Meet Mike Maurer | Musician- performance and instruction

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Maurer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
This has been a constant battle, most relevant question because i have been and continue with dealing with work life balance.

there is a feeling of well, you get to do this for a living so that trade of his you do it constantly and not take anytime for your self, so new client, new projects always say yes too. almost like, I absolutely have to take this new one on and ill find the time somehow. that was very much the feeling in the early full time days.

That thinking is incorrect and has improved. Its still very much a career to make a living, so you must not leave the living out. It was constant i would answer emails late as 2 or 3 am and wake up to emails and text as early as 5-6 AM. it was absolutely constant. The most effective way I found ,, just like a schedule a performance or a class to teach or a one on one lesson, I schedule time for me to live and enjoy and take that just as serious as the new client or what ever work situation i would schedule. Just because im doing what i love, does not mean it is not work like anyone else.

Its work, we do it for a living, so make sure your living on the results of your work efforts. Not easy to tell the new client, I just dont have time I found that extremely difficult. I used to work 24/7 and had some time off for what ever reason. during that time, I had no idea what to do with my self. I then began to make work-life a priority. and will schedule ME just like any client, of course the rewords are not financial , but mental and just as important to avoid burn out.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Whoa, lots of questions here 😉

Ive been asked that alot in interviews, “What sets you apart from others” I answered this on live TV, I think the interviewer was a little surprised by my answer. I responded “Nothing” There is nothing that is unique , other than no two people are alike, everyone is unique. I think that it is a mind set of unity, I dont think how can I be diffrent, the mindset is all toghter, other musicians/artist are not my competition but a person who shares the same passion, more of an assest then a competitor. the music community for most part is like that. we share gig leads, refer students. so nothing sets me apart, im happy just to be a part.

It was not easy, it is still not easy,, there are days, i could just go clock in somewhere and get paid the same every month. The passion and thrill makes the bad things bearable . the rewards are not always financial,

The rewards, when you see someone in the crowd feeling the music and you can tell there in another dimension . lead by you not becasue of you. or when you see how your helping a student not just learning music but offering an escape and a safe place away from life. It seems i somewhat of a therapist some days. A soul Doctor.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Depending on the interests of the best friend, that would shape the places and things to do.

I recently re-located to castle rock , where most of my students are, I have found some really great places down here. I would take them on a walk on wilcox, the main street in Downtown castle rock, shops, restaurants. Then, I would take them up to Northwest Denver, where I grew up, and still play at The Oriental Theater, a special place to me, not only do I playa there, my very good friend Andy Bercaw, runs and co-owns also a independent theater, a gem in the city.

Then to a restaurant , maybe Carls Pizza a long time North Denver pizza place, that has not changed since I was a kid, In a neighborhood where everything has changed and places that were family, independently ran, are going away,

Finally , whats coming to colorado with out a mountain visit. starting with famous RedRocks then further west to view at least on 14er

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many, I think that its everyone , that buys a ticket to a show, that refers me to there friends for lesson, that gets my name out there in social media, my success is absolutely a team effort its a support systym of fans and clients.

To be more specific, When i was 10 or so, I singed up for lessons, I was lucky enough to get Jock Bartley of FireFall as my intructor, FireFall had several top 10 songs in the late 70s. Although somewhat unaware of his advice and instruction not only on the guitar, but the music industry in general as my career advanced i continued to see more and more of what he was talking about, to have that head start due to him, was incredibly valuable.

Website: https://mikemaurermusic.com

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Image Credits
David Barber of Rockoncolorado.com