The Ballad of Bastards and Grammy Nominee, Five for Fighting

John: [00:00:00] If you look at schools that have a music teacher, it's not just that they're socially better, that they issues. All of the metrics for the math, the sciences, writing, reading, they also go up and there's this light in the school,

Theme: how to survive the classroom. 

Andrea: Hello friends, and welcome to How to Survive the Classroom. I, we have like the coolest guest that is coming, um, at the end of this episode. Um, if you. Grew up in the early two thousands. I was in high school when, I think it was like 2001 when Superman actually came out. And then a hundred years came out in 2004 from John Andros, who is five for fighting.

Um, so if you like are a millennial like me, like there's some like. Pretty core memories that are associated with those [00:01:00] songs. Um, and he came on the podcast and he shared about some really cool things that he's doing. So, um, we have him at the end of the episode because that is where I talk about resources and I think that he is sharing some really exciting things that he's doing within music and education and all of that stuff.

So make sure you hang around for that. Um, and we chat with him for quite a bit. So instead of me giving you my whole life update. I'm gonna jump straight into the absolutely beautiful stories that you guys submitted to me. Um, so let's take a listen to the first one. I have two. The first 

Voicemail: involves finding a pygmy rattlesnake on the counter behind some stacks of books in my classroom.

I.

When I had a student call another student, a bastard, and [00:02:00] the kid was real offended and he said, he called me a bastard and I said, do you know what that even means? And he said, no. So, told him to get a dictionary and look it up. We were studying dictionary skills. He looked up the word bastard, read the definition, looked up at me and said, bastard.

Andrea: Oh, no. Learning, learning was done that day. Uh, okay. First of all, I don't know what a pygmy rattlesnake is. I don't know if that's like a, when, when people say pygmy, is that like a, like a, a type of, of rattlesnake or a, for some reason I have, in my head that's like a, a tiny baby snake, which I know is more dangerous, but more adorable.

Like a, like a, a really cute danger noodle. Finding it behind a book. I would be actually not terribly. Scared if I saw a snake in my classroom, I'm actually not afraid of snakes. I think, 'cause my kindergarten class, my teacher had a snake and then as I got older, like the [00:03:00] snake grew and it would like progress with us through the grades.

So I'm not really afraid of snakes. If it was a giant spider, I would have lost my mind. Um, I don't know how I would've handled the bastard situation. I'm not sure I would've immediately gone to the dictionary. But I guess, you know, when you see a learning opportunity, you kind of gotta. You gotta go for it.

Um, I, I wish I could ask the follow up question of like, once he learned that it was technically true, was he no longer upset or did he like, accept it as like just a adjective describing him because that would be, um, a really interesting conversation to have with the parents when he comes home.

Depending on the age of the kid and just be like, did you know I am in fact a bastard? I mean, yeah, I, I would hope that the parents would be aware at that point, but that is so terrible. Oh my gosh. Um, yeah, sometimes the learning that happens is, um, [00:04:00] a little bit more than we bargained for. Um, okay. Let's hear what else was sent into us today.

Voicemail: I taught a cooking class a couple years, a few years ago actually, and I had a student, an ed student who was assigned to my class. He had a pair, thank the Lord, and he, um, whatever the, the notes on the ED information was, he cannot be around females or use knives. So, yeah, that was super fun because.

Andrea: I, I, I feel like maybe we should, uh, define Ed because Ed is a, an abbreviation that also can mean erectile dysfunction. That's not what she was referencing. Um, ed means emotional disability, uh, which a lot of people maybe are unaware that that can be. One of the diagnoses that kids can have if they have a 5 0 4 plan, is that they have an emotional disability, meaning [00:05:00] that potentially they have some sort of like mental health diagnoses.

That means that like. They're more prone to not being able to manage their emotions in constructive ways. Um, and those can sometimes be the classes for special educators that are extremely challenging because you figure if you've got, like, and they usually are smaller classes, not always, but usually you'll have like five kids together and they all have emotional disabilities, and then something happens and it can just snowball so quickly where kids are.

I rate and getting in fights and all of that. And then because they have that 5 0 4 plan, you will sometimes have situations where a kid will flip a table or throw a punch or something like that, but if the special educator didn't intervene in a way that has been stipulated in the 5 0 4 plan. Then there's nothing that can be done as far as a consequence.

