Harmony and Aspiration: Jaiden McGloster Quest for Musicals and Academia

Step into the world of Jaiden McGloster, a 17-year-old wunderkind whose life is a brilliant composition of academia and melody. His tale is not just about the harmonious blend of earning an associate's degree while attending high school but also about his unwavering dedication to the performing arts. Vicksburg, Mississippi may seem an unlikely place for a musical prodigy to emerge, yet it's here that Jaiden’s  journey unfolds, from his humble beginnings in live theater to his accomplishments as a budding composer under the guidance of Dr. Jonathan Nelson. With his mother as his cornerstone of support, Jaiden’s  story resonates with the tunes of hard work, harmony, and hope.

As Jaiden strums the guitar, tickles the ivories, or slides the trombone, his experiences with various instruments sing a tale of exploration and emotional expression. Our discussion dances around the universal language of music, its ability to convey unsaid emotions, and its power to unite across cultural divides. Jaiden’s tale is a testament to the delicate act of balancing the rigors of senior year with a burning passion for music. He offers a window into his world, where weekends are reserved for perfecting his craft, and every free moment is an opportunity to compose new scores that someday might grace the stages of Broadway.

As the spotlight prepares to shine on Jaiden in the upcoming Vicksburg production of "Grease," we share his enthusiasm and eagerness for the rehearsals and the live performances that lie ahead. Our conversation transcends the stage, touching on his aspirations to inspire and uplift future generations of musicians and actors, reminding us that dreams are attainable with perseverance and love for one's craft. Jaiden doesn't just perform; he invites us all to live in the rhythm of his dreams, encouraging us to believe that with tenacity, the bright lights of Broadway are within our grasp.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:39

Welcome back, dear listeners, to another electrifying chapter of Experiencing Amazing Transformation Podcast. We're thrilled to have you join us as we embark on a brand new adventure through the realms of personal growth, extraordinary stories and profound insight. Get ready to be captivated by the extraordinary journeys of individuals who have undergone remarkable transformations, defying odds and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. So buckle up and prepare to be inspired as we delve into the exhilarating world of self-discovery and witness the power of change unfold before our very eyes. Feel welcome back to experiencing amazing transformations, where the extraordinary becomes reality. Welcome to Experiencing Amazing Transformations. We are so excited to have you on the show today. Thank you, oh my God. Thank you for accepting our invitation.

Speaker 2: 2:18

Yes, thank you for having me. It's such a pleasure.

Speaker 1: 2:21

Oh, wonderful, wonderful. We definitely want to know all about you and everything that you have going on. So, for those that don't know you and aren't from the beautiful state of Mississippi, tell us a little bit about you.

Speaker 2: 2:41

Okay, so my name is Jaden McLaughster, I am 17 and I am from Vicksburg, mississippi. I'm normally, I'm really just your normal kid, normal Vicksburg native. Go to school, go home, extracurriculars, all that stuff.

Speaker 1: 3:07

Okay, so what kind of extracur? So okay, what grade are you in?

Speaker 2: 3:13

I am in 12th grade, so I will be graduating in May Very excited.

Speaker 1: 3:18

Woo what school?

Speaker 2: 3:26

What school do I go to currently? Yes, I attend River City Early College, but my home school is Vicksburg. River City Early College is a dual enrollment program where we can take college classes at Heinz and still have a high school education beforehand. So we get our high school education in 9th and 10th grade, and in 11th and 12th grade we're full college students and we have the opportunity to graduate with our associates. Yeah, that's very exciting.

Speaker 1: 4:00

That is a wonderful program and opportunity, because that's not very common and that's a lot of people that just just being honest, a lot of people that just go to school and go home, right, and to be in that program and to have other curricular activities. Our hats off to you. That's awesome.

Speaker 2: 4:25

Thank you.

Speaker 1: 4:26

That's awesome. When I met you, I was very inspired about your personality, your love for music, your passion for everything that you do musically. So tell us a little bit about what inspired you and when did you first get your spark to wanting to dive into music.

Speaker 2: 4:57

My interest was sparked through TV. I was always watching TV as a kid. I wake up in the morning and at the time I was looking with my grandmother and my mom, so I'd be like grandma, can I watch TV and I go grab the remote. Seriously, I'd have to have been, and mostly it was mostly movies that made it. Made music so big for me, because I love hearing like the scores and the soundtracks. Tv shows anything you could think of. But it was mostly movies. And I discovered my talent when I was performing in my first musical, which was Hello Dolly Made of Hicksburg High School under the direction of Angela Chapin. I loved seeing the costumes and hearing the music and the choreography and just being able to experience something as wonderful and enriching as live theater.

