Nathan Thiessen began playing violin in the fourth grade. He played throughout high school and then continued playing at Central College, where he majored in music and history. During school, he also learned to play bass guitar and began writing his own music in bands. After graduating school, he stayed in Pella where he taught lessons, worked at a church, and played in bands at the college. In 2016 he would join the band Foreverlin and tour with them until the band ended in 2018. In 2017, he moved to Des Moines and began teaching at the lab in 2022. In addition to teaching, Nathan releases his own music and plays bass in the band Kickstart the Sun.