ANDRE VANDER VELDE
I am a singer-songwriter, musician, and artist who wants to help you unlock your creative potential.
I’ve had a passion for music and creativity for most of my life! My creative journey began with music. I developed my musical foundation as a vocalist, from learning to harmonize to songs in church as a child, to participating in the Iowa All-State Honor Choir in high school while attending Abraham Lincoln in Council Bluffs.
I discovered my passion for guitar as a teenager. I picked up my brother’s dusty classical guitar that he bought in a flea market on a mission trip in Mexico and began to experiment with making sounds and strumming. The next week I bought a lesson book from Sam Goody and taught myself the basic shapes and positions to play some of my favorite songs. I was hooked!
It wasn’t long before I stumbled upon my next passion: songwriting. With an instrument to accompany my voice, I began crafting songs. Many of them were sappy love songs at first but eventually, I found a deeper way to express myself and interpret the world around me.
The process of discovering song ideas from life and turning ideas into melody and chords and eventually a completed song, which can then be shared with the hearts of others, continues to be one of the greatest thrills in life.
Over the past 20 years, I’ve honed my skills and craft as a musician while studying with various instructors to expand my understanding of composition, scales, and music theory. I’ve also performed as a singer-songwriter in various venues in the Omaha metro area and recently been nominated for an Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards for Best Folk as a solo artist and Best Soul with my funk-soul-rock band Jaguar James.
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Art and Business/Communication from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD, and my Master of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I currently work part-time as a worship pastor at Dream City Church Omaha and serve as the Artist Community Leader for the Artist Members program at the 402 Arts Collective.
I can’t wait to learn more about you and your creative goals and to help you grow in your journey!
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