Speaker 1: 5:54

Wow, so that was what ninth grade, or when was that?

Speaker 2: 6:01

I started in fifth grade. That was when I performed in Hello Dolly. Ah yes, I was in that ensemble. It was a very fun experience.

Speaker 1: 6:12

So that's awesome. So fifth grade, you just knew that music was your thing.

Speaker 2: 6:23

Yes, I've always been like obsessed with theater and when I saw that they were looking for kids to be in the upcoming production, I was like, mom, you have to let me audition. I really want to be in this. And I was like talking my mom's ear off about being in the show.

Speaker 1: 6:43

You have an awesome mom that made sure you got in that show.

Speaker 2: 6:49

She's always been very supportive, since the beginning. Anything musical related, I was there and she was always directly behind me, 10 toes down, all the time, ready to pull out any sort of money that she had to pay for fees, because I was definitely going to pay it on my own.

Speaker 1: 7:15

Oh my gosh. So tell me about your natural talent for composing music.

Speaker 2: 7:24

My talent for composing music started in high school when I started my journey in the Vicksburg High School marching band, which is now called the Vicksburg Gator Band, Vicksburg Pride Band, Gator Band Marching Band it has all sorts of names.

Speaker 1: 7:44

It's the band.

Speaker 2: 7:46

Yeah, the band, that's what we call it, and it's under the direction of Dr Jonathan Nelson, and I got my inspiration for composing music from looking at his arrangements and hearing the sounds. I always loved the way he wrote. It was always interesting to me because the chords and the melodies and how he pieced it all together it really interested me and I wanted to learn more about it. So one day I walked up to him and I asked him I was like how can I start learning to write music? And he gave me a bunch of insight on it. And then that night I went home and I immediately started. I started researching, I started looking up different platforms that I could use to write music and I found it's like I found what I wanted to do.

Speaker 2: 8:42

Like when I composed my first piece, I knew that this was something I wanted to do for a really long time and it of course it didn't sound the best, but it never does when you're first starting out. So I just I really wanted to get better at it and work and practice my craft, and I did not stop working. I will come home every day and just get to writing at least for an hour, and I would want to learn, like how the program worked, how these certain notes would fit with these parts, and it was just a whole process. And now, here I am, writing music in 30 minutes. I can write pieces now. I used to take me at least two weeks to write one piece, but now I'm here writing pieces in like minimal time. Somebody will ask me to write something. I'll be like I'm on it and then I come back the next day with it.

Speaker 1: 9:43

Really. Yeah, it's definitely real time. So how do you? What gets you to write something that fast? Like, what triggers you? Do you hear some music? What do you go through? Experiences, what is it?

Speaker 2: 10:05

When I get asked to write a piece, normally I try to hear it in my head first. If it's a song that I've heard already, not making an arrangement of it, then I go listen to the song and try and pick out bits and pieces of parts and try to figure out what goes where, things like that. But if I'm composing and making it originally, then I normally just sit down on my keyboard and just start playing random rhythms or melodies and try and see what works, like what I can hear being turned into a full score in my head. And then when I find that specific rhythm or melody, I expand it, add some more parts, make it all beautiful and write sheet music like this big, Like 50 billion parts on it. And I'm just going through trial and error the whole time.

Speaker 1: 11:02

But at the end they're always together. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 11:09

It's always fun. It's always fun.

Speaker 1: 11:12

Is there anything that is challenging about it?

Speaker 2: 11:18

Normally, sometimes, when you've been writing and you feel like you've written everything there is to write, you get in this passing period where you're like stuck on what to write next. But you give it a bit of time and I think it's just being. It's just like working a lot, doing it a lot. You start to anything where you work a lot, you can get burned out sometimes and you have to take that break and rejuvenate and come back and then you're ready to work again and then it's like you get straight back into it. You start hearing everything all over again.

Speaker 1: 12:02

Oh, wow, okay, that's good, that's good, that is awesome. Yep, what inspires you? Before I ask that, what instrument or instruments do you play or have you playing, or what are you planning on learning to play?

Speaker 2: 12:24

I'm currently learning to play piano right now. I've always loved piano. Any time I heard the piano, I was like I want to do that.