So for example, in the plan it said that that [00:06:00] kid had to be away from females and that was a female teacher. Um, and I'm sure that there are probably girls in that class. And so like if that kid were to do something like. Hit somebody or God forbid, get a hand on a knife or something like that. They could say, like, the parents could be like, oh, I'm so sorry that this happened, but actually like, there's nothing you can do.

You're not expelling my kid 'cause you didn't follow their accommodations. Um, which is one of the really weird things about some of these 5 0 4 plans and IEPs is there. The rule for the most part is that we have to be able to make reasonable accommodations. Reasonable is kind of a gray, squishy thing.

And so I have heard some of the wildest accommodations for kids. Like I would love to hear from you guys what are some of the. More bizarre accommodations that people have had, um, for kids in their class. I [00:07:00] personally didn't have anything bizarre. Like most of the time for 5 0 4 plans, it was like a kid had anxiety and then they had to be able to go for a walk or a kid had, um.

Like, uh, was diabetic and so they needed to be able to have access to snacks and stuff, like very simple, basic like, you know, health issues. Right? Um, but I did hear, and again, this is something somebody dmd me, so please don't come to me and tell me that this isn't possibly true and all of that. I am repeating what I was told by somebody who follows me online and that was that.

Young man who was in the high school, and part of his accommodation was that he would get personal time to pleasure himself in the day. And he was also a kid that could not be left alone for any period of time. Therefore, that meant that at some point during the day, every day, there had to be a teacher in the room while the kid was doing that.

And I, [00:08:00] number one, that feels like a hostile work environment. Like that feels, that sound like I, I I'm imagining that 5 0 4 or IP meeting, no, I'm done. I'm done. I'm not doing it. I'm done. I cannot, that's like, I'm tapping out, like absolutely not. Um, but that's what somebody said was happening at her school.

So this was not like a hearsay, like a friend of a friend. This was something that she said like, at my school, this is what happens. And I'm like, I. Feel like that's a reportable offense. Um, that's way more than anything. Unfortunately. As much as I'm gonna try and cover a lot of topics in my, my teacher survival guidebook, that will not be one of them because I hope to God that is not happening in any of your classrooms.

Um, so yeah, the, the 5 0 4 IEP thing is, is so fascinating, especially with all of the lawsuits that are going on right now, which I've touched on a little bit. Um. But one of the things that people are talking a lot about is like whether or not 5 [00:09:00] 0 4 plans are constitutional, like some states are suing, saying it's not constitutional for you to hold withhold funding if we don't provide, you know, this accommodation for a kid with, um, an emotional disability.

And I think a lot of times people look at, like the story I just told where there's like a kid who has to be with someone while he's doing stuff like that, that is like a one in a trillion. Honestly, I'm like, is she lying to me? Like obviously no one would ever message me and just tell me a lie. That's crazy.

But, um, like there's those stories. 99 times out of a hundred, what 5 0 4 plans are used for is things like what I saw where it was like a kid has a, um. Has, uh, epilepsy. And so they have to have like, access to this medication or they have to, like kids with diabetes, have to have access to their phones and like it's stuff like that.

And most of the time that doesn't cost the district money, but sometimes we have stuff where it's like, oh, this [00:10:00] kid is hard of hearing and needs to have a sign language interpreter. Um, or they need to have like a special like recorder that.

Could cost the district money and 5 0 4 plans and all of the policies that go along with that. That is the stick for the district, that they don't have a choice. Like they have to allocate funds to that even if funds are tight. Um, otherwise they could face litigation from the family because. They are, kids are required to be given, um, an education.

So yeah, that's, that is one of those fascinating parts of education where I think a lot of us have seen ways that 5 0 4 plans have been used in wild ways. Like telling a, a teacher who teaches family consumer science, which one of the rule, one of the things they have to learn is knife skills. Like that is part of the, the curriculum.

Um, and then saying that like, that kid can't be around any females is also like a wild. Ask when it is not an all male school. [00:11:00] Um, and even if it was like the teacher's female. So what are you guys gonna do if. Gets, you know, gets upset or fill in the blank thing, like that's Hmm. Um, so thank you to teachers out there that are accommodating to the best of your ability, because I know, I've been in a lot of schools where you are given a stack of IEPs and five oh fours and it feels very, very overwhelming.

'cause you'll have a, like, you'll have a class with like 30 kids and 12 of them will have an IEP that say preferential seating. And you're like, I can't preferentially seat. Half my class, like what am I supposed to do? And the answer to that is kind of a shrug and it's like, well, you do the best you can.

