100th JTB Concert Review

June 6th & 7th 2015

What a great weekend we had at The Roxy! 30 band performances, the  BB King tribute, donations to “Room to Read” with the help of Lulu Cerone and her LemonAid Warriors for the Nepal Schools,  JTB mentors helping out, the debut of our JTB Choir, the 100th JTB concert weekend, and good vibes all around.

JTB TEAM

I want to give a big shout out to the JTB team for all the work they put in preparing bands and show day logistics. The JTB team rocks our shows every time. Trent, Ryan, Rosh, Scotty, Jim, and Jay, Concert day for us starts Friday with packing up and loading gear into two trucks. We arrive at the club at 7:30am both mornings to get the stage and room ready for a 10:15am down beat. Very impressive I must say.

A big shout out to Sandra at SoCal graphics in Glendale. Sandra has been with me from the beginning. She makes us look good. All the JTB banners, concert programs, posters and badges are designed by Sandra.

CONCERT

The Roxy staff was great all weekend. We had a great sound team,  lighting, stage support, and the management staff was great. This was our first time in the Roxy since it was bought by Golden Voice. I could see the improvements in lighting, sound and overall appearance of the room. Nice!

Both Saturday and Sunday ran very well. Band Members were on time, in tune and ready to play. The preparation you all put in was very noticeable. I received a lot of nice comments from the Roxy staff, parents and friends all day about how well the bands performed on and off stage. You all deserve a big hand for representing yourself and JTB so well. Thank you!

MENTORS:

The JTB mentors: Hailey Hays, Leilani Simmons, Ben Bryan, Alex Sill, Lulu Cerone, Victor Sintef, Ramond Debow, Casey Allen, Spencer Lemann and Connor Hathaway. Thank you all for taking the time to mentor younger musicians and be an example as to what JTB is all about. Teamwork, support,  and the “what can I do to help” attitude instead of the, “what is in it for me” arrogance. You all rock!

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED FROM 100 CONCERT WEEKENDS:

A good friend of mine always says,  “So what did you learn?” after any experience.

Here is what I have learned. My top 10 list. :)

After 100 concert weekends and 17 years I still love:

1. Getting up everyday to mentor musicians and teachers the art of learning and teaching music.
2. That you chose JTB  to mentor your kids in the music and performing arts. I know I speak for my entire staff when I say that we are honored that you choose our studio.
3. Looking at the nervous faces of young performers backstage and onstage at every JTB concert.
4. Watching the teachers give all the kids equal support and not letting anything fall through the cracks. Every kid (and adult student) needs a cheerleader and I hope they feel that support from our team.
5. The “I did it face” of pure joy as the students come off stage after rocking the house.
6. The tears of joy we see from mom’s and dad’s as they see their kids break through a performance hurdle. Whether it is stage fright, singing for the first time, nailing that solo, or just getting through a song, the parental support is heartfelt.
7. Planning and pulling off concerts with a hundred or so families at well known venues in Los Angeles. FYI…Since most of our concert weekends are 2 days our actual concert day count is close to 200!
8. The huge smiles on the faces of parents and friends that we see from the stage at every JTB show. The support for our JTB musicians is amazing. The JTB team and I thank you all.
9. Watching failure from the students, my team and myself. We learn the most from the mistakes we make. Perfect does not exist. If anything “Perfect” is boring. It is those rough edges  and curve balls we learn to hit that makes everything more interesting. I try to remind myself daily (and our students and team) that is not what happens to you that is important. It is what you learn from what happens to you and the choices you make that determines where you are going and what you accomplish.
10. Listening and learning from the JTB students, JTB team and parents. You have taught me a lot over the years and I am still paying attention.

Thank you all for being a part of JTB over the years. Let’s go rock the next 100 concert weekends!

Sincerely,

John Mizenko