me arts ed

An interview…

As a follow up to John Jacobson’s visit to Maine for the Maine Music Educators Association All-State Conference at USM he agreed to an interview. I was very impressed when I watched and listened to him with the choral students at All-State. He is a very busy person, as you will read in this post, so I am grateful for his time in answering the questions.

Please tell us about then work you are doing now.
Like most people involved in the arts I am involved in a lot of things that are at different stages of development. Some are just completed,others are just starting to germinate and still others have you in the thick of it. Consequently, I have just finished several exciting writing projects, five new musicals: Squirm!, Flakes, A Pirates Christmas, Harmony High and one I’m particularly excited about, a musical version of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I wrote a book called Double Dream Hands: Living A Life Of Glee Harmony and, Oh Yes….Jazz Hands, produced a workout video called Double Dream Hands: Songs For Fun And Fitness ! And another book about classroom management called Order From Chaos. I also just finished a new commercial sponsored by SPRINT encouraging people to turn off their cell phones and PDA ‘s in movie theaters, worked hard to get John Jacobson’s Music Express Magazine to go digital (which it is), and most importantly, welcomed a new grand niece into the world… her name is Lucy. How cool is that?
As far as things that I’m in the thick of…
I am now in the middle of my 20 city tour of summer teacher workshops, just shot a new commercial for SPRINT which I have not seen yet, am working on a pilot for a new television show, writing a new collection of STOMP style songs about character development and a new book about rediscovering the artist that has been neglected inside many a music teacher.
Germinating? I’ll be teaching this year in Shanghai, China, Danstadt, Germany, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and many exotic cities in between. That’s all very exciting. But did I tell you about my new grand niece Lucy?

What opportunities have music provided for you?
Well, I hope that my answer to the first question would make some of this obvious. Music and the arts have been my ticket to go from a small town boy with a dream to a small town boy with a relatively big life. The arts have been the thing that have helped me find ME. The places I get to go, the people I get to spend my life around are all a result of a life centered in the arts, and better yet, centered around artists. I might be the luckiest guy in the world. Mediocre talent at best, but a life of music, dance, teachers and kids. I pinch myself everyday…….not too hard mind you.

What are the biggest challenges in your  life and how do you meet them?
I suppose upgrades don’t count. Oh well. Kidding aside, travel is both rewarding and difficult. I spend a lot of time getting from one place to the other and that is not always fun. I miss my family. I miss “normal” life a lot. This summer I am missing a niece’s wedding to do a long standing choreography workshop. Do I have my priorities straight?  I struggle with that. Another thing I struggle with everyday is wondering if what I’m doing is really what the great Creator really had in mind for me.
But then I meet a teacher or a child who tells me I made a difference in their life and I think, my niece would understand and God wants me to teach and dance and write my little songs.

What messages do you have for young people about music and the arts in their lives?
Find the joy. Find your bliss. This is the stuff of life. I once wrote a song that said “God put a song in me. It’s never too high or too low. It’s never too loud or too soft, It travels with me wherever I go. God put a song in me.” We all have a song inside of us. It may be music. it may be dance. it may be painting or sculpture, literature or something else. indeed your song might be sports, or auto mechanics, computers or home making, flying airplanes or mowing lawns. Whatever it is that makes you tick, embrace it. Do not be afraid. Find the song that is uniquely you and then, sing it. If you’re worried about making a living, you know, I believe most people think they need more money than they do. Find the joy…that’s the answer.

What advice would you give to teachers about engaging young people in their education?
Your greatest asset is your own enthusiasm.  You want students to be excited about music? YOU be excited about music. You want students to be excited about learning? YOU be excited about learning. You want  your students to love Beethoven, Bach, Sondheim, The Beatles, Picasso, Monet, Stegner, Dickens? You show that you love it. They’ll be like lemmings to the sea. They’ll love what you love. They’ll find joy in what you find joy in and then they’ll finesse it to fit them. What more do you want than that?

The greatest civilizations in the history of human kind have been defined by the art they leave behind. When you become an artist or teach the arts you secure the legacy of our entire society. It’s a worthy role to play.

If you wish to learn more about John and his work please go to http://www.johnjacobson.com/