The Department of Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation hosts guest speaker Jesse Tubb (MM '02, improvisation) to present a lecture "Mental Fitness for Musicians: Mindfulness Techniques for Practice and Performance." He will discuss techniques that students can learn to create emotional and mental resilience to aid in stressful performance situations and to help focus their practice sessions. Free and open to the public.

GUEST ARTIST BIO

JESSE TUBB served 28 years in the U.S. Army, culminating his career as Assistant Principal Trumpet in “The U.S. Army Band, Pershing’s Own.” He is the founder and creator of GRIT Adventures, an experiential outdoor learning program that utilizes adventure racing as a vehicle for teaching valuable life skills. Through this program, teams and organizations gain a greater understanding of their own capabilities, develop resilience, perseverance, conflict resolution skills, mindfulness, and self-awareness, and learn to work more effectively with others.

Jesse is also the lead curriculum designer and meditation instructor for Complete Focus, a platform that helps students, athletes, and professionals build resilience and mental clarity through meditation, breathwork, and brain training.

He is a certified Life and Engagement Coach, an ACC ICF-certified coach, and a Mental Fitness Coach through the Positive Intelligence program. During his military career, Jesse served as a Master Resiliency Trainer, and he is an endorsed mental fitness coach with the U.S. Adventure Racing Association. He holds a Resilience-Building Leadership Professional-Trainer (RBLP-T) certification, trained with the University of Pennsylvania Resilience Program, and completed the Mindfulness Mentor Training Program through Cloud Sangha with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. As a member of the advisory board for TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), he provides workshops on developing emotional and mental resilience for the families of fallen service members.

Over the past 17 years, Jesse has competed in endurance sports around the world. His accomplishments include competing in the 2019 Eco-Challenge, an 11-day expedition race in Fiji filmed for Amazon Prime, winning both the 2018 U.S. Adventure Racing National Championship and the 2022 24-Hour Adventure Racing National Solo Championship, and earning numerous podium finishes in ultramarathons and triathlons.