Markus Lillehaug Johnsen

Talent is one thing. Good habits are everything. That's the message Markus Lillehaug Johnsen wants to give his students.

Practice, practice, practice
Markus started playing guitar at the age of ten, after a friend decided that he should be the guitarist in the band they wanted to start.
– I was mostly interested in football and was actually into music, but I thought it was a good idea. It looked kind of cool.

He discovered that he had a talent that made playing the guitar easier than for many others.
– Maybe I practiced more, I don't know – but it clicked for me, and music became an obsession.

From the age of twelve he played every day, and only after he turned 40 did he start to treat himself to days off on the weekends.

The guitar led Markus to the music department in high school and then to the Viken Folk High School of Music.
– There I just sat in a corner and practiced five hours a day outside of school. I was a complete nerd.

If you're good enough, show up when you're supposed to, and are semi-nice, opportunities will arise.

Life as a freelancer
This was followed by a four-year bachelor's degree at the Norwegian Academy of Music as a performing jazz guitarist, combined with the start of life as a freelance musician. Markus has played in house bands on Idol , The Voice and Spellemannprisen , been on stage with high-profile artists such as Ole Børud, Maria Mena and Christel Alsos – and produced several of the songs for, and played with, Marte Wang.
– As a freelance musician, you've worked with many people over time. If you're good enough, show up when you're supposed to and are semi-nice, opportunities will arise.

Now Markus wants to play more on his own terms. He has started the jazz band Tumulter, which performs his own songs, and also plays in the death metal band Grant The Sun – together with the friend who once got him started on guitar.

– At the folk high school you can bring yourself into the music, spend time on what you think is important and gradually find out who you are as a musician.

Advocate for good habits

In parallel with his life as a guitarist, Markus has worked as a teacher of performing music at Oslo Folk High School Rønningen. He started as a substitute in 2007, and has remained there ever since.

He praises the folk high school as an arena for developing as a musician.

– At the folk high school you can bring yourself into the music, spend time on what you think is important and gradually find out who you are as a musician. People often forget that music is an art form. If Picasso had painted like Munch, we wouldn't have heard of Picasso.

Markus describes his own teaching style as "no-nonsense", and is clear that he is not afraid to speak up if students do not do what is expected of them.

– If I say “shush”, then it’s quiet. If I say “come on time”, then they come on time. I hope they understand that the way I am in class is a caricature of me as a person. Outside, we can joke and have fun.

He finds that most people find it great that both they and the subject are taken seriously, and he is clear that it comes from a place of love. Markus describes himself as a champion of good habits.

– I hope by the end of the year they have learned something about work ethic and showing up when you are supposed to. That is one of the most important things I can give them, no matter what they want to do. Just show up and do the job. If you do something 20,000 times, it is okay to not be good at it.

– Just show up and do the job. If you do something 20,000 times, it's okay to not be good at it.