Welcome Cooper Schou
Cooper Schou has an ear for sound. Now he’s using his talents at St. Paul as he joins the staff in a new role built around worship, digital media, and the music that has defined his life.
Cooper Schou has never really stopped playing. Drums in fifth grade. Piano because it’s a staple for a musician. Bass when he came home from college so he could play alongside his dad and brother, both talented musicians as well. Guitar, keys — whatever the song called for. Music was never a phase for Cooper. It was always front and center.
“I never thought of doing anything else,” he said.
Cooper, a Pleasant Valley graduate, grew up connected to St. Paul from the time he was about 12 years old. Confirmation, youth group, Sunday mornings — it was all part of how he was shaped here. He went on to study jazz at the University of North Texas before eventually returning to the area as a full-time professional musician.
This spring, Cooper joined the St. Paul staff as the digital media assistant, a new position created to strengthen the congregation’s worship life and digital presence. Much of the role previously fell under the responsibilities of the operations director, but as St. Paul’s communication and worship needs have grown, so has the case for a dedicated position.
In this role, Cooper prepares slides for worship, including announcements, prayers, and music. He ensures media coverage across all worship services, from regular Sunday gatherings to church holidays, weddings, funerals, and midweek services. He also supports the editing of St. Paul’s podcast portfolio and other communication assets.
Outside the office, Cooper teaches music lessons at AM Guitar Works. His band, FarOut 283, an alternative blues-rock band, gigs about five to six nights a week, playing a mix of original material and bar sets. The band has performed at the Davenport Alternating Currents arts and music festival and venues in Iowa City and has opened for acts in the area.
“I like giving people something that brings them joy and I get a lot of joy out of the music as well. I love to play,” Cooper said. “But I also love that people come out to listen to us. We have a following of people who come out to see us nearly every time we play. That’s really cool.”
His best nights on stage are the ones he can barely remember afterward.
“You go into a flow state — when you can’t remember the show,” he said. “Sometimes we play for a tiny little crowd. But we enjoy playing in general and together as a band so much that it almost doesn’t matter.”
On Tuesday nights, Cooper plays with his dad at the R Bar. When everyone is around, his brother Jackson, a professional musician living in Nashville, joins in, too — a continuation of something that started when Cooper was young.
“Growing up, I played music with my dad and brother,” he said. “Once I got back from college, I learned bass so we could play together, the three of us. That still happens.”
Away from music, Cooper enjoys golf, catching live music, bowling with friends, and a good Wii Sports tournament or two. You can catch him playing, typically drums, with the Open Spirit
Ensemble at the 11:15 a.m. worship service on Sundays, led by his dad, Brian Schou.
For Cooper, the new role at St. Paul is a natural fit. The work touches everything he has grown up loving: music, community, and a congregation that, as he puts it, has always felt like home.