Um, and I know a lot of you guys are doing the absolute best you can sometimes with, and mostly almost all the time with not enough resources. So I see you and I know how hard you guys are working. Um, I do hope that I get a chance to hear from you guys some of the wild things that you've seen in five oh fours.

Um, because. I bet, I bet [00:12:00] there's some, some really interesting little add-ons there. 'cause five oh fours also can be kind of a little bit more flexible than IEPs in that way. So, um, we are gonna take a very quick break and then when we get back, you guys are gonna hear my interview with John Ondrasik. It is so phenomenal.

He is such a wonderful guy and he had so many interesting things to share both about his own journey in music and educators that poured into him. In, um, what he's got going on now is he's giving back, um, at this part of his career. So, uh, we will take a very quick break and we will be right back.

Welcome back. I am very excited to see with me to on the podcast John Onik, who is a Grammy nominated Latin selling artist who we all probably know a little bit better as five for fighting. Hi John. 

John: Hi Andrea. Nice to be with you. 

Andrea: Yeah. Thank you so much for coming on. This is a out of body [00:13:00] experience for me because I had my heart broken to the tune of your songs many, many times in high school.

They were, I have like those little like snapshot memories of me, like I grew up in San Diego, so of me like driving by the beach and just crying to Superman as I was on my way home after getting my heart broken. So it really, really cool to have you. 

John: Well, you, you're much younger than me, but my heartbreak song was three Times A Lady by Lionel Richie.

So whenever I hear that song, it's PTSD, right? Yeah. It brings sixth grade. 

Andrea: It brings you, it brings you right back. So it's so funny because. I, I don't know if you get this a lot, but I always thought that you were a whole band. You were like a royal we, because your stage name is five for fighting. And so in my brain, and maybe because around that era was boy band era with like five members and all of that stuff.

Um, so do you ever, or have you in the past had people like be like, where's the rest [00:14:00] of the band when they meet you? 

John: Of course you can kind of tell, you know, who are, you know, kind of fans that know what's going on or people that like hear the songs. I mean, that's what I would think. If it's fight for fighting, I would think there's five guys.

And it's funny you mentioned boy band and that's kind of the reason Fight for fighting kind of, uh, was born, um, it was the late nineties and as you said, it wasn't 1977. Billy Joel, Elton John. James Taylor, uh, it was Lilith Fair. It was boy bands, it was grunge music. The record company had this marketing idea of, well, you know, you're singer songwriter, nobody.

Hockey fans know, and in hockey, uh, they have fights and if you get a fight, you're a bad boy. You go to the penalty box for five minutes. They call it five for fighting. So I sarcastically said to the label, well, how about five for fighting? Expecting them to say, oh, you're crazy. And they're like, we love that.

I'm like, you guys are insane. Um, [00:15:00] it sounds like it's a heavy metal band, you know, but, um, but you know, hockey ticket in.

You know, in some ways it's reflected. And also the nice thing too, it's kind of really been about the music, right? Yeah. Not about the guy. Um, so it's really been about the music and um, as I said, it's also allowed me to play some really cool sporting events that probably John Andross doesn't. So there's always, there's always silver linings in everything.

Andrea: Absolutely. So how did you first get an interest into music? How did you get your start playing? 

John: My mom, uh, was a piano major at the USCA piano teacher. And, uh, she started me very young at the piano. Um, it's good to start kids young because at the piano, because it's like a language, it's, it's tough to learn piano as an adult.

It's a lot of discipline. So I kind of had the aptitude. She started me very young and I enjoyed it. And, um. She was also very wise, you know, at 13 when I wanted to ride [00:16:00] my skateboard, chase girls didn't wanna practice. She said, okay, you know, you can quit. But I had this passion for songwriting. I loved, I loved music.

Um, I, you know, and I had the, she gave me the fundamentals to play. So it was always my childhood passion to do something in music. You know, I had the.

At 13, I really kind of, uh, started writing and got a little recording studio and it was, it, it was, you know, I was, was fortunate that, that I knew very young, you know, kind of what my passion was, you know, who knew I was gonna have a career. But, um, so yeah, so, you know, my mom, uh, was, uh, gave me the tools and, um, I'm very blessed to be able to, you know, still be doing it, you know, uh, you know, some years later.

