Spiritual Lessons from Jake

Many years ago, as a newly minted U.S. Army bandsman, I had the opportunity to take euphonium lessons with Mike Moore, who was and still is (now well into his 70’s!) the principal tuba of the Atlanta Symphony. Mike had been a student, you might even say a disciple, of Arnold Jacobs, known to all as “Jake,” the long-time principal tuba of the Chicago Symphony and one of the most influential brass teachers of all time. I took just a few lessons with Mike, but his ability to transmit Jake’s teaching had a profound impact on my playing, and just a couple of years later I found myself playing in the U.S. Marine Band (The President’s Own), much to my surprise.

There are many profound principles in Jake’s teaching, but a few have really stuck with me because they double as spiritual life lessons. I don’t know if Jake was a believer, but I have applied these principles to my spiritual life for many years. Here are three that have been particularly helpful.

Principle #1: Almost all brass playing problems are breathing problems. Many brass players, including me back then, don’t breathe properly, and this affects all aspects of their playing: sound, intonation, accuracy, endurance, you name it. So, learning to breathe properly is foundational to good brass playing. It makes everything else work.

Likewise, our spiritual problems stem from a lack of connection with the Holy Spirit, who is likened in the Bible to “a rushing, mighty wind,” the embodiment of spiritual breath. Including Him in every aspect of our daily lives is foundational to being a follower of Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit we become spiritually “out of breath,” encountering all the problems that come from that.

Principle #2: You can’t break a bad habit; you can only start a new habit. Many brass players will try to unlearn a bad playing habit, but focusing on it often turns a little problem into a big one. It’s better to learn a new good habit, slowly and consistently, over time. Eventually the good habit will push out the bad habit. In my case, I had to learn how to breathe properly for brass playing, and gradually the new way of breathing became the way I breathed all the time.

In the same way, we cannot break our old sinful habits with willpower. Attempting to do so on our own will only magnify our sin and lead to frustration and disillusionment. We can see the holiness we aspire to firsthand in the life of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will help us to imitate Him. The new habit of communing with and imitating Jesus will wash away the traces of sin in our lives.

Principle #3: Strength is my enemy; weakness is my friend. When I began taking lessons with Mike, I was working too hard when I played, and this created tension that affected every aspect of my playing. My solution to every playing problem was to “muscle up” and try harder, which only made things worse. I had to learn to embrace weakness, to relax, let the air do the work, and become a more efficient player. The best musicians (or athletes, or actors) in the world make it look easy.

It’s counterintuitive, but we minister most effectively from our weaknesses — in those areas of our lives where we have struggled but where God’s power has shown through. It’s difficult to minister to others when we can’t personally identify with their struggles, and they often won’t trust us to help them unless they know we have been through the same fire ourselves. Worse, when we think we’ve got it all together we are less likely to depend on God’s strength, and this takes the power of the Holy Spirit out of our ministry. Better to be vulnerable and share our own redeemed weaknesses and failures with those who are struggling so that the love of God can shine through us. Then the glory is God’s alone, and lives will be changed.

Finally, Jake’s teaching was passed on to me by one of his disciples, Mike Moore, and I have passed it on to my students over the years. Likewise, our faith is a generational faith. Someone, or more likely several someones, passed that faith on to us, and it’s our job to pass it on to others. If brass teachers make it their mission to pass on the fundamentals of brass playing, which are useful in this world but of no eternal value, how much more, then, should we be dedicated to the task of passing on the fundamentals of our faith?