Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jon Yerby. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jon, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Purpose – is a tricky thing to figure out sometimes. The question of why we do – what we do – and who we do it for – It reminds me of the question we are sometimes asked, “Who are you?” To answer this question we might begin by stating our name, occupation, interests, etc, but none of those things really describe who we really are.
To me, the definition of purpose can best be defined by using the word “contribution”, synonymously and interchangeably. Our contribution, or purpose, evolves over time in various ways. Some of these variations might include target, scope, or duration of purpose. I would like to use those 3 parameters to discuss my life in performance, education, and fatherhood.
Early in my career I saw my purpose as contributing to the betterment of my community, society, and perhaps even the world at large by sharing music. I trained most of my life to be a musician, and I get much joy sharing music with others. There have also been many times when this purpose came into doubt. Am I really doing something positive? Does the scope of it matter – whether I perform for 100 people. or 1000, or 1 million? Perhaps it does and perhaps it does not.
Sometimes after a concert someone will come to me and say something like, “thank you for that, I really needed to hear/experience that today”.
We never know what people are going through, and if a moving musical experience has even a chance of talking someone off the proverbial “ledge” (or literal!), then all it takes is that one person in the audience for it all to be worthwhile, or “purposeful”.
Music has such a powerful influence over our emotions, and often it can be used to help us work through the complex emotions we encounter in life.
As an educator I have always found joy in passing on the knowledge and experiences I have been fortunate to accumulate. I have studied with some of the most incredible musicians in the world, from different generations, countries, and cultural backgrounds. This gives me a unique perspective as someone who fits right on the bridge between old and new (pre internet and post internet).
I have found that a genuine student who is serious about learning a new skill requires only the slightest bit of encouragement and small but effective kernels of knowledge that allow them to remove the obstacles in their path.
While our modern world is changing at a breakneck clip that humanity has never experienced before, I think it is still important to observe and respect cross-generational knowledge, even if the ways of the past might seem outdated in certain regards.
For example, one of my guitar mentors is Eliot Fisk, and his mentor was the great Andres Segovia, who is considered a key figure in the development of classical guitar technique, pedagogy, and repertoire.
Also while studying at New England Conservatory I was able to study interpretation with the great harpsichordist, John Gibbons, and his mentor was the famous Dutch keyboardist, Gustav Leonhardt!
Having a connection to these great musicians from two generations ago truly gives me a sense of purpose when it comes to education – so their greatness can live on, even if filtered through the eyes and ears of a millennial!
2 years ago I became a father to a beautiful baby girl named Hannah. This of course caused a significant shift in my “purpose”, as it were. I still love my work of course, but being present with her is my #1 priority. Traveling the country or world no longer has that luster that it once did. Now the thought of being away from my family for weeks as I go on tour just sounds depressing. Priorities shift – and the beautiful thing about that is that they shift without resistance from me. It feels organic and natural. Of course, in our modern age, one does not necessarily have to travel around to share their music. In fact, I can now reach exponentially more people while working from my home studio.
When Hannah gets older, I want her to be able to see my contributions, whether they are in music performance, education, composition, or otherwise, and know that her father worked hard and touched the lives of many people across the world, all while being a present father to her.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
By day I am a music professor at Southern Utah University. I also teach a select group of private students at home or on Zoom.
Live performance – as schedule permits I perform as a soloist or with groups/orchestra. Primarily classical guitar but other genres as well (I often moonlight as a blues/improvisational guitarist).
YouTube – @JonPaulYerby-thespacebetween – I have a YouTube channel featuring performances and educational material, focusing on fingerstyle guitar. Please subscribe for informative lessons and content!
Patreon – Coming Soon! A monthly subscription or one time donation will give you access to exclusive guitar content – technique, theory, practice, and more.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1) Computer literacy and aptitude – When you are starting out, it is important to be able to DIY many things. I learned to record, edit, and produce audio and video, as well as graphic design elements so I can curate my own materials without having to pay someone else for it.
2) Interpersonal skills – Be able to have a natural conversation with someone. Learn to listen, acknowledge, respond, and interact while being polite, respectful, and HONEST.
3) Time management – Often we creative types do not naturally excel at time management. Projects can become obsessed over, or put off for no reason other than not having a solid schedule or plan. Set achievable goals rather than unattainable ones. Set yourself up for success, not failure, even if that means taking smaller steps that are more achievable in the short term.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
YES! I am looking for other musicians, not necessarily local, to collaborate with. Preferably instrumentalists who play unusual instruments or perhaps classical instruments but want to explore outside of traditional genres. I would like to create ambient soundtracks and meditative soundscapes.
Authors and Poets – I would like to set music to your spoken word or have music/word juxtaposed in some way. I have been told I have a great radio voice too, so I could read as well if you prefer!
Contact Info:
- Website: JonPaulYerby.com
- Instagram: @JonPYerby
- Facebook: facebook.com/jon.yerby
- Youtube: @JonPaulYerby-thespacebetween
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/seisreyosdeplata
Image Credits
Barbara Gracner
