Meet Joakim Toftgaard: Musician

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

Hi Joakim, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
In day-to-day life, I don’t think I take that many risks. Like most people, I need a certain amount of stability to feel balanced and be happy. When it comes to my career, one might say that trying to make a living as a musician is a big risk in itself! If I think back, there are a few moments when I’ve had to take a leap of faith, and hope that I land on my feet. The first such leap that comes to mind would be moving from Sweden to Dallas TX in 2013, in pursuit of a music degree. I left friends and family behind and went out on my own. I remember the overwhelming feeling of being halfway across the world, not knowing the culture or the people, just trying to figure things out. While it could be stressful at times, the main feeling that I remember having throughout it was a sense of adventure. I’d wake up in my little crummy college apartment each morning and feel like I was living the dream. It made me work harder than I ever had, and I enjoyed every moment of it! The second career risk I took was moving from Dallas to Los Angeles. This was about 4 years later. I had a steady teaching job at a University there, but I decided to leave it behind and try to go 100% freelance. What really prompted that decision was the search to recapture that sense of adventure I’d had when I first got to the US. I had a 3-month national tour lined up with a band, so I put all my things in storage and decided that after the tour was done I’d move to LA. A friend of mine had moved out here a few months earlier, so I had a little bit of a social lifeline on my arrival. I’ve been here for almost three years now, and one thing that strikes me about people that come to LA is that they often tend to lean towards more risk-taking. I suppose that moving to LA in order to pursue your dreams is an inherently risky undertaking, at that. In a way, I think it’s all about finding the sweet spot of being outside your comfort zone, but not so far outside of it that you’re completely overwhelmed. Adventure, challenges, and growth are all vague buzzwords I see in every motivational instagram post I’ve ever seen – but there IS value to having new things in life in order to avoid stagnation. For a long time now, I’ve been trying to fine-tune that balance between familiar and new, between comfortable and scary. It’s still a work in progress.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Making a living as a musician can be a struggle at times, and the constant hustle for the next gig can get exhausting. That being said, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. The joy of spending every day doing what I love really is a privilege. For me, the pandemic in 2020 really highlighted how music is an integral part of my happiness. And not just playing music, but also sharing that passion with others, in the moment. I can’t wait to get out of my studio and start playing live shows again in front of an audience! I’m proud of where I’ve gotten this far, perhaps especially since I don’t really believe in the idea of talent as the driving force behind success. Like everything else, it takes grit and hard work to get anywhere. I oftentimes encounter the opposite mindset in non-musicians, and in many movies and books they romanticize the idea of a “musical gift” as something you either have or you don’t. While I started playing at a young age, I was never a child prodigy by any means. I put in thousands of hours to get better, and I can say that I take pride in having all those practice hours in the bank. I love how this strangely crooked piece of tubing has allowed me to be a part of so many amazing opportunities, traveling all over the world. These are things that I would never have thought possible while I was painstakingly practicing high notes or tongue studies in a tiny practice room.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Our first stop is surely Perch, a skybar in downtown. It was one of the first spots I visited when I first moved to LA, and I really fell in love with the vibe and the view there. Great cocktails and live music! I also love The Edison, or we might go to 7 Grand for a whiskey and jazz pairing. We’d for sure get both sushi and tacos at some point, as well as taking an afternoon in Venice beach. Having grown up in a much colder part of the world, I have a fascination with palm trees and love strolling along the boardwalk there and people-watch. Checking out some live music at Hotel Café or The Mint are solid go-tos, and exploring LA Smorgasburg is another good bet for some great food. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Wow, that’s a hard question. There are so many people who helped shape and guide me towards becoming a musician. The most obvious answer would be my family: my siblings for putting up with me practicing at home while growing up, and my parents for driving me to rehearsals every other night. The single most influential individual would have to be Magnus Schenström, my music teacher all through middle school. He had this endless energy and positivity, and I can confidently say that without him I wouldn’t be a musician today. As I recall, I was supposed to have 20 minute lessons every week, but we would routinely play together for several hours, until the janitor chased us out of the building at the end of the night. It really cemented a deep joy for music during teenage years when playing trombone definitely wasn’t considered “cool”. I’m forever grateful for how he went above and beyond, and since I’m now a teacher myself, it’s at the forefront of my mind when interacting with students. The impact of a single individual really can be great.

Website: www.joakimtoftgaard.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joakim.trombone

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/joakimtoftgard