Andrea: Yeah. So were they supportive of the idea of you going and being a professional musician or were they like wanting you to go a more traditional route? 

John: Well, certainly, you know, my mother being a musician knows how long the odds are. Um, so I think the [00:17:00] deal, you know, it wasn't the deal, but kinda the understanding with my parents was, okay, um, I'm gonna go the college and get, uh, get a, a fallback a plan B.

And, uh, which I did, I was a math major at at, at UCLA, so you know, I had something to fall back on. They were very supportive, but I think they also saw, you know, I was working really hard. Um, I also worked for our family business. You know, I've worked here my whole, I'm actually here right now. Um, I've worked at our family business my whole life, so I was, you know, I was contributing, I was paying my rent and, uh, but it, it also allowed me the freedom if I needed to go in on addition or, or something like that.

My dad was a little more, I think, supportive. 'cause he was a little more naive about the odds. Yeah. But Right. You know, I certainly, we wouldn't be talking if I didn't have support of my family. And, um, and I have a young, my daughter is also pursuing it, so, you know, she's kind of in following in my footsteps and, you know, and, but she has a job and she's working, but, you know, she's [00:18:00] pursuing her craft.

So, um, that's awesome. The, the family support has been, has been huge. 

Andrea: Yeah, I, so, uh, when I was doing a little background, uh, work on, on finding more, uh, finding out more about you, I saw where it lists, um, under your keynote speaking stuff that you guys were, let me find the direct quote, manufacturer of the world's best shopping cart, which is the business that you're referring to, right?

Is the, the family business. 

John: Yeah. Hold on a second. It's not behind sec. I'm, see, I'm looking to see if we have a model of one of our little carts here. Um, but yes. Yeah, we, uh, we make, um, if you shop at Costco, you use our shopping cart. Uh, the big ones. The big ones, yeah. Nice. My dad actually has a fascinating story very quickly.

Uh, he was an astrophysicist. I worked at JPL and nasa, um, as a young man and kind of the glory, uh, days of the space age in the seventies and all the unmanned missions to, to Mars and Venus. But, but his, his dad had a, uh, a small wire shop, uh, making like oven racks. [00:19:00] And my, uh, my grandfather passed away in the sixties, so my dad kind of left NASA and took over the business here and invented the shopping cart.

You think engineer to death. And so, you know, doing, since he still. 87 running the show. But, but yeah, if you shop at Costco, one of the highlights of my career was buying my first album America Time in one of our shopping carts. 

Andrea: I bet That's so cool. Well, and I mean, we, we all know that the Costco shopping carts are the superior ones, so thank you very much.

Yes. Yeah. I'm gonna use that 

John: quote. Yeah. 

Andrea: Yeah, you should. Um, so other than your mom who obviously had a huge, huge impact on learning music and all of that, did you have any other educators that you felt like. Changed your perspective on music or really helped you along in that journey? 

John: You know, I had, um, in high school I had a English teacher, Mr.

Stryker, and, uh, he was a, a musician, he was a bass player, uh, studio musician. He'd never gotten to the point where it could be a full-time career, [00:20:00] but he was kind of a rocker. Cool dude wore the yellow, you know, the leather jacket. He let me do my kind of final on the lyrics of Steely Dan. Cool. And he was so cool and, and we even kind of went to the studio a couple times.

He took me on some sessions and, um, and it was really, you know, it was, he was a, a great mentor and uh, he was also a struggling musician, but, and he was also very, you know, very wise, amazing teacher. Um. And, and certainly had a way to relate to the kids, uh, in a different way than most English teachers who sometimes can be a little snobby and a little snooty and, and, uh, you know, 

Andrea: never, I was a, I wasn't a high school English teacher.

I was never snobby or snooty. Well, you look, 

John: you remind me of Mr. Stryker 'cause you're like cool and him perfect. Um, but um, so, and I think when I success. He was so proud. You know, he was so proud like that, that he was a part of that. And, um, I've had [00:21:00] many mentors, you know, some, you know, my father's a great mentor, my mom, um, uh, I've had mentors in the music business, some rock stars that I met at very young age.

And so, um, it's been great to, you know, to see them kind of find joy in my success. 

Andrea: Yeah. So that, that's interesting that other people within the industry kind of took an interest. Was there one in particular that you felt like kind of went out of their way? Because I, I know for me, like I'm getting kind of into the comedy space now.