Speaker 2: 12:35

I want to be able to play that and I hear people playing these like elaborate pieces and sometimes it just comes, it's like it flows out of their fingers, like they come up with it in their head almost instantly and I it's interesting. It's exciting to know that can happen and that type of creativity can be. It can exist that type of creativity, and I want to learn how to like improv, be able to improv my own pieces on the piano. I begged my mom for a keyboard for Christmas and that's all I've been doing nonstop recently is just playing on the keyboard constantly, day and night. Sometimes she's even like Jaden, what are you doing at this point? Sometimes it'll be like late at night. She's like Jaden, you have to go to bed. It's definitely when I play piano. I just get so lost in the music that I forget. Sometimes I forget what time it is and I just pick up my phone and I'm like, oh, it's pretty late.

Speaker 1: 13:48

Oh wow. So are you going to? Are you taking lessons from someone? Are you being self taught? How does this process?

Speaker 2: 14:00

I'm self teaching myself right now. That's how all of my musical journeys have been. Anything I've been doing is more like self taught first, and then I try to learn, because normally I'd like try to learn my own. Then I try to reach out if I feel like I can, if I feel like I can learn a little bit more like the logistics.

Speaker 1: 14:26

So are you learning to play sheet music or by ear, or both?

Speaker 2: 14:32

I'm learning to play sheet music currently and then sometimes, like I said, I'll sit down to just like try and play a random like melody or rhythm by ear and I'm just like listening to it. And then I have to like this little thing where if I hear something, I like turn my head. It's like a real musician thing. So we'll hear like a certain sport and we'll turn our head because it clicks almost, but it just sounds it's, it's almost right, but you don't hear it just yet.

Speaker 2: 15:05

Okay, yeah, it's one of those, it's just one of those things you hear a certain chord and you're just like oh, and then it, and then you try and pull it together and then it just works.

Speaker 1: 15:19

Oh, wow, wow. That's exciting self taught. What other instruments do you play? I am trained on the trombone.

Speaker 2: 15:31

I've been playing trombone since sixth grade. That's what I play in band, so I've had time to train myself on the trombone. So I am a bit of an intermediate to advanced player on the trombone. Yeah, I did play the guitar at one point in time, but I just put it down. As you see, that's actually what's back here on my wall. That's my guitar in the case. It's been sitting there for a while in the case because it is my main focus right now has been the piano, so I haven't really had time to learn a guitar and I feel like the guitar would be something I would probably be able to learn more about in lessons rather than on my own.

Speaker 2: 16:22

The guitar it interested me at one point in time. Like I was all about the guitar. I begged my mom for that guitar as well. Like I, I own a lot of musical instruments. Like I have a trombone, I have a keyboard, I have a guitar, I even have a tambourine for some reason. Like I have, I just have it all. Oh, wow, you have an awesome mom. It seems like she just wants to pour whatever you ask her for.

Speaker 1: 16:48

If it's music, she wants to just give it to you. She is always there, always there whenever I need her, you can have the pull that guitar out.

Speaker 2: 17:04

I definitely need to. It's collecting dust and you to knock the cobwebs off and get back into it.

Speaker 1: 17:10

That's it, that's it, that's it. Oh wow, it is so awesome. It seems like you have a great support system in your mom. That's awesome. Yes, who? What inspires you the most when creating music?

Speaker 2: 17:33

What inspires me the most is the desire to express emotions and feelings that I believe are universal, to like everyone, whether it's joy, sadness, anger, love. I try to tap into these emotions and translate them almost the way that can resonate with people from all walks of life Music, I see music is like a universal language. It has no barrier or separation. Like everyone can speak through music and we can all feel the same thing when listening to music, or we can feel something different, but we all understand it, and it's also that what's also beautiful about it is we can perceive it in our own way, so it's up for interpretation sometimes. I believe that's a good thing as well.

Speaker 1: 18:27

Yeah, music definitely is. Are there any particular artists or writer?

Speaker 2: 18:37

one specific. Yeah one specific composer is Steven Sondheim. He's gone now, but he was always a great composer. He wasn't. It's total inspiration to me. I love hearing his scores. They're absolutely gorgeous.

Speaker 1: 18:57

Can you tell us one for people that don't know?

Speaker 2: 19:04

He's written so much. Okay, being alive from company. I really like that one and another hundred people, which is also from company, but he wrote that one as well. I just love the chords and another hundred people. It's. They just fit, they work. He finds the weirdest chords and makes them work. It's inspiring and it's really uplifting to see someone take something so small and make it just so grand and so many people enjoy it.

Speaker 1: 19:41

Yeah, okay, okay, okay. So tell us how you Do you work?

Speaker 2: 20:01

Not at the moment, but I have. I do have work experience. Yes, Okay.

Speaker 1: 20:08

So how do you balance Playing in the band and composing music and school? How do you manage all of those things being so young?

