Commentary & Pubs

Public education and common knowledge

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By Ande Jacobson

I was lucky. I grew up in a time when public education was thriving. There were still some differences depending upon where one lived. Still, everyone had access to public education for K-12, and public colleges and universities were affordable. At that time, the federal government covered about 80% of the public education costs while states, students, and other private funding covered the remaining 20%. Beyond the minimal costs, I lived in a state that had an excellent public education system at the time. There were general requirements that ensured that graduates had a core of knowledge that allowed them to be productive citizens. Beyond fundamental math, reading, and writing skills, high school graduates had a basic understanding of how our government was structured and functioned, and at least a passing familiarity with our nation’s history, the good and the bad. That gave them the basic skills necessary to pursue employment, to vote responsibly, and if desired, to pursue higher education. Continue reading →

We all have to be our kind

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By Ande Jacobson

I was thinking back to a show years ago when I moved from the pit to the cast as an actor. I wrote about my experience of climbing out of the pit in a commentary piece a few months after the show closed as I prepared to jump back into the pit in another production. Being an actor rather than a musician for that production was memorable in so many ways. Overall it was a good experience to move to a new perspective and role. As I think back on that, one preshow conversation keeps coming to mind in a completely different light than it shed at the time. The theater company that put on the show had a long standing tradition of holding a company call before each performance. It happened after the house was open, the audience was milling about the lobby and the auditorium, and the performers had hopefully completed their final preparations to begin the performance. The entire company was invited to meet just outside of the stage left entrance. Announcements were made. Awards were sometimes given. Hugs were shared. Questions were answered. And it was a pleasant time for the company to come together as a whole before getting to places for curtain. Continue reading →

Thoughts on a somber Independence Day

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By Ande Jacobson

July 4, 2025. This day marks the 249th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America as stated in the Declaration of Independence. That declaration was revolutionary at the time stating that people had the right to self-governance and didn’t have to cater to the whims of a king.

I’ve long had a complicated relationship with this particular holiday, and this year it’s even more so. On the one hand, as a musician I enjoyed the music that was prevalent on this American holiday as I used to play in a variety of community bands. I no longer perform, but I’ve been listening to a wide swath of American music on my favorite classical radio station throughout the day today. Continue reading →

Remember the important things

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By Ande Jacobson

I was recently reminded of what is truly important by two very talented young people. The first was my friend and mentee (although he’s so far past me at this point, I’d really consider him the mentor now) who joined his first national tour as the assistant music director and keyboard 2 player for a popular musical that’s again making the rounds. I’ve written about this young fellow before, now having just finished his first year of college, and his accomplishments continue to excite and thrill all who know him. His passion, skill, and dedication are an inspiration in so many ways. Continue reading →

Spring thoughts

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By Ande Jacobson

May 2025, the heart of spring. While my favorite season is fall because I greatly prefer the weather compared to that of any other season, spring normally signals hope and energy after the winter recedes and the plants reawaken. This year, nature is doing its thing. The trees are green. The flowers are blooming. The bugs are starting to amass. Little squirrels and birds are running all over the place. But this spring still doesn’t feel like spring. Yes, the outside appears much the way it always does this time of year. Alas, the inside is different. There are always things to be concerned about, but this year it’s hard to know where to start because so many things are at risk that don’t have to be. There are many things to consider, and not all of them are related directly to the crises we face.

I recently posted an article across my various social media accounts about habits that will make us happier. It was a compilation of recommendations from a psychologist who heads the Department of Psychiatry at a major medical center in the U.S., and it was truly about self-care, something that becomes even more important during trying times. A friend commented on my post on one of the platforms I use that he didn’t think it was appropriate to feel happy when we’re losing our democracy, which got me thinking. Continue reading →

Tax time choices

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By Ande Jacobson

For close to 30 years or so, I’ve been a faithful TurboTax user. Prior to that I still did my own taxes, but I did them the really old fashioned way – i.e., I got my forms from the library, wrote everything by hand and mailed them in. Although TurboTax has been around since 1984, I finally got around to trying it in the late 1990s. The software made filing my taxes easy and was initially pretty inexpensive. As time went on the software evolved to a very robust package. Also over time, it got more expensive, especially after Intuit segregated which forms were available through the interview in each version. The more complicated the return, the more expensive the package became. The H&R Block software, TaxCut, is much the same thing, although since I was in the TurboTax realm I never explored that one. Still, I’ve been considering looking for a less expensive option for some time. We have to file our taxes, but we shouldn’t have to pay an exorbitant fee to do so if we choose to do them ourselves. Continue reading →

On the edge

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By Ande Jacobson

Here I sit at my computer at the start of a very consequential week. I have much to be thankful for in my life, and I try to focus on the good things. My friends. My family. Even the state where I live. I have challenges as most of us do. In my case, I’ve been dealing with some serious medical issues all of my life, and they’ve gotten worse over the last several years. Even so, I’m still able to take care of myself and even provide an ear to my friends and family to discuss the things that concern us