I'm doing a little bit of touring and stuff like that, and it's so meaningful to me when an established comic takes an interest and like gives me feedback or something like that. And I think it's, it's like going to be something that really sticks with me. Have you had anybody who, you know sticks out in your mind in that way?

John: There, there's been more than a few, but I, one in particular, I actually just had dinner with him a couple weeks ago. Um, his name is Rudy Sarza. And Rudy is a bass player and he's kind of a legendary rocker. Uh, he played with [00:22:00] Ozzy Osborne. He, he was the original member of Quiet Riot. When I met him. He was in Whitesnake.

At the top of their career. And it was so funny because I happened to be living in a small apartment in Malibu and I went to the swimming pool one day and I, I saw these two rocker dudes sitting there and I knew they were rock guys, and Rudy was one of them. And he is like, oh, what do you do? I go, you know, songwriter, aspiring, and, and he, you know, he really quickly took me under his wing.

I was like the kid in almost famous. You know, I, they would take me like to the, to the rock shows and I'd go up the elevator with all the rock stars and they would, they'd be very protective of me. They'd like, you can go in that room, but you can't go in that room. Um, and, and the thing about Rudy was.

Even though he was kind of known as this rock guy and kind of wore all the clothes, he, his, he was like a closet Barry Manalow fan, he loved music, he loved songwriting, and he would play on my demos and he would, the, the other guy that he was with was a guy named Scott Sheets who was in, uh, pat Bandit's Band.

And I ended up forming in a band [00:23:00] with Scott Sheets and I was working with all these like famous rockers who were 20 years older than me. Um, but again, somebody. Warn you about things, educate you about things. If something's happening, here's who you wanna talk to. Um, but really just the confidence, as you said, if you have an established comedian, show interest in what you're doing and just be like, oh yeah, that's, that's good.

Here's some ideas. That confidence is huge. Yeah. Um, it gives you, um, energy, it gives you.

That the dream can come true. Yeah. So, uh, and Rudy to this day, you know, I, I think he looks at me as like his, you know, you know, his little puppy that became a dog, you know? Yeah. That grew up and did it. So, um, and also as I said, it's so fun to see, um, their joy. And I have, you know, kids I mentor and, and up, you know, up and coming artists and I always find so much joy in their [00:24:00] success.

And, um, those relationships are, are truly beautiful. 

Andrea: Yeah. Yeah. That's really cool. So is there, when you think about, you know, the decades that you've been doing this and you know, you've like come out with these insanely, I mean, I guess it wasn't viral, considered viral at the time 'cause viral wasn't a thing yet, but viral, yeah.

Um, songs. Is there any mistake that you made in music when you look back on now that you're like, I could redo it. I would really love to have not made that decision musically or business wise or any of that. 

John: Of course, you know, um, if you're not failing, you're not fulfilling your potential. Uh, failing.

Failing is really what the arts is all about. Um, yeah. You know, you write thousands of songs to hopefully get one or two that people hear, you know, you'll tell, you know, 500 jokes to try to get three or four that connect, right? So, yeah. So I think people, you know, failing is, is certainly part of the process.

And also, you know, the way we define success, [00:25:00] um. You know, I, I always use this joke that, uh, it's not a joke, but you know, Justin Bieber sold a lot more records than Johnny Cash. You know, so what a success. And, and I've had songs that weren't hit songs but have been very meaningful to our, for our troops or, or certain groups that, um.

Find solace in a song that's not on the radio. So, but, um, I think for me, one thing I regret if I, if I had to go back over, uh, again, was I would collaborate with more artists and, um, because I was very kind of focused on what I was doing, um, I had success very late, you know, for, I was in my late twenties, you know, when Superman was a hit in my early thirties.

So I kind of understood, you know. This is, you know, this could easily go away. It was like a 15 year overnight success. So I was really focused and, and I had some opportunities, uh, and I did collaborate with a few people, but, um, I wasn't part of the scene. I wasn't part of like the Hollywood scene, but there were some really [00:26:00] cool, um, songwriters and artists that I think I could have built relationships with.

And, um, mm-hmm. I was just so singularly focused on, on my career and, and being able to make another record and promotion and, and then of course my family too. I had a couple young kids, so if I wasn't doing music, I was with the family. And then of course, decisions wire. So, but that was one of my regrets, I think, to not just in music, but to develop more relationships, to have more friends, to have more.

Of my, so that would be one that if I had.

