Whatever jazz has taught me, if there is one thing I know, it is that life doesn’t follow a script. It shifts, it moves, it changes and it asks for us to adjust, to listen, and to make when we can. I’ve been a modern jazz singer, and spent years in this world, not just in music, but in life itself. Each performer, band, and stage has been my teacher, the band my collaborator, and every performance has been a lesson in resilience, grace, and authenticity.
I’ve learned to not be afraid of uncertainty and to trust my instincts through jazz, to take the lows and highs both as lessons and to derive meaning from them. The life lessons by jazz, have all affected my music and my overall view on life. These lessons play out for every musician, alas, and the more I sing, the more I realize.
In that case, I wanted to share a few of the most valuable lessons jazz has granted me – the education I bring to the stage and in life.
Master the Art of Improvisation
The first thing I learned as a jazz musician was to expect nothing to go exactly as planned. Even if you have prepared in the best way possible, you will always have an unpredictable twist as you get a sudden key change, a new rhythm, or a missed note. But only improvising is the way forward.
Life works the same way. Just as things tend to be, things will not go the way we planned. I’ve taught myself to abide by the moment and adapt, as well as to see beauty, even in the unexpected. I think some of my best performances have been based purely on the elimination of mistakes and the giving of the music the freedom to go where it wishes to go.
Jazz has taught me that freedom comes from entrusting the deed to an unknown receiver. If I‘m not trying to control everything all the time, it allows me the time and space for creativity, spontaneity, and magic. The life lessons by jazz remind me that sometimes, the most beautiful moments happen when we least expect them.
Take Your Solo, But Support Others Too
I always enjoy a solo, stepping into the light, giving my heart in a song, and allowing the music to run through me. Jazz is not just about the soloist; it is about the entire band. No one plays alone.
In life, as in jazz, each has our turn to shine but we each need to support in the return to each other. I’ve witnessed how the best musicians are ‘uplifters’ where everyone can hear every instrument. In life the same: in family, friendships, and vocation, we do live better together, in collaboration and lifting each other.
I’ve learned that success isn’t about being the loudest or the most dominant. It’s about knowing when to lead, when to step back, when to take your moment, and when to cheer for someone else.
Love Your Errors
There are too many times I’ve missed a note, on stage. But you know what? It never bothers the audience – until I grin, or let it keep me from going on.
Jazz has helped me to learn to love my mistakes, to fill my mistakes with music, and to join my mistakes with the story. And isn’t life the same way? We all stumble, we all mess up. However, if we can accept our imperfections, and not dish out fear for them, they become something to be beautiful.
When I hear the recordings of the great Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald, I hear little imperfections, but those are the things that make their music real, raw, and alive. I’ve learned to also turn my performances into moments of honesty even, even when the search for perfection reaches the zenith of my performances.
The life lessons by jazz always remind me that perfection is an illusion. What matters is how you move forward, adapt, and embrace your unique voice.
Listen More, Speak Less
One of the greatest gifts jazz has given me is the ability to listen. Before I ever step up to sing, I listen to the music, the instruments, the rhythm. I listen to my bandmates, their cues, their energy. Because jazz isn’t just about what you play – it’s about how you respond.
Life is the same way. The more we listen, the more we understand. I’ve learned that when I truly listen to the people around me, to my intuition, to the silence between the notes, I find clarity.
Music has taught me that sometimes, the most powerful moments come not from the notes we sing, but from the pauses in between.
Find Your Rhythm
All jazz singers are unique. There are going to be different styles, different ways of interpreting and how. There’s no formula, no right or wrong way- only what feels true to you. However, it was a long time before it sank in. I wanted to be the greats, to be able to sound like them and how they phrased. However, jazz doesn’t work like that. It requires you to create a rhythm, your voice.
Then isn’t that the hardest life lesson? So that you won’t compare yourself to others, will refuse to mold yourself into another person’s idea of something, and will embrace being unique in this world.
Sitting behind or lying behind the jazz takes us back to the essence, not the bookish stuff but just the purest things that are coming from the real human heart and real soul in the world, whether you are a musician, artist, or someone who is out to find your path, the life lessons by the jazz take us back to authenticity is everything, purely that. The day I abandoned the idea of being anyone else and just let it be myself was the day I became a modern jazz singer.
Nothing Comes Fast and Easy
I’ve always had people ask me, how long did it take you to be a professional jazz singer? The truth? I’m still learning. Jazz is an open, never-ending road with an infinite band of evolution.
For years I’ve been perfecting my craft, taking away from performance, mistakes, late late-night rehearsal. And jazz taught me there were times when I would have liked instant success. Then it taught me that real mastery takes time, love the affinity of doing the process.
And life is no different. The things that last are the things that require effort. You don’t achieve greater success overnight, form deeper relationships, or become a better version of yourself.
Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
This is a lesson I need to be reminded of constantly. But there will always be someone with a more powerful voice, more waxing range, and more impressive résumé. But the comparison is a trap.
Jazz has taught me that each musician has something to give you that will be unique. Greatness does not have a single definition. Some singers have wonderful techniques and others with soul-provoking emotions. Some musicians are virtuosos, and simple storytellers others.
The same goes for life. Your journey is yours alone. For example, instead of measuring yourself against others, jazz singer Sylvia Brooks has found a successful way and has done so herself (carved) in the jazz world. Success isn’t about being the best—it’s about being yourself.
The Reward Is in the Work
I don’t sing for applause at the end of the day. I sing because I love it. Well, it moves through me, is breathed into me, is me.
Anything worth doing in life is the same. Chasing success will always make you feel like something is missing. If you love what you do, and put your heart in it, you will not work for them, you will draw them.
What the life lessons by jazz have taught me is that the real joy is in the work, yes, the late nights, the rehearsals, quiet moments of inspiration. When you start finding joy in the process, everything else just falls into place.
Conclusion
My greatest teacher has been jazz. I remind myself that by listening, adapting, and trusting in my voice, I have shown myself how to trust others. Whether on stage or off, I use these life lessons from jazz as a guide every day to learn more about myself. If you want to learn more about jazz singer Sylvia Brooks then visit my bio.
To that end, if there’s anything I wish you could take from this, it’s this: That life, jazz, is an improvisation. It’s unpredictable, messy, and beautiful. Recall what you love about writing for yourself and have that joy back no matter how buffeted by outside opinion. To be fair, you make the music what it is.
