This post is about the lessons that I learned through listening to Jazz. I will be talking about some actual life lessons and work strategies that I have gained through listening to music in this genre. If you like jazz, keep reading because I’m about to blow your mind. If you hate jazz, keep reading because I’m gonna change your perspective. If you’ve never listened to it, let me tell you why you should. Let’s jump right in!

How I started listening to Jazz…

I watched a lot of television and movies as a child. I encountered a lot of characters, often my favorites, that would listen to jazz, or collect jazz records. That alone was never enough to get me to listen to it. However, in high school, I was offered the opportunity to take music lessons. I learned how to play bass guitar because I loved the sound, and I thought it was a less common instrument for girls to play. After I started playing, I was encouraged to try out different styles of playing. I decided to start with jazz, and I never stopped.

What I like about it…

The versatility.
The diversity.
The history.
The style.
The chaos.

Going deeper…

The versatility.

I mean this in multiple ways. When I stumbled upon jazz I had been looking for music that I could listen to on any occasion. I am really picky about sensory when it comes to my personal environment. So, I had often run into a problem where I wouldn’t want to listen to any of the music I liked, just because it didn’t fit my mental context at the time. Jazz opened my horizons. I think it is versatile in two major ways:

The circumstances that I am able to listen to it.
The adaptions from different artists.

I absolutely love these attributes because I can always find some kind of jazz that will fit the mood, or the context. In addition to this, it is very common for jazz music to be recorded by many artists. There are at least a dozen versions of every song that I would recommend in this genre. If you like a song, but don’t want the lyrics, there’s probably already an instrumental version out there, maybe even three. You can pretty much hear anyone perform anything you like when it comes to jazz.

The diversity.

This is one genre that is packed full of diversity. Of course, there are specific cultures that jazz is attributed to when it comes to an origin. However, when you look at the most talented musicians in this genre, you will find that they come from all different walks of life. Black, white, young, old, solo, bands, whatever it may be, it’s represented here. I have always thought that was kind of unique.

The history.

Jazz has had a lot of relevance throughout modern history. However, I love hearing the stories of the musicians in this genre. I have found some of the most capturing, or entertaining stories from reading about the lives of jazz musicians. I love it because, to me, it’s more than just the music.

The style.

I think jazz musicians have style. It’s simple, but I love it. I love that every successful jazz musician I have ever watched, makes me experience the music, not just listen to it. It is about more than just making noise, it’s about how it feels. It’s part music, part impression. Jazz truly is full of musicians who are more than just a celebrity. They are alluring, exciting, and interesting people, and they make alluring, exciting, and interesting music.

The chaos.

I love watching jazz sets because I feel like the musicians are always so calm, when the music is so active. They perform with precision, grace, and focus when there’s eight other instruments, all playing eight other notes. I love that watching jazz is a representation of a truly natural system. Something with a bunch of small pieces that come together to create this beautiful, functioning display. It’s pretty cool.

The corresponding lessons…

Know your skills, and your personal versatility.
Working with diverse perspectives will help you become well-informed.
Tell your story.
Know what sets you apart, and find your natural style.
The key to chaos is peace.

The explanation…

Know your skills, and your personal versatility.

I am eighteen years old, and I have held four jobs, one internship, gone to college, and created a media brand. I have been hired for every job I have ever applied for, and been offered two scholarships that I didn’t even apply for. I have never won an opportunity by submitting a plain resume. I have had many opportunities because I know myself. I know my skills. I know how they apply and function in a myriad of situations. I can identify it even when I haven’t been in that situation before. Jazz taught me that I can function, uniquely, in many different situations with many different factors.

When I apply for a job, I don’t say, “I worked as a lifeguard for two seasons.”. Instead, I say, “I know that I am capable of performing well and staying focused in a high stress environment. While being trained as a public safety professional, I exceeded at taking in large amounts of information and training, in short amounts of time. I know the importance of company policy first-hand, and these are just the surface skills that I can bring to this position.” It’s as simple as knowing your own skills well enough to say how they can be applied to a new situation or scenario.

Working with diverse perspectives will help you become well-informed.

Two things you can find easily in jazz are: collaborations and covers. Musicians who team up to create new music, and musicians who take music and perform it in a new way. Seeing, and listening to this, taught me that diverse perspectives help to refine ours. I refuse to shy away from other’s interpretations of my beliefs. I want to see how people take my ideas and apply them in new ways. Obviously, jazz is not some weird group of musicians who don’t care about ownership of their work. However, it is uniquely open to reinterpretation of original pieces.

Today, there is a obsession with originality and ownership. However, people are rarely remembered for what they created and owned. People are often remembered for who they inspired, and how their ideas shaped others’. So, never shy away from an opportunity to work with someone who is dynamically different from you, and aim to inspire ideas, not to own ideas.

Tell your story.

How many people have inspired you with their story? Our society places so much weight on our history as a group, whether by country, nation, or culture. What about individuals? There are so many influential individuals who get left out of history books. You might be one of them. I would strongly encourage everyone to share their story with every opportunity they get. You never know who will resonate with your experiences, or the way that you express them.

Know what sets you apart, and find your natural style.

My personal favorite is Chet Baker. If you look him up on Google, the internet will tell you that he was a trumpet player. He was also a vocalist, composer, and talented performer. I have always admired his style and his stage presence. In fact, he was so well known for his style that he was commonly referred to as: The James Dean of Jazz. I wanted to be like Chet Baker, and I spent a long time thinking about what made him so unique. Was it just natural presence? Was it raw talent? Was it musical intuition? Maybe. However, I realized that Chet Baker probably didn’t become the “James Dean of Jazz” by wondering how someone else became someone else.

All I know about having style is that every time I let myself do something on instinct, I’ve been told I had style or creativity. I think that your natural style, or persona, emerges when you push yourself to be yourself with absolutely no justification or reason. People respond to reputation, and you build reputation by standing out. What do people know you for? Maybe it’s as simple as that. Or, maybe you want to be known for something else. The best way to find it is to experiment. When do you feel like you’re truly yourself? Put yourself in whatever setting, with whatever people, that encourage that feeling in you. Finding your voice, your persona, your value… That’s what makes you stand out.

The key to chaos is peace.

My family hates jazz. It’s not quite contraband in my house, but I do have to listen to it in solitude away from their ears. They think it’s too busy, or has too much going on. They think it’s too chaotic. This is funny to me. I have a theory that it’s not the music, but the lack of control that bothers them. It is distracting because they don’t know what to focus on when they hear it. It’s the same problem people face when they are working in a chaotic environment. They just don’t know where to focus, or how to control the stimulation.

That’s not what it’s supposed to be about. The point isn’t to tame it, it’s to give into it.

The beauty of jazz is that you can focus on each instrument, while remaining aware of every single other instrument. They all add to and accentuate each other. This is how I view stressful work. The problem isn’t that I don’t have enough control, but the blessing is that I can remain aware of it all at once. Chaos pushes you to listen more intently. It forces you to identify what you want out of something, and if you want it enough to stick with it.

When you’re faced with chaos, do not seek control. You probably aren’t in control.

Accept the circumstance, and have peace with it. You may not have control of the circumstance, but you do have control of you.

Thank you!

Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this! What did you think? Check out the link here to see some of my jazz recommendations, if you’re interested.