Hey Nick , thank you so much , I appreciate your sentiments. I will see you at the next town hall . Take care , Jack
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Wow, you’ve played with some of the all-time greats — that’s awesome! You must have so many great experiences and stories. What instrument(s) did you play? Sorry if I missed you mentioning this elsewhere in the thread. I know you don’t get to play with big names like that unless you build a reputation for being excellent at what you do.
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Wow thats inspirational
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eclecticmisc , I played violin in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra {LPO }. Besides playing the standard repertory , we were hired to back up major artists. So, we usually did 1 rehearsal than the show on the same day. When you are a professional musician , that’s standard operating procedure. Read the charts , play the show. I loved it , though I don’t play anymore due to my medical condition. Of course , in the symphonic world , you can have 2-4 totally different programs in a week . You have to learn quickly and be accurate. there is no greater rush than being enmeshed in the sound of 90 or so of your colleagues wailing on a Mahler symphony or Strauss tone poem . With no amplification. It’s like driving a Toyota MR-2 with the engine in the back propelling you forward. I hope this gives you some insight. Jack
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Yes it does, thanks for taking the time to explain it more. I can imagine it being very difficult playing a variety of material each week, with little lead time, and being in sync with your fellow musicians. But it sounds like a transential experience, I’m sure even more so especially when it’s for big-name acts and there are large audiences.
I have two uncles who were in small-time touring bands — not big enough to have back-up musicians or strings at live shows, although one of them was fairly well known in the college circuit — and my mother played violin non-professionally. I write music on my own sometimes but don’t play an instrument properly and have accepted that I will just have to live vicariously through other’s experiences.
So I only know very peripherally about the world of music, but it’s always interested me and I’m impressed and in awe by what you did in the music world. The next time I hear an old live recording from one of these artists or other big names, I can tell myself that maybe Jack is playing or at least used to run in the same circles as the people playing that concert.
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WOW, that’s amazing!
I’m on a few Dr. John’s recordings and a TV series in 2011-2012 called Pan Am which starred Margot Robbie . I think that session called for strings , horn , piano and percussion . I think it’s on Amazon Prime , originally aired on ABC Prime time . There were a few movies but I don’t remember , I’d have to do some digging . Oh , I just remembered being on a show in the '90’s , Moon Over Miami . Unfortunately , it didn’t get picked up by the network. Good music though . Take care , Jack
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Yes it is , Andrea . Hope you are well Jack
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Thanks, i appreciate it!
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Hi Jack,
I hope youre doing well!
Thanks for sharing your story. I absolutely love music
In HS I was in the chorus (kinda band- i always filled in when noone wanted to play the xylophone). I also played acoustic and classical guitar for many years.
In fact, when I was picking colleges I purposely choose one with a great music program & great math program- and one I could afford- SUNY Fredonia. I ultimately chose math but I joined the chorus because you’re absolutely right… being in the middle of the orchestra or chorus is an amazing feeling!!!
Now that I’ve retired I’ve actually thought about getting a violin & starting lessons. Listening to music is great but making music is even better.
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Dawn , you are absolutely correct . Being involved in any creative process stimulates your mind , you learn discipline , work positively with others , and opens up your soul. I’m in shock that the arts are thrown in the trash bin in school curriculums when those classes could be the most important part of a child’s education. The cost of one 2,000 pound bomb could be used to lift up people rather than destroy them . Sorry for the rant , you hit a nerve but I am so happy for your kind response.BTW, I forget to mention that I really had fun playing twice Barry White’s set years ago Jack
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I was supposed to go on a two week trip to Italy with the family and we canceled it because of Biden dropping out. Except my wife was already in Italy, so she’s now having a great time there. But I’m thrilled that we accomplished our mission of getting a better candidate. So, I’m definitely taking joy from that.
Also, my kids and I are watching TV shows we love in our favorite place in the world - the couch. So, at least we’re soaking that in. So, we all wound up pretty happy anyway.
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That’s too bad you’re missing out on the vacation, but I’m so happy for your wife–seriously, being alone in Italy has to be amazing! I hope you all get to enjoy Italy as a family soon. Who takes care of all of your foster cats while you’re all gone? I know a guy who might be willing to help out if you need it! @vegangunguy 
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Jack,
I completely agree!! My hubby has had to listen to a few of my pro-music/pro-art rants!
Yes, I’d much rather we support art & music instead of buying bombs.
But I also think there are so many other ways our tax dollars could be spent to help.
I was on many million dollar plus math grants. In fact, I was sent grant opportunities constantly. Obviously its because of the insane focus on STEM.
Don’t get me wrong, I love STEM. I have a PhD in math and taught future math teachers for decades (teaching math teachers is a huge area for grants!). But music and art were absolutely critical in my education.
There are grants in the arts, but its practically nothing compared to the STEM grants.
Maybe I think too much like @cenkuygur , but I sincerely believe even this comes down to corporations and money. They believe STEM leads to jobs, manufacturing, careers, taxes, etc. Meanwhile the folks in the arts dont generate the same cash flow and are treated as second class citizens.
After all, why would we want to help people find happiness and joy?
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Take care of yourself, yo.
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Aw, how beautiful–thank you! 
Hey Dawn , please excuse me , I graduated my Masters in 1988 , so I have no idea what STEM is. I can guess it’s somebody’s brainy idea to modernize teaching to our students. People pay taxes for quality public education , and I came out alright with that. They even had social studies , music and math in my years growing up. I can even point to Korea , Ukraine and Argentina on a map . WOOHOO! Jack
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STEM = Science, Tech, Engineering, & Math Education (I had to google it myself LOL)
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I realize through this exercise that more than half of the joy in my life comes from spending time with my kids. Every time I go to write about what gave me joy, I always go back to time I spent with the kids.
I think part of the reason for this is that I’m a kid inside. So, it’s not just that I love my kids, which I definitely and massively do, but it’s also because I legitimately have fun with them. I like playing board games, having water balloon fights, watching TV on the couch, telling stories about our lives (including the hot goss from school).
And I get to teach them life lessons! That one comes with some eyerolls, but I think they secretly like it, too.
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