We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jesse Friedberg. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jesse below.

Jesse, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I always liked playing pretend. I played pretend with my friends in the backyard, which led to playing pretend on stage in plays. I played pretend when I would write little stories for my family, friends, and teachers. When I got into music, I realized I could still play pretend. I could write melodies and harmonies out of nothing. I could tell stories through my lyrics. I apply that now with my kids’ songs I write and co-produce, just playing pretend. So when did I first know I wanted to pursue a creative path? Ever since I started to play pretend. I never want to stop.

Jesse, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jesse Friedberg and I am a children’s musician based out of Cleveland, OH I go by the stage name, Jesse Jukebox. I grew up as a misunderstood child. I didn’t quite fit in. I had speech delays, vision problems, and ADHD (and still do). It made it hard for me to communicate and learn. I found that through performance and playing music I was able to feel like I was able to express myself in the way I wanted to. This led me to go to Berklee College of Music to major in songwriting.

In college, I started playing for kids’ birthday parties to make a couple of extra bucks. I realized I was good at it and I had a lot of fun doing it. When I graduated from Berklee, I was playing in my rock band, Hazard Adams, and playing concerts for kids during the day. I got hooked up with accomplished children’s musician, Stacey Peasley, and started working for her.

I eventually recorded my first original children’s album titled, “Jesse’s Jukebox” and began to pursue children’s music full-time. After a few years, I took a break and worked as a recording studio assistant and then as a k-2 primary teacher. After a few years of teaching, I realized how much I love working with kids, but missed playing music, so I went back to being a children’s musician full-time, committed to helping shape the family music scene in Cleveland.

Today, I perform family concerts all around the midwest and collaborate with lots of amazing and accomplished musicians and kid’s musicians. I run my own brand of early childhood music classes and continue to write original kids music constantly. Last year I released my fourth children’s record, “Just A Minute” and I’m getting ready to get back into the studio to record my fifth children’s record. I have the best job in the world.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I work in a very niche field of creativity. My main outlet is writing and performing children’s music. It gives me the opportunity to allow my inner-child to run free. I get to write songs that I wish I heard when I was growing up. I get to make kids laugh in the way I liked to laugh as a kid. I get to inspire kids in ways that other adults inspired me as a kid. I get to do my small part in helping make the world a better place. For the life of me, I can’t think of anything more rewarding.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Actually support them! Go to your local music venue and see live music. Maybe go on a Monday night and see a band you have never heard before, take a chance! Hire an artist to make some artwork for you. Do you really like a band you saw at your bar? Do they have stuff for sale? Buy it! Did you find some kitschy thing on Amazon? See if that artist sells on their website and buy it directly from them.

Spotify is a great way to discover new music, and of course giving an artist streams helps them look good and helps their music spread to a bigger audience, but you can always see if that artist sells their music (digitally, Cds, Vinyls) on their website and buy it there. It’s usually not expensive and it s a great way to support them outside of going to their concerts. You can always own a digital copy and still stream on Spotify anytime you want.

But more than financially supporting them, you can engage with artists via social media, sharing their music and art and requesting them to perform in your city. There are just so many ways to support artists you love!

If you are a creative, make sure you get out there and support other artists they way you want to be supported. I now use my social media to promote other children’s musicians music I like so it can spread it to my fanbase. I do that because I can. We have to have each other’s backs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jessejukebox.com
• Instagram: @jessejukeboxmusic
• Facebook: Facebook.com/jessejukebox
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessejukebox

Image Credits
Headshot taken by McKinley Wiley (The Dark Room Co.) Just A Minute Album Cover illustrated by Lindsey J Bryan