It is Jay’s philosophy that everyone is trying their best all of the time AND that expanding our version of 'best' can be accomplished through the release of stress, healing of trauma, and the loving consideration of the body. The following biography shares many of the twists and turns that led Jay to his world view and to his place in Chicago’s sound movement.
Jay Taylor moved to Chicago in 2005 after graduating from Kalamazoo College. He started a job at Neiman Marcus on Michigan Ave stocking ladies shoes. While working at Neiman’s Jay began his first true collaborations in music through his guitar playing and singing. Within in a year he had begun taking classes at DePaul University which culminated in 2008 with a Masters of Education. Soon there after Jay took a job at Carlos Fuentes Elementary as the schools’ sole Special Education teacher and Case Manager. Over his 8 years in that position Jay helped build the schools’ Special Education Department from 1 position to a team of 6 special education teachers and 5 para-professionals.
In the midst of the school’s growth Jay began producing more complex music using production software and hardware and also started Rhythms of Youth, a program in which Jay taught struggling students to build drums from scratch. Jay also began to meditate and embarked on his spiritual journey.
After 8 years, Jay decided to leave his job as a Special Education teacher. Before he could leave he was offered the opportunity to revamp the Physical Education position into what would ultimately be titled Instructor of Nutrition, Fitness, and Mindfulness. Jay was given full autonomy to build this program as he saw fit. The program focused on physical skill development and sports education, but included a daily fitness routine, documentary videos focusing on food, and guided meditation. It was during this time that Jay found his creative stride as his personal journey had now found a direct outlet in his day to day work.
In 2016, Jay began taking classes in Core Shamanism learning the basic technique of the Shamanic Journey and ultimately the more advanced techniques of Extraction and Soul Retrieval. It was around this same time that Jay started experimenting with growing his own food. The home/school experiment began with growing leafy greens in jars, then tomatoes in buckets, and finally an automated tower system. The limitations of these methods in terms of production and electricity consumption led Jay in search of alternatives. The answer he found was microgreens. They were cheap to produce, easy to grow, took less than two weeks to harvest, were high yielding, superbly nutritious, and undeniably delicious.
In 2017, budget cuts began to more drastically impact Jay’s school resulting in a personal class load of 37 periods per week ranging from grades kindergarten to 8th grade. Out of this significant increase in class number a new limb of Jay’s program was born entitled Mindfulness. As the “gym” space was being utilized for lunch, Mindfulness class involved Jay pushing into classrooms and teaching breathing and meditation techniques, the sharing and performance of healing music, and the study of documentaries focusing on healing and the power of the mind.
As Jay was expanding his teaching role at the school he started hosting weekly gatherings in his home to teach friends how to Journey. In early 2018 he attended a workshop and was inspired to purchase a gong and then crystal bowls. As he began to experiment with these instruments he started to incorporate them into his weekly gatherings until the “Sound Voyage” became the dominate feature.
In June of 2018 Jay left his teaching position of 10 years to move into sound full time. In August of 2018 Jay hit the ground running and began reaching out to a variety of non-profit organizations, yoga studios, hospitals, cooperate clients, and many others. Challenges quickly emerged as Jay realized that sound was viewed as a special event and not an everyday occurrence. It isn’t easy trying to find financial consistency when you are making a living off of ticket sales.
Having learned many lessons, Jay decided to take a step back in early 2019. In order to find sustainability as a sound meditation facilitator he needed to clearly define his intention with the work. The intention he found was to be of service. This intention was the fuel that Jay needed to continue to push the boundaries of his sounds and also the locations in which he could share his work.
There is no replacement for experience which is why Jay has found every opportunity to share his sounds. Over the past five years Jay has donated over 300 sound experiences to non-profits, hospitals, and treatment centers. He also facilitated nearly 2,000 meditations for private clients, corporate offices, yoga studios, clubs, universities, hospitals, weddings, and more.
New opportunities continue to unfold and Jay stands firmly in the possibility that sound is the wave of the future and a key to providing release, relaxation, rest, and rejuvenation.
CURRENT VIBRATIONS • COPYRIGHT 2024 • JAY TAYLOR