Speaker 2: 20:22

It can be a challenge to balance academic commitments and pursue my passion for music, but with proper time management and dedication it's definitely possible. Maintain a well rounded life, finding your balance between musical studies and studies, musical pursuits and make sure, making sure to take breaks and engage in like other activities. That's definitely how I can balance it. I don't know, it just works. It's just one of those things that just work for me Nowadays. In the past I didn't have to find a set schedule, but now, just with me being a senior and classes are slowing down, it flows.

Speaker 1: 21:12

What were the challenges you had when you weren't a senior Like? What were the kind of challenges you had young, like younger and finding that balance? What did you do to make it easier?

Speaker 2: 21:29

I would practice on the weekends. That's how I would do. I would take a break from studying and all of the school and academics and I would just practice my craft on the weekends and I would free up my time in some way. And just, I don't know, sing or play some type of instrument or even listening to music, is the way I would practice in a certain way, because I would learn, I would be able to learn it by ear, and I would just be able to listen to certain ways that the composer makes the music work and I'd just be like, oh, he made this happen by doing this, and then I'd sit down and try and figure it out by myself, like physically, and try and play it back, almost.

Speaker 1: 22:23

How did it turn out? How did it turn out? Did it always turn out perfect?

Speaker 2: 22:28

It wasn't always the prettiest, but sometimes it did happen and it didn't work.

Speaker 1: 22:41

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 22:42

So it was always a rewarding feeling to play it correctly. But sometimes I would just pull up the sheet music. I'd be like this yeah, I'm just going to look it up.

Speaker 1: 22:57

Oh my God, that's. That still gives people an understanding of you. Have both options. If it doesn't, if it's not right or if it doesn't sound right right away, you can always look at what helps.

Speaker 2: 23:12

Right.

Speaker 1: 23:13

So that is incredible. Is there anything that you're working on right now?

Speaker 2: 23:21

I'm currently working on a musical. After I've been like acting for so long and writing music, I figured I'd step over to the creative side and learn more about that. So I'm currently writing a musical on the life of the American poet Emily Dickinson.

Speaker 2: 23:43

Yeah, and right now I have about seven scenes and three songs written with lyrics. I have one song written with music and I'm working on trying to get a demo recorded for that one. So once it's about halfway done, I'm going to try to stage it and see how it looks, see if anything needs to work, and then, as I'm staging, I want to actively add more to it and try and finish it out. But yeah, that's all I'm working on now.

Speaker 1: 24:17

Okay. So when you say stages, so do you have like friends, family, that you know that's going to be with you, like they want to be in it? What is that? What does your core team look like?

Speaker 2: 24:33

Right now is just me by myself, but I do have friends who are also into musical theater that I can. I know I could just be like, hey, I'm working on this thing which is like to help me out, and they'll just be like, yes, a thousand percent. My friends are always supportive of what I'm working on. They've always been part of my support system as well, along with my mom, because we all love the same thing, we all love musical theater, and it just works. We're always behind each other with anything we need to help with or anything we're working on. We're really close in it and we've been together for so long that we're just really close now.

Speaker 1: 25:14

That's wonderful, so it does help to have a team or friends that you have something relatable with, especially in this line of work.

Speaker 2: 25:31

I would say yes, definitely.

Speaker 1: 25:35

That's wonderful. That's wonderful. So how long does this process look like? How long are?

Speaker 2: 25:42

you giving yourself Right now. I'm looking to have it completed by between early and mid 2024. And I'm hoping to have it on the stage by late 2024.

Speaker 1: 25:57

Oh, wow, I'm with you. We're praying, wow. And when you're doing film, theater, music, do you do any with the church at all? Any different organ, organizations like that?

Speaker 2: 26:21

I Did. I sang, I was invited, me and my brother. We were invited to sing at our church, twice, the local church we used to attend back when I was living in poor Gibson. We used to sing there sometimes and they would just love it. They they always invite us back and tell us how talented we are, to give us compliments. I just I just be Taken a back by the amount of support. Everyone's so supportive. In my journey it was been so supportive and I'm just thankful that I have so many people around me who are just positive about what I want to do, because nowadays there's so many people who can try to put you down in what you want to do and and it's important to have those to keep those positive people around you rather than the negative ones, and I think that just makes a difference. It always makes a difference.

Speaker 1: 27:21

I love that. That's an odd. That's awesome. So for everyone that doesn't know, he's a twin. I Am.