Andrea: Yeah, I think that's something a lot of people struggle with too. And, and you know, especially high achieving people that are very driven because like you said, you write a thousand songs to get a couple of hits. And I think that that is something that people who are not in, like entertainment or creativity, creative like fields, they don't, it's, it's hard to see the full picture of that.

Um. Because you really do fail [00:27:00] so much and you just have to keep hitting the wall of failure. And then like, I mostly got my start by doing videos and having comedic videos online and all that kind of stuff. And some people were asking me, they're like, well, what do you like? What? What should I do if I wanna do that?

I'm like, you make. A video every day. And out of a hundred videos, I'll have two videos that people see, like a lot of people see. And then you just keep doing that and a lot of them suck. They're not even funny. And then something I think is terrible, the world loves and I'm baffled by it. Right? And I'm just like, really?

That's the thing. But like that I think is, is such a good lesson for so many people that like, it's just, it's a lot of failing to get the one victory and then everyone just ignores the, you know, however many fails that it took. 

John: Well, I, you know, I, I, and I, I'm not, this is not hyperbole. I truly believe like my success, maybe 10% of it is talent.

Um, certainly a large portion is just perseverance, just fighting and, you know, door [00:28:00] slams, door slams, you know, just keep going, keep going. And the other's relationships, you know, building relationships with people in the industry. Um.

It was much different than what was on the radio. Uh, it was a piano ballad. Piano was not on the radio, and most radio stations were like, this is strange, I don't wanna play this. And, um, and we, the song was out and kind of going up. Charts and one day it went backwards. And whenever a song goes backwards on the chart, you're usually dead.

Because other programmers will see that. They'll say, oh, the song's not happening. They'll start, they'll stop playing a record. But there was one woman, uh, Cherise, who was a program director of a big station in Las Vegas, and I had done a lot of events for her. You know, I had done, you know, board room concerts, I'd done her.

Christmas show. I literally did a dog show, talk about a dog and pony show. It was actually a dog show. Oh my gosh. I played at the dog show. Um, so I had [00:29:00] this relationship with her, and I called her one day when the song was going backwards, basically to say, Hey, just thank you know, thank you for playing it.

You know, I, I was grateful I called all this Thanks play. And she goes, you know, I believe in this song. I'm gonna give it one more week. Week goes by song going down, called her again, Hey, you know, thanks for playing it, you know, you're taking an extra chance. She says, you know, I got a couple calls, John, you know, I really kind of see, see something in this song.

You've been so great. Lemme play it another week. And then the following week she called me and I'm like, that's strange. She said, Hey, by the way, um, your song is top five on my radio station. I'm like, really called number one radio. Cherise had a big mouth and she told two friends and my record company was like, this shit's really weird.

Your song's going back up. That's how close it was. That's how close it was. It was one relationship with one person. So you know this song that everybody thinks like, oh yeah. It's like, of course. You know? Yeah. The [00:30:00] song, everybody was like, that's how close it was. So to me, success um, really comes with these things that people have no.

You know, when you think about how do I become a great comedian? I gotta write a lot of jokes. How do I become a great songwriter? I gotta write a lot of songs. A lot of it has nothing to do with that. It's your perseverance, your work ethic, um, and your relationships. And for me, I credit all of those, um, for why we're talking right now.

Andrea: Yeah. Yeah, I've seen that too within the comedy space because you, you have to get to know the people that work at the clubs. Yeah. And your reputation. Everyone talks to each other. Oh yeah. So if you show up and you're a nightmare to work with. Yeah. The clubs aren't gonna book you. They can fill those seats with any other person and be just fine.

They don't need. Right. And so that for sure already I've seen that to be very true. Um, so I would love to hear about, um, let Music Fill My World and the Music Matters challenge because I'm very, very excited about this. You know, schools across the country are. I'm really scared right now [00:31:00] because there are so many cuts that are happening.

People are really worried about what that's gonna mean for, for individual artists and musicians, because it's almost always the arts that's on the chopping block first. Um, within the state of Indiana where I am a professor, um, in particular, they are going very heavily into trades, which I have. Like, I love, love trades.

I think it's really important that kids have opportunities and, and get to, to learn all of those. Um, but my heart does break for the kids. I think about that. I've taught that the only reason they came to school was because they loved art class or they loved their instrument. Um, so I'd love for you to share what you're doing with, uh, let Music Fill My World.

John: Well, thank you.

