We caught up with our new Music Teacher and one of our new Music Studio teachers, Mr. Nathan Perry, in order to help the community learn more about him.
1) Are you married? Kids?
My wife and I will soon celebrate 31 years of marriage. We have three boys. One is getting married this month! The youngest will be a junior in college. All three attended Christian schools till graduation.
2) Where did you go to school?
I went to Butler University for both a BA in music and a Master in Music Education. I also studied privately there during high school and am still connected to their music department.
3) What gets you up in the morning?
My family is a bunch of night owls, so getting us up in the morning can be a challenge. But honestly, every day is a new adventure worth living, especially in the worlds of music and teaching! Be ready for anything!
4) What are your favorite hobbies?
My family loves to hike and ride bikes, even mountain biking. We also like to travel and stop at every unusual and interesting spot. Personally, I always am working on projects.
I can play many instruments, as I have learned in being a band director. I also have learned to fix many things, like cars. And I love planning trips. I may have missed my calling as a travel consultant.
5) What is your favorite book and why?
We just finished putting a library in a former bedroom at home, so we have lots of books at my house! I love to read books on apologetics, science and creationism. One that I really liked was “The Physics of Einstein” by Jason Lisle. It gave a peek into the immense complexities (and unexpected and surprising discoveries) of how the universe works from a Christian worldview. God’s creation is amazing and mind-blowing!
7) How long have you lived in Indiana and why do you enjoy living here?
I have lived in Indianapolis my whole life except for seven years in Atlanta. I enjoy the four seasons in Indiana and being around family. There’s also a vibrant arts community in town. I just wish it had more mountains.
8) What meaningful event in your past significantly influenced your life?
In 2020 my dad’s house experienced a fire. This was quite a wake-up call for the whole family. I had to step in and handle health, rebuilding, selling, and organization details. While there were many challenges, it actually resulted in many benefits for our family. God was able to use me and stretch me for the task at hand.
9) What historical figure would you like to spend a day with?
I would like to observe the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach. He used his genius to honor God with an unbelievable amount of compositions (a new church cantata each week!) and amazing keyboard proficiency, all while raising 20 children. Centuries later, his music may still be the best.
10) What would we be surprised to learn about you?
I am a church music director and also love to music-direct or accompany musicals, but that may not be surprising. In other news, my family has travelled to all 50 states. We are now on a quest to finish hiking all the great trails in the national parks. We will hit five parks on a trip this summer!