Speaker 2: 27:29

I am identical, exactly like since birth. Nobody can ever get our names right. Everyone struggles to get our names right when they see us together, but they say separately, they can tell us apart, but when we're together it's just absolutely a struggle. Oh, once you can know us a little longer, and once you've been around us for a little longer, you start to tell the small differences, such as I have braces, he doesn't. He has dreads and I have, like these little twists. Yeah, hi is the thing, but nobody really notices it. One is taller than the other, or One is skinnier than the other. They say that one a lot. It's a lot of differences. Once you start to put it, look between the lines, read between the lines, read the fine print. Yeah, but we are both definitely identical, as we've been told.

Speaker 1: 28:37

Wow, and both of you guys are in music.

Speaker 2: 28:41

Yes, we are. We are definitely into music. We love Music. Anything musical that we can do, we do it and we always do it together. That's another thing. We always do music together. Anything musical Related, we're always there and he shows Any acting type of thing, any workshops. We're always gonna tend it together because we want to do the same thing. So it's nice to have that shared experience, so where we can grow in our craft together.

Speaker 1: 29:18

Oh, I love that that. It's one thing to have a friend to do it with, but it's another thing to have a twin and y'all, really right, enjoy the same things. Pretty much, thanks. So I'm sure he would be in your casting crew, maybe he most definitely bill he will.

Speaker 2: 29:44

Our talents we're they're mostly the same. I know he loves Acting and dancing and all that suggests as much as I do, so he will most definitely be on the team.

Speaker 1: 29:59

That's a wonder, that's good, that's a good, healthy relationship. I love that. I love that yes a good team, yes, so what school do you guys plan on going to for college?

Speaker 2: 30:13

We both plan on attending the American musical and dramatics Academy, which is a Two-year conservatory in New York where you can learn all of the three disciplines, which is singing, dancing and acting. We want to take that. We want to take the chance and have the time to grow our skills before stepping out into the career field. But you never know something they pick up along the way, something you know. That's all the opportunity. There's always opportunity out there and, oh my god, that's.

Speaker 1: 30:49

That's far.

Speaker 2: 30:52

Yeah, it's a little farther from home. We're ready to step out there because it's More of a place where we can get a more in-depth education in the field of musical theater. I don't know how enthusiastic my mom is about sending us that far, but she's definitely supportive of our career goals for sure.

Speaker 1: 31:19

Yeah, she sounds like an ace. Y'all better make sure when you guys get rich, wealthy, huge, y'all better take care of your mama. My brother has always talked about building her house. Yeah, y'all need to do her, too, identical.

Speaker 2: 31:42

I Was, I am. I cannot build houses. I will leave that up to him completely. I know that I will not be able to build a house. I can help you with the design and what curtains you should put in there, but I don't know about building. Actually, that's probably good enough to.

Speaker 1: 32:00

She's gonna need both somebody to decorate it and somebody to build it. So right, yes, I'll make sure y'all take care of your mom, because that sounds that's pretty far, and I can imagine how I would feel if my daughter wanted to or my son wanted to go that far, and I Probably would be. I would have a lot of flyer mouths, billy be flying. I would have a lot of flyer mouths. That would be flying a lot. That's cool, though that's cool. Have you guys got to tour the school virtually? Have you guys got to do anything? Talk to anyone there? Is there a scholarship options that you guys can dive into?

Speaker 2: 32:49

We have gotten to talk like admissions counselors and things of that nature, but we haven't gotten to towards school just yet. Although we have been in New York, we haven't gotten to see the school. Oh he, my brother did get a scholarship for 60,000 for four years and although that's not a lot, anything helps right anything and it comes to college. I know he's very grateful to have received that scholarship because not everyone gets that yeah.

Speaker 2: 33:21

That's great to see that they Thought of him when thinking about who do you have scholarships to, and saw something in him through his audition. I just submitted mine, so waiting to hear back.

Speaker 1: 33:42

That's. That's exciting. That would be so awesome if both of you got Scholarships there. So how much is a semester there? I Think?

Speaker 2: 33:56

It's not. I Haven't, I don't remember. I did do some research Not too long ago, but I don't exactly remember. It is a little on the steeper side because it is a, a private institution, okay but it has all those classes and things of that nature and fees come with that and books and all that stuff, tuition, tuitions through the roof everywhere these days. It's crazy, yes.

Speaker 1: 34:30

Yes, it is, it definitely is. Are y'all applying for, like other, scholarships that will just help wherever, whatever school you go to?