My wife are teachers and um, my mom was teacher and

early and, uh. Let music feel. My World [00:32:00] Project started as kind of a pay it forward. My mom, when I was in fifth grade, music funding was cut at LA Unified Schools in, in Los Angeles and she volunteered and she came in and started putting on full musicals. Uh, I was actually Tony and West Side Story in fifth grade.

So whether I was good or mommy's little boy, who knows. But anyways, you know, 50, 50 years later, those kids, you know, still talk about what experience that.

Music. And if you look at the analytics, if you look at schools that have a music teacher, it's not just that they're socially better, that they, um, have left less disciplinary issues, less dropouts, all of the metrics for the math, the sciences, writing, reading, they also go up and there's this light in the school.

And, uh, you know, there's two things actually, especially in, in challenging schools, challenging. Districts that keep kids out of trouble. One is sports. Of course we know sports, [00:33:00] but the other is music. Um, not all of us are athletes. Some of others are both. But so, uh, I was talking to my partner Kaylee Tolman of the Tillman Foundation, who's just an amazing woman.

And, uh, they had a school in, uh, inner city Chicago Far Academy that had lost music teacher. So this basically just started as, okay. You know, help them get a music teacher. So I wrote a song, I did like this class with the kids, and we wrote a song called Let Music Film My World. And they wrote the whole lyric.

They went into the studio with me and a beautiful video. Through that effort. Um, they now have a, a full-time music teacher for three years. So Kaylee and I were like, well, how do we, you know, how do we take this kind of nationally and, and, you know, do something fun? And, and I'd worked a lot in the a LS space.

I was involved with the ice bucket challenge. So like, well, let's do something national where people like to compete. They like to sing, they like to make videos. Yeah. So what [00:34:00] challenge.

Tell a little story about a mentor like you were talking about and sing a little bit, or play a little bit of, let Music Fill My World and you enter the Music Matters challenge and, and, uh, we have finalists and people vote and at the end of the day, the winner gets to select. School where again, we provide a full-time music teacher, they win $10,000.

There's a school prize for 30 grand, but what it really does is it actually puts a teacher in a school. Yeah. And we, we we're doing that now with the first winter last year. The challenge now is got a few weeks left so people are submitting and we'll do it again. But, um, so it's something.

Supply teacher, but also the grand picture is just the awareness of the critical need for music in every school in America. And, uh, I think people understand that. And, um, as you said, it's really about just kinda making sure we have the funding and uh, and, and there and, and we have a lot of allies, you [00:35:00] know, on the hill.

Yeah. And, um, also, of course, in, in, in the education space, and we're just getting started. Our goal is to, you know, we're not stopping every school in America has a. 

Andrea: That's so exciting. So if somebody wanted to help, support, or contribute in some way, how could they do that? 

John: It's simple. Just go to let music fill my world.com and there's a Music Matters challenge and enter the challenge.

Some people think, well, I'm not a great singer. I'm not a great pamr. That makes it better. It makes it better. It's really about the story and the emotion of, of what you know, who, who in your life made a difference for you and how music matters. So I, um, I just tell everybody like. I don't feel intimidated by it.

Um, yeah, and, and, and, uh, and tell your friends. And, and also the great thing too is, you know, for a lot of, uh, for school classes where it's choir or band, um, or jazz class, you know, those classes are entering and um, so it's a great. It's kind of fun thing to do with your [00:36:00] school, uh, music class and school teachers.

So, um, you know, maybe we need to do one for comedy too. That'd be kind of fun too. That would be amazing. The, the comedy comedy challenge. Oh gosh. 

Andrea: The problem is, is it's kind of fun when somebody who can't sing is really giving it their all. There's like a deep pain when you see somebody who's really bombing at comedy and like, it just, you know, everyone.

John: So you, so you, so you see my show. 

Andrea: Yeah, it just drives people to better comedy. They, they like need a, a palate cleanser after all of that. Um, and now you also have, um, some shows coming up. You're gonna be with a, a quartet I think I read. 

John: Yeah. We typically in the spring and the fall, uh, we go out with spring, uh, string quartet and it's a very intimate show.

My players are Broadway like geniuses. Viol and Player. Katie won a Tony Award, so it's a very more intimate show. I pull songs from my catalog that has some amazing arrangements, more kind of interactive show. And then during the [00:37:00] summer, you know, we put out the rock band. So yeah, we leave, uh, in a couple days and we're going to the Midwest.

