Check Out Jay Schwertfeger’s Story

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Jay Schwertfeger.

Hi Jay, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born just outside of Chicago, IL, in a small town called Oswego. I started playing the drums at the age of 14 when my best friend Justin asked me to try it out. From there, we formed the band 3crease, which quickly became a favorite band in our small town.

After 3crease ended, I started another band called Absolutely Perfect while also working in a health club and going to school to become an elementary school teacher. After graduating from college and ending my latest band – I sold everything and moved solo to San Diego. This was an amazing experience as I was able to find a way to play drums in yoga classes! During all my years drumming in bands and working in a health club for 15 years, I had never thought of merging the two together!

In 2012, I started JayontheDrums.com and moved to Boulder, CO. I started traveling the country bringing live drums to fitness classes like yoga and Zumba and finally fulfilling my dream of becoming a full-time, traveling rock star. The highlight of this was playing Red Rocks in 2017 as a part of the Fitness on the Rocks event.

Around this time, I proposed to my long-time girlfriend and started looking toward a full-time and stable profession. This ultimately landed me back in education, and I promptly started teaching in elementary school. At the same time, Covid struck, and I was forced to work from home teaching 2nd graders online. This odd turn of events ultimately led me to create KidsFreezeDance.com. I had been bringing in the djembe drum that I used in yoga classes to my classroom. We would use it to play “freeze dance,” and while teaching online, one day, I decided to film a video for my kids to enjoy while stuck at home.

Little did I know that I had finally united all three of my passions: fitness, teaching, and drumming! Kids Freeze Dance soon emerged as a way to educate children around the world instead of just teaching my kids locally. Since that time, I have reached thousands of children and have been a valuable aid to teachers and homeschooling parents. Today I live in Firestone with my beautiful wife and our dog, while still getting to drum in the occasional fitness class and working diligently on my Kids Freeze Dance videos.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Overall, it has been smooth, but I faced my biggest challenges when I was a teen. When I was 12, my family moved to a new town about 45 minutes away from where I was born. This was during junior high, so it was very awkward. Soon after this, my Mother was diagnosed with Cancer, and I started to develop acne.

I spent those formative years depressed and wanting to stay at home all of the time. Ultimately, my Mother lost her battle with cancer after three years, and this loss was incredibly heartbreaking. Despite the suffering my mother endured, I was inspired by her ability to keep a positive attitude through her sickness. She has inspired me, and I have dedicated my life to making her proud.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have two passions that I have transformed into viable businesses. The first and oldest is JayontheDrums.com. I found a way to drum in fitness classes.

In yoga, I create a drum soundtrack that takes the place of the traditional music playlist. My drumming ebbs and flows with the energy of the class, and it is a truly unique experience. I also drum in Zumba classes, and my percussion is on top of the already energetic Latin-inspired tunes. Getting to drum in fitness classes is a lot more positive than drumming in a rock band in a dirty bar.

Additionally, I am the creator of KidsFreezeDance.com, which is a streaming service for teachers and parents who are homeschooled. My videos mix purposeful movement with education and help tremendously with keeping learning fun! My videos have four styles: Freeze Dance, Guided Movement, Pool Noodles, and Desk Drumming. The site has thousands of videos, and I work on them every day. I love it!

How do you define success?
I define success based on the amount of joy and fulfillment I feel in the things I do day to day. To me, it’s important to have a vision and create that reality for myself. I truly enjoy every aspect of my life.

Pricing:

• KidsFreezeDance.com is $5 a month, and you can start a free trial.
• To book Jay on the Drums for your fitness class, email me at jayonthedrums@gmail.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.kidsfreezedance.com and http://www.jayonthedrums.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kidsfreezedance and http://www.instagram.com/jayonthedrums
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kidsfreezedance and http://www.facebook.com/jayonthedrumz
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/kidsfreezedance and http://www.youtube.com/jayonthedrums