Speaker 2: 34:43

Yes, we are applying to outside scholarships. I recently Submitted for like a bunch of them. I know they're probably tired of seeing my name pop up on the screen when they're looking good scholarship applicants, but yeah, it's always. It's always. It's never too late and you always have to Do everything. You can look at everything, because there's always some type of opportunity, some type of opportunity out there. There's a million and one options out there, so you just have to look at those as well.

Speaker 1: 35:20

And yeah, Okay, I'm glad that's what you guys are doing, because New York is expensive, but I'm sure it's fun.

Speaker 2: 35:30

It is a lot of fun. A lot of fun. There's so much to do. There's so much to do. You never a boring day.

Speaker 1: 35:37

Yeah, y'all just make sure you're safe. That's a mother's prayer.

Speaker 2: 35:43

That is a big concern. That's where my mom comes in most of the time. What are you gonna do if you get sick and I'm not up there? But we most definitely have a plan to keep ourselves safe and stay together.

Speaker 1: 35:57

Okay, that's good. That's good that Make sure y'all do that for her Make sure you ask that for her. We must definitely go and get you a lot of chicken soup. Tell her that You're going to get soup, yes. That is supposed to be a necessity. Oh wow, tell us about your actual once you finish college. What are your future aspirations? What is your main goal? What is working after college look like for you.

Speaker 2: 36:33

My goal is to perform on Broadway. That's my one. Do you want to act on Broadway? That's my brother's goal and mine. We shared the same goal really to be on Broadway. Hopefully we get to work in a show together. Ok, If I don't get to act, I at least want to be on the creative side in some way. Anything, to be honest, because Broadway is, it's exactly in the name. It's broad, it's definitely broad. It has a range of careers and opportunities, things that you can do. There's something there for everyone, and I think that's one of the great things about it and I think that's what gravitates me to it as well, along with the music is that there's something everyone can do. There's a lot, Because some careers you just stick to one thing and that's it, but with Broadway there's a little bit of everything in there.

Speaker 1: 37:32

There's a lot of variety. Ok, give us some examples. What do you mean when you say there's a lot of things? What is it? What are those things?

Speaker 2: 37:44

Of course, you have your people who are on the stage are like your actors and your dancers, your singers. And then you have the people behind the scenes which are like your directors, your choreographers, your stage managers, your assistant directors, assistant choreographers, your technicians, stage operators, crew, all of that. And then, within roles on the stage, you have leads, supporting ensemble, you got swings under studies, standbys. It's just, it's a lot that goes into putting on a Broadway show. It definitely takes a huge team sometimes to do just one.

Speaker 1: 38:26

Yeah, do you. When you're dealing in theater, like that in Broadway, is there like a certain I want to say artistic ability? But I also want to I want to say is there like a certain weight class you have to be under? Does your body have to be a certain fit An athlete Like? Is that a thing?

Speaker 2: 38:57

Good thing about Broadway is that there is not a weight requirement to the roles. Of course there are some. Sometimes you have writers who will have a certain vision of how they see the character in their head, so they may not cast somebody who looks a certain way because they want to. They want the character, they envision the character another way. And then you have some writers who are more open to anyone being in the role, and I think that's a great thing as well. But there is not a weight requirement or a certain look you have to be providing, which is a great thing.

Speaker 1: 39:38

That is Not saying I want to be on Broadway, but that is that's cool. That's cool, ok. So tell me this how do you stay motivated?

Speaker 2: 40:00

I stay motivated by remembering the end goal in mind, that my end goal with being on Broadway and having a career in the arts is to inspire future generations that they, too, can make it, because you have so many people who can put you down when you're in a career in the arts and say it's not realistic, but this is something that you can do as well. It may not be as easy as going into a different career, but it's definitely possible. It's never impossible. It's always. Anything is truly possible when you really want to do it, and that's what I want to do. I want to inspire the future generations that this is real and this is something that they can do as well if they want to do it.

Speaker 1: 40:54

OK, is there anyone that looks like you? That inspired you, or is it a rarity and you want to be different?

Speaker 2: 41:17

There's not a lot of African-American representation. There hasn't been a lot of African-American representation in the past within theater, but nowadays it's starting to be Broadway starting to be reinvented and you have musicals like Michael Jackson or the Tina Turner musical and things that they dream, girls Right. You can have stuff like that starting to be inserted into Broadway and I think that's a great thing, because it's always great to have representation.

Speaker 1: 41:53

Yeah, if you're anything, you'll be a part of a new inspiration to Most definitely. Yeah, that's what it's about Leaving a footprint like that where people can look back and say Jada McGluster was my influencer. He influenced me to go into this field, even if I don't do what he did. I went because I knew I could do it, because he did it.

