115th Concert Weekend – Spring Jam 2019

Join the Band Spring Jam 2019 at The Federal Bar – March 2nd & 3rd.

What a fun weekend! 24 bands and close to 100 “Join the Band” band members rocked The Federal Bar at our “Spring Jam Concert”.

Of course a big thank you to the JTB team for another successful show.  Since I have the best team to manage these concerts we rarely “miss a beat”. Trent, Ryan, Rosh, Jim, Taylor, John M, Leilani, Stevie, Scotty,  Lynn and Victor! All of you rock! We also had a professional and competent sound engineer that did not work for Ozzy and knew where to park. :) Thank you Scott!

Planning and Preparing

It’s amazing to see the results of planning, preparing, and never being a complacent fool. :) The attention to detail of the JTB team in getting the room ready sets the tone for the day. That is why nothing is taken for granted. You may not see it or notice, but we go over every show and tweak procedures. There is nothing more embarrassing than a complacent fool / team. Because, when you start taking things for granted your world will start to whither away. It won’t be in be chunks. However over time, neglect and ambivalence will tear your house down. It is this ambivalence that causes sports teams blow a huge lead with 5-10 minutes to go. You have to run through the finish line and “do your job”.

Just like with our Join the Band team, we place the same emphasis on planning and preparing our Band Members. We do this to make sure you are making good use of your time to plan and prepare practice routines, work on your parts, being accountable to your fellow band members and showing up. That is what makes a band or any team successful. I’m not a big racing fan but I love watching the pit crew in a NASCAR race. Their success is measured in 100ths of a second to get a car fully fueled, a complete set new set of tires, cleaning windows, and all other maintenance items. What we don’t notice or see is the minutia and the dance these crews practice. Jacking up the car, a starter man, lollipop man, fire extinguisher man, etc… More here

Attention to Detail

How does this relate to you and your band? All of it does. The time you spend preparing for rehearsal is not seen by anyone but the results are obvious through the process of preparing for all of your rehearsals all the way through to the concert day.

I love walking through the band rooms every week and listening to the progress. Remember, I am not just walking around. My ears and eyes are wide open to what is happening in each band. The attention to detail when learning a solo, the emphasis of a lyric, the feel of a rhythm part, the way that a drum stick hits the drum head, the way a guitar player bends a note or a singer embellishes a phrase, which pickup is being used on a guitar, at what angle is the stick hitting the cowbell, all these and more are what we hear as musicians and teachers.

We can’t help ourselves. That is why as Band Leaders we are always thinking about what we can we do to help you tweak your sound, show you an alternate way to hit a note, feel a rhythm, remember a chord, lyric etc… All the attention to detail is what separates amateurs and professionals and just an OK performance from a great one. 

Perfection?

Having said all that we had very fun performances from all of our bands. Were they all perfect? Nope. Were they fun to watch and listen to? YES! Was there an audience cheering you on and hanging on to every note. YES!

Remember that no matter how much you prepare perfection is elusive. In other words, it doesn’t exist. There is always the mindset that we could have done something a little better. As artists, we are driven by the quest for a perfect and flawless show when deep inside we know it will never happen. But that is what drives us and keeps us attentive and dedicated to our art and how we want to express ourselves. Otherwise we become the complacent fool with no growth and diminishing skills. 

Join the Band Community

I had two friends of mine come to the concert this past weekend that also own music teaching studios. Both of them were blown away by the feel of the room at The Federal Bar. That is a compliment to all of you and the community you bring to Join the Band. My friends said they just loved the “vibe” and “feel” of the concert. They noticed the love and support for all of our band members. The attention given to our band members by our Join the Band crew and teachers as well as the relaxed atmosphere of everyone just enjoying the day. That to me is what Join the Band is all about. Celebrating a love for music, sharing our knowledge, supporting students, and creating memories for a life time. 

This never gets boring for me. That is why I love what my team has done to help make Join the Band a fun, supportive, and nurturing environment for anyone that wants to play music. I have seen musicians as young as five years old to seniors (our Woodstock generation) perform music for the first time on stage. It’s exhilarating to see the joy on their face, the pride in their step, and love and support from their friends, family and fellow band members. It is their enthusiasm that keeps me going and what keeps me from falling into the trap of the complacent fool. 

See you at the studio!

Remember… I’m listening! :)

John Mizenko

This is the “I did it” smile!