We recently connected with Jon C Gardner and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jon C with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I learned my work ethic by watching my parents work hard to create opportunities for my sister and me. In my musical studies, I faced challenges that pushed me to newer heights. These experiences helped me understand the material better and taught me a lot about myself and how to reach my goals.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a music educator, active composer and saxophonist. I teach middle school music and am an adjunct professor at two universities. I’m very passionate about writing music that the modern people can relate to. Music that helps you navigate to different times in your life through a sound that my music might play.
The relationship between music and memory is very powerful. Having a song trigger an emotion or transport you back to memory can change your day. My greatest goal in life is to always make someone’s day better through my music. For great lengths of time or a fraction of a second; if I can evoke one good emotion, then I can rest easy at the end knowing that I have created a good memory for that individual.
We recollect fond memories as we continue to make new ones. We celebrate those that have come before us, along with those who are now with us. No matter who we make music with, one constant remains true for all… you are a fond memory that is created and forever impacting someone else’s life for the greater good.
I cannot say what the next year or even more will hold for myself and others. I am unable to predict the future. Given that music is a tool to express life and relive moments in time, I can say that our impact on each other will always remain. Music names the unnamable while communicating the unknown. The memories we create here and now are the songs that our emotions shall sing until the day we die. Through my big band, Gardyn Jazz Orchestra, I am able to write the music that I feel makes these connections.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
It is hard to only think of three items in these three areas. If I could mix and match my top overall, I would have to say…
Being able to accept criticism and learn from it is essential. No one is born perfect, but we can learn from our mistakes and understand how we arrived at those conclusions, ultimately becoming better on the other side. As I often tell my students, achieving success is easier said than done; it’s through experiencing failure and learning from those setbacks that we become the best version of ourselves.
Hard work and perseverance during challenging times—whether related to family, personal issues, work, or even writer’s block—are crucial. Knowing how to navigate these difficulties can help you creatively as well. It allows you to bring to life a story that others might relate to.
I believe that skills can be learned and developed over time, but they can also be innate gifts. My active imagination, combined with my musical knowledge and ear for sound, has greatly contributed to my career.
Like many of my heroes and mentors, I would share similar advice with someone starting on the same journey. Beyond the three main points, I’d emphasize the importance of never stopping having fun. I love what I do, and I enjoy the process. There’s an old saying: “Find a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” I truly believe this is the case for me. If you never stop loving what you do, you’ll be rewarded in ways you can’t even imagine.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
My students often ask me and talk to me about how life today seems very overwhelming especially when they look to their futures. They see that there’s a path where they’re going to have a lot of joy laughter and of course sorrow. But most often than not they ask about how I deal with the anxiety and overwhelming pressures of everything around me while still trying to create music, be an educator, or just a human being on a planet full of organized chaos. The question is, what do I do when I feel overwhelmed. I keep moving. I literally keep moving. Most often the night I typically walk away from the project or practice session, or whatever the case may be, and move. Taking a step back in the most literal sense allows me to look around and admire the small things. Something I never appreciated in my younger years. I often took it all for granted. But as the world’s been turning in many different events have happened, I’ve begun to notice that sometimes just letting go and coming back at a later time can really present a new light on things.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jcgardnermusic.com/gardyn-jazz-orchestra
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gardynjazz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gardynjazz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jcgardnermusic7354
- Other: You can check out my music here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/gardynjazzorchestra/vinyl-brews-2
Image Credits
2 of the images are from Chris’ Jazz Cafe (the club looking pictures with the full band)