Speaker 2: 42:25

Right. I think it's more rewarding than the standing ovations and the awards. When you can see what you're doing makes a difference, makes a positive impact in the world, when it has the ability to influence so many people to pursue their dreams, that's definitely more rewarding than any award can be.

Speaker 1: 42:52

Yeah, I agree, I agree. I applaud you for wanting to even do that, because I. Thank you. Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. What could you share? Or could you share any advice for any one that's aspiring to compose music? Play music, be self-taught, like you, other than act your mom a whole lot until you get it Right. Is there any encouraging words or anything that you can give someone that's in your shoes or that wants to be in your shoes as listening?

Speaker 2: 43:54

Never stop doing what you love. Things may not look like much now, but imagine you have to imagine how it will look five to 10 years from now. It may be bigger than you ever thought it would be. You never know what God has in store for you and you have to remember there's always a light at the end of a dark tunnel. Like I said, anything is possible and you never know when opportunities may come up or something may happen in your life that allows you to reach that goal that you've been striving to reach for so long, and it's always a joy to see when you finally made it and you look back in your journey, you could just be grateful that you kept going, rather than stopping and just getting up and saying I should do something else because it doesn't look like it's working. You have to keep going or you'll never know what could have been.

Speaker 1: 44:59

That is some good advice. That's good advice for anybody. Oh, that's great advice for anyone. Oh, my God. I think I've already asked this, but yeah, I think I have. You are such a great impact and such a good and incredible inspiration this whole time we've been talking. It is just you've been inspiring the whole time.

Speaker 2: 45:37

Thank you you have.

Speaker 1: 45:41

Where does that inspiration come from?

Speaker 2: 45:45

I don't. It's just like a will to make a difference, a will to make a change. I Feel like the world's been stuck in so many like social narratives that it's up to. They say so many times that my generation is the future and if Anybody's gonna make a change we have to start it. And I most definitely want to make that change. I can only speak for myself, but I most definitely want to be that inspiration and be able to Change something from the way it was before. And everybody may not be open to change and I think it's Okay. That's okay If they don't want to change, but at some point It'll happen, like better things will come. Good change can happen at any moment and I just want to be that light. I hope that I can be that light for someone Somewhere along the way.

Speaker 1: 46:56

And I believe you already are, if not to those friends around you, definitely to your mom and, and that, oh my god, that says a whole lot. It really does. So I do want to ask one more question what is your relationship with God, what kind of relationship you have with God that makes this man so beautiful? You are just beautiful inside and out.

Speaker 2: 47:25

Thank you. I Am a devoted Christian. I Would normally pray about Anything I need to. If I was struggling on Something, on a piece, I'd be like God, give me the vision, give me the sight to see what I need to make this work and Most of what I do is Is centered around God. I want to be able To share my faith within my work.

Speaker 1: 48:07

Yeah, I Think that is so amazing. I Think your attitude, your demeanor, your passion for what you do is Is it speaks volumes. It really does, and Thank you. Oh, my god, I'm praying that your scholarship to that school in New York Lord, help that it. It blows you guys away and God bless you guys with More than enough To go to school out there and just live that dream.

Speaker 1: 48:50

Especially, it's very rare to be so young and to walk into what God is destined for you, to already know so young that this is what makes me feel fulfilled or this is what makes me feel good About myself, or this is what I'm supposed to do. It takes, and I'm sure, but You're still learning, you're still growing, but to just tap into that just a little bit is it's phenomenal, it really is. Thank you A lot about who you are, your team, your mom, your family. It says a lot. It says a lot because there are people that are 40, 50, 60 years old and still don't know who they are, what they're supposed to do is right. I'm praying God's Extreme blessing on you, your brother, your family, and tell your mama I'm praying she get two houses built, yeah.

Speaker 2: 49:59

I'm sure she gets one name on each door.

Speaker 1: 50:06

Because you guys are going to grow and and just do some amazing things and y'all better not forget about me.

Speaker 2: 50:14

I Definitely will not.

Speaker 1: 50:15

I want to come to a Broadway show and I want to come to the one that's gonna be out in Mississippi when you done.

Speaker 2: 50:26

I Will definitely have tickets.

Speaker 1: 50:29

Please, and do not forget about me. I want to be a part of that. I want to be a part of that. So do you have? Or while you're composing music, are you recording yourself doing it? While you're learning the piano, are you like recording so you can post them on YouTube, as people follow you and you growing in this process?

Speaker 2: 50:55

I'm working on getting a YouTube channel right now, but I do have a website at the moment. Okay, I like Talk about what I do and and some of the things that I do within my work, some of the work that I do, some services I offer. I'm trying to Be able to be hired for Something that I can do like, whether it's like choreography or compose a piece, something like that, something of that nature. But I am working on expanding my brand through recording and YouTube and stuff of that nature.

Speaker 1: 51:39

Okay, so are you like? I have a couple musicians and friends, and they teach piano, they teach guitar, they teach Trombone, they take, they teach. So are you gonna be doing that as well? Try to teach in that avenue, to.

Speaker 2: 52:02

Mm-hmm I, while I'm in my career in theater, I am Looking to work as a vocal coach as well.

Speaker 1: 52:14

Okay.

Speaker 2: 52:17

I've had time to learn about the voice and I want to be able to help people tap into their voice per se, if they're like Wanting to be able to sing professionally or something of that nature. I wanted to help them tap into that Craft of theirs.

Speaker 1: 52:37

Okay, and don't forget about preachers and teachers, because they they need vocal coach, coach sometimes. So that's awesome. Don't leave anyone on the table. Just I'm not saying take everybody, I'm just saying just Leave the cards on the table Right there. That's incredible, that's a great idea, that's a wonderful idea. That is, that's a way to keep money in your pocket too. It is, it is, it is especially while in school, or that's a great idea, that is, but I know you're super busy. I know you're super busy.

Speaker 2: 53:19

Okay, even one of my teachers noticed it when I was at school. I was telling them about something that I was doing or working on and they were like I Know you're always busy and I was like I didn't think people noticed that. Like I, right now, looking back on I, I'm always doing something, I'm always moving around and someone's hey, jaden, can you do this? I feel like I have to do this real quick and then I'm just like gone from place to place all the time.

Speaker 1: 53:53

Oh, Wow, that's wonderful. That's wonderful, that's good. Staying busy, staying positive, those are all wonderful traits and I am so excited. I can't wait till everything. I can't wait until you publish your, your play, and I just want to know do you want to come back on and talk about it?

Speaker 2: 54:21

I Will both definitely be open to coming back and talking about the show. I would love to be able to Help it grow. I feel like there's any, anything you can really do anything to help grow or something you want to do like. It can just be like posting a short Tick-tock these days and you gain like millions of likes and then it just becomes this huge thing. But I'm most definitely open to coming back and talking about the show.

Speaker 1: 54:55

Awesome. So you have to tell us about your website, you have to give us the website address so we all have it and we can go and look at it. And everyone that listens or everyone that's near you or want to drive to you, what's that website?

Speaker 2: 55:12

I'm going to. I put it In the box, but I got to find it again. It's a really long name. I have to short that domain for short. Okay, it Is J McCluster for wix site calm. Okay, that's a long website name. I'll put it in the chat box.

Speaker 1: 55:48

And we will definitely have it in the the link below. Everyone can click on the link and go right to his website. Whether you're listening to this on the podcast or if you're listening to this on YouTube, it will be in the link below. So you guys check out his page and Stay connected to this young man. If I will, if he wants to get to a tick tock or he gets an Instagram or Any other pages that he get, I will definitely add it to the links below and I will keep you guys posted. As you guys stay connected to this young man, because this is just the beginning for him. I'm telling you it's gonna be amazing. Thank you so much for being on. It has been my pleasure. It has truly been an honor just talking with you and getting to know you a little bit more, and you guys have to invite us to Things you guys are having, because we will drive out I.

Speaker 2: 56:58

Was definitely will. We're actually in a show right now at Vicksburg. This year we're doing Greece and I'm playing Knicki and Jamari's playing Teen Angel. So we will definitely Send you the ticket.

Speaker 1: 57:17

So it's the weekend or just during Christmas break.

Speaker 2: 57:22

Shows. We haven't started rehearsals yet, we just got casted, but shows are gonna be in March awesome please. I will definitely have the ticket link for that when they come out wonderful.

Speaker 1: 57:35

Oh my god, that's gonna be amazing. So all of y'all are in it.

Speaker 2: 57:40

Very exciting, yes.

Speaker 1: 57:44

Oh, wow, congratulations. We are Going to give you your time back because I know it is very valuable and I know you have a lot to do, so I want to tell you thank you again so much for being on the show. We can't sometimes oh Welcome, we cannot wait to have you back on.

Speaker 2: 58:13

I will definitely be looking for that email.

Speaker 1: 58:17

Will do Tell everyone we said hi to your mom. Um Great job. Bye everyone, bye, bye.