How does the study of jazz help us in the era of COVID-19?

Before getting into recruitment, before getting into leadership, before anything that I'm doing now, I was a musician. Arguably, I'm still a musician!  

I studied piano at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.  At both institutions, my teachers imparted upon me one skill that's made all the difference in my life, and my career - improvisation. 

The study of jazz is the study of language, culture, and the human condition. You start out by learning the blues - a common language spoken by all jazz artists. Then you graduate into learning other styles and the works of great artists.  

I can remember teachers passionately showing how the work of one artist was referenced 20 years later by another artist and how that created R&B as we know it.  

I have vivid memories of walking through standard Charlie Parker licks and learning how to apply those licks (short musical ideas) in different ways across different idioms (genres).  

I learned the structure of music, like the structure of an organization. How a solid song structure can be bent, adjusted, or scaled to accommodate the song.

Most significantly, I learned how to communicate. You can't redirect, change, or innovate a group unless you can stop - listen to what's going on, and then assert your direction.  

Jazz is often defined as a language of music, rooted in the blues, and characterized by improvisation. How about seeing jazz as the language of innovation?

A language that's rooted in a collective narrative and characterized by a desire to try something new to make something better. 

The study of jazz is the study of culture, history, critical thought, "what if" thinking, communication, and humanity.  

The study of jazz is the study of failed experiments, wins, momentary rushes of genius, and perseverance in the face of defeat.

The study of jazz is the study of how to be an innovator. Especially nowadays.  

Now, more than ever, we enter an era where being human-centered is considered essential for new businesses to thrive.  

Now, more than ever, innovative thought is the engine driving that pivot to human-centered approaches.

Now, more than ever, there's never been such a demand for people who can ask, "What if? Why not? What stops us from? Wouldn't it be cool if? Yes and..., and Let's see what happens."  

Our culture has changed, and it will change again.  

Are you ready to improvise?

A great many thanks to Keith Reynold Jennings for encouraging me to write this article.  The article that inspired this post can be found here: https://businessesgrow.com/2020/04/01/tomorrows-hope

Photo by Miti on Unsplash