And uh, I have a great act open for, for me, lace and Lee, maybe one of them's my daughter. I, I, that's exciting. We're very excited and. You know, my band mates are my second family, and so yeah, off we go. And, uh, packing up the bags tonight and we'll, we'll have a great time. 

Andrea: Awesome. Well, John, thank you so much for taking the time and chatting with us and sharing with us all the really, really exciting things that are coming up, especially with the Let Music Fill My World and the Music Matters Challenge.

That's really exciting stuff. 

John: Well, it's my pleasure and I look forward to enjoying your comedy and maybe we'll be, we'll share a stage one day. I look forward to that. 

Andrea: That would be amazing. Thank you. We will be right back.

Alright, teacher besties, welcome back. I hope you guys enjoyed the interview. It was, like I said, such an out-of-body experience getting to talk to him. Um, I [00:38:00] do have, and I've been like in for preparation for this interview, I've been like listening to Superman on a loop. And so like as soon as I hear those like piano keys at the beginning right?

I'm just like. Why doesn't he like me? Right? Like immediately, which is funny 'cause it's not like a, a typically like romantic song. Superman's not, but then there's a hundred years, which is another one. If you guys haven't listened to it or haven't listened in a minute, I highly recommend because they hold up very, very well.

Um, and if he is gonna be in your area, I hope you could check out five for fighting because I. Would be so delighted to get to go to one of his shows. Um, and it's just really exciting to see artists that are giving back to their communities in really substantive ways. Like to see that there's not a music teacher somewhere and to work to get one there.

I mean, that's incredible. That's something that is going to change the lives of countless kids. So, um, it was just so much fun and I hope you guys do check out, um, the organization that he's got going and the shows he's got coming up. In the next few months. [00:39:00] Um, if you have any thoughts about today's episode or you want to send me a voice memo because I would love to hear about the crazy things happening in your classroom, um, you can go to podcaster andrea.com.

There's a little button at the top. It says, leave. I think it says like, leave a voice message or a voicemail. That's what you're gonna hit. And then you're gonna tell me about all of the insane things that are happening in your classroom. And it doesn't have to be this week, it can be anytime. I know on Instagram I'm like, tell me what happened this week.

It doesn't have to be this week. It could be like, uh, like heavy hitters like four years ago, this kid did this because I know we've all got those things. Um. And if you wanna email me, you can email me at andrea@humancontent.com. Obviously I'm on Instagram and TikTok, and Facebook at Educator Andrea. Um, or you can contact the whole Human Content, human Content Podcast family.

I don't know why that was so hard for me to say on Instagram and TikTok at Human Content Pods. Um, and we are still doing a big club. Denver and I and you guys, [00:40:00] I post a few times a month and then we have a live, which is so much fun. Um, and it is just for our patrons. It is the absolute best time. Um, Denver and I get together and talk about the books that we're reading, and if you're part of the Patreon, you can also help us choose the books.

So if you haven't loved the books that we've done so far, um, or those haven't sparked your interest, if you're part of the Patreon, you get to help us choose. So sign up. Um, it's gonna be on patreon.com/those who can read. Um, and thank you so much to those of you guys who have left wonderful reviews and feedback.

It means the absolute world to me. So thank you. And if you wanna see the full video episodes, they're up every week on YouTube. This little square behind my head did in fact fall directly on top of my head right before we started recording. I'm so sorry you missed it. It is now. More secure than it was.

So I don't know if we're gonna get it again, but if you watch the YouTube videos, you can see the little sound tiles fall in my head if and when it happens. So make sure that you check those out at Educator. Andrea, [00:41:00] thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, Andrea Forche. Our executive producers are Andrea Forche, Aaron Corny, Rob Goldman, and Shanti Brook.

Our editor is Andrew Sims. Our engineer is Jason Pizzo. Our music is by Omer Bisby. Our recording location is the Indiana State by College of Education. Learn more about our, the How to see. I almost did it again, guys. I almost went right back to the other one to learn more. About how I can't do it now.

Listen, we're gonna keep it together to learn more about our How to Survive the Classrooms program, disclaimer and ethics policy and submission verification and licensing terms. You can go to podcaster andrea.com. How to survive the classroom is human content production.

Thank you so much for watching. Want more of how to survive the classroom? You can watch more episodes right now. Just click on that little box over there, you see it, [00:42:00] and if you haven't yet, please subscribe. Okay, bye.