to see things I never thought I would be able to see.” But he sensed there was some other purpose for him. “I always had a feeling that at some point God was going to ask me to do what He wants me to do and use the gift He gave me, which is music.” Little did he know how hard it would be to quit his bread and butter job for something unknown.
As he prepared to electronically submit his two-week notice he clicked on the send button and then slid his fingers off of it. Twice. On his third attempt to send the note he moved his fingers away again, considering the ramifications. “At that exact moment my phone buzzed,” said Schuster. A friend texted him a message from Ephesians 3:20… “God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” “That was perfect timing,” he beamed.
Before he could put the phone down it buzzed again with a message from another friend saying, ‘today is your big day. Good luck today.’ The coincidence of two texts at that very moment was crazy, thought Schuster. As he started to put the phone down it buzzed a third time with a message from his former boss wishing him good luck and telling him not to “forget your goldfish,” a reference to the movie Jerry Maguire.
It was all the confirmation Schuster needed to pursue music full time despite no immediate job, no plan, and a move to Denver where his friend Tom coaxed him to relocate. Tom formerly worked as a DJ at the Outlaw radio station 106.9 in Lewiston. He became a vocal coach and on a whim one day asked Schuster to try out some material with him. There was just one catch. He wanted Schuster to sing.
Schuster balked. The extent of his vocal work included a song at church, at his grandmother’s funeral and occasional outbursts while driving his car with his younger brother. After much cajoling, Schuster, who said he was shaking and sweating, agreed to give it a try.
He said Tom was blown away and encouraged him to sing to others. Inspired by the event, Schuster wrote a song called “My Prayer.” Schuster tested the waters by posting the song on YouTube and Facebook. Positive feedback built up his confidence so he wrote another song, “I Believe.” The song was inspired by the Tucson, Ariz. shooting and a reality show about divorce. From watching the reality show the concept came to mind that “we live in a world of broken promises.” In his mind it sounded like a song so he scribbled out about half of it and finished it when he saw on TV the outpouring of emotion during a memorial for the shooting.
Schuster, 30, enjoys writing songs. Part of his gift includes being able to constantly hear songs or melodies in his head that can be generated from the simples of sounds, like walking along a road. He says the process is like having a “soundtrack in my head.”
Singing requires digging much deeper. Part of his guarded nature comes from watching shows like American Idol. Seeing people, who in their mind think they can sing well, not do well in tryouts can be a motivator to avoid the risk of embarrassment. Schuster never pursued a music career before because he didn’t feel he was good enough. But then he thought about why he was comparing himself to others. “What I’ve come to realize is that nobody is just like me. If God wants me to be there, I will be. He has opened so many doors it’s not even funny. It’s been a lot of fun to see.”
Music has always been a passion for him but it can be a fine line between passion and work. “They always tell you when you are younger, find something you love and then find a way to make money at it. That’s a whole lot easier said than done. “There is the risk of turning your passion into a job and then you don’t like your passion.”
For Schuster, “the American Dream isn’t exactly what will make me happy. What I want is to share my music, and create music and I love playing with other musicians. It’s just a lot of fun.” The fun also presents stiff challenges to his belief system. He said some have told him to be careful about putting God or Jesus stuff in his songs because it alienates some. “That person clearly doesn’t understand who I am and what I’m doing as an artist,” said Schuster. “I want to remain true to my belief system and who I am as a person. I want my music to be positive, uplifting and encouraging. I want people to refer to me as a musician who is a Christian rather than a Christian musician.”
Schuster’s first album, I Believe, which was released last month, contains 10 songs. His music has been classified from soft rock to Christian and he’s been compared to Josh Groban, which he says is a huge compliment, and Kenny Loggins.
Right now he is taking one step at a time and seeing where the path for him leads. His song “I Believe” has done very well and could place him shoulder to shoulder with musical greats. “I remind myself very, very often how I got to where I am and why I’m doing what I’m doing,’ said Schuster. “It comes back to my desire to do what God wants me to do and what He has gifted me with. God has the wheel.”
Strong interconnected family, including his parents Mark and Jo Schuster of Kooskia, and close friends also keep him grounded and afford him honest feedback. “Having people who will help you and tell you when you are wrong and pat you on the back when you are right, you can’t buy that.”
Schuster’s music is not only written to satisfy his passion but also to help others. “If I see someone and they have lost someone, I feel broken hearted for them. Out of my broken heart watching them go through something, whether I knew them or not, I put myself in their shoes and think about what it must be like for them. Music helps people through a tough time.” And just as many have encouraged Schuster to pursue his passion, his leap of faith reinforces the need for people to dream. “No matter what it is if I put my mind to it and I really believe I can do this then I can. Knowing that I was called to do this, stepping out in faith I guess what I’ve learned about myself, is it’s not just talk. You can do more than you think if you just start doing it.”