When: Monday nite 6/29 7:30pm ET

Where: https://youtube.com/live/NUluRy41dyM?feature=share

Who gets 10%: https://www.cradlestocrayons.org Cradles to Crayons volunteers prepare packages of clothing, shoes, books, and more for distribution throughout the year to hundreds of thousands of kids in the communities we serve.

http://paypal.me/vancevancevance or https://venmo.com/vancevancevance or VanceFunder P.O. Box 17, Arlington, MA 02476

*PRIVATE COACHING AVAILABLE - Songwriting, performance, and voice.

***CUSTOM SONGS - Expensive, sure, you want one about you, your family, something.

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THINGS HEARD, SEEN, AND LEARNED FROM ANOTHER WEEK OF TEACHING AT BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC

Highschoolers from around the country/world come for a week’s worth of music and music biz coaching to get them to come to Berklee. As you can see by the pic, I’ve been doing it a while. They keep hiring me, so...

OK, mostly high schoolers, save for one older Japanese lady. She asked at the beginning of class if she could use a live translation app thru the class. I apologize heartily for all the Vance-ish vernacular stuff. Sorry.

~ I start class by going around the room and asking names, city they come from, and what they are currently listening to. Most of the presenting young men and boys that came through were smattered with grunge, rock, names of recent uncategorizable groups that I can’t recall because I’m old. Some of the presenting young women and were the same. Somewhat predictably Olivia Rodrigo is this year's Sabrina Carpenter who was last year’s Phoebe Bridgers who all tip hat to Taylor Swift. But some responses were surprising gold:

~ 2 totally separate young men said, “I just love Weather Report w/Jaco Pastorius on bass!”

~ The one kid who mentioned, “I’ve been listening to a lot of Jim Croce”

~ “You were so great at the instructors concert...I took a walk today and half the time I was in tears because I had Unfamiliar Moon on repeat - over and over...” Free tuition to this kid, ok?

~ (tall re-headed white girl from Chicago with braces) “...heard it in a cab and I couldn’t shake it and now I’m in a John Lee Hooker phase..."

~ “Rather than working on the tune, would you coach me on a comedy intro to my song?"

~ That part when the end of one class these 13 kids burst into community all exchanging numbers and Instagram handles and talking - the cacophony balm to my soul

~ That part when class ended yesterday at 5:30 and they had to be at dinner, but the last few of them left my classroom as I was packing up at 5 minutes to 6 still peppering me with questions

~ Asked at the end of a class if there were any questions one student asks, "What were your numbers like when you were at the prime of your career?”

Ouch. Hahahahaah.