My Patreon page is live!
I’m very excited to announce the launch of my new Patreon page! If you’re on this page, chances are you’re open to the idea of supporting my musical endeavors beyond listening to my tracks and watching my videos. My Patreon page is a way for you to do just that. Click the button below to sign up, or read on for more info.
Become a Patron!What’s a Patreon?
Patreon is a platform for fans to connect with their favorite artists and support them directly if they so desire. It’s kind of like a Kickstarter, but instead of funding a single project, you’re funding a creator on an ongoing (monthly) basis. In exchange, there are different rewards you can get depending on the amount that you contribute—for example, early access to new content, mp3 downloads, and extra content for my tutorial videos.
My Patreon page is a central location where I can share all my various musical projects and interests with all of you, and there’s a community/chat feature so we can talk about it too! It also represents a way for me to use music to commitment on my part to releasing my work on a more frequent basis, instead of just waiting for the right time, the ideal circumstances, or the perfect performance. What I really want to share with you all is the process of creating, because that’s the part that’s most exciting for me—and hopefully for you too!
Why am I on it?
There are 3 main reasons:
- So I can make creating a bigger part of my life. My main job is teaching private lessons, but your support would help me continue devoting a portion of my time to recording and releasing my original compositions! I write for solo piano and larger jazz ensembles, and some electronic music too.
- So I can up my piano education game with tutorial videos. Having additional support from generous fans like you affords me more time and resources to devote myself to producing educational piano videos on a regular basis, so that I can spread the joy of learning music to more people around the world!
- So I can continue giving back to the communities that made my career possible. See the next section for more info.
Giving Back
As of June 2020, $5 out of every $50 pledged on my Patreon page (rounded up) goes to each of the following three organizations:
I picked Black Lives Matter Global Network and Black Voters Matter because I would not be a musician without the enormous, groundbreaking work of Black jazz artists throughout history. Even though Black musicians created the jazz idiom and have continued to refine and expand it in countless ways, they suffered horrible discrimination from white patrons, club owners, lawmakers and especially police just for trying to play their music. It’s time to end state sponsored racial discrimination and I believe these two organizations are two of the best-suited to achieve that goal.
Finally, I decided on the Stanford Jazz Workshop because for ten years they played a huge part in my musical upbringing and in instilling my love for jazz, and even when I stopped attending as a student they continued to support my career as a jazz educator. As the pandemic continues into its 2nd year, they need all the help they can get to keep their programs alive and adapt for distance learning.
Help me continue giving back by becoming a Patron today!
Become a Patron!What am I creating on Patreon?
Here are some of the things I’m sharing on my page:
– improvisation videos;
– piano and music theory tutorials;
– new and old compositions (audio files and/or videos);
– musical experiments and works-in-progress;
– blog-style posts.
Here are a few examples of my projects:
Tunes
Improvisations
Tutorials
I’m really pleased with the direction this project has taken me so far, and excited to see what comes next! I hope you will considering signing up and joining me on this musical journey.
Please check out the page, enjoy the YouTube videos and consider supporting—there are lots of great rewards to choose from! Thanks for reading—I really appreciate you taking the time to check out my music!
Become a Patron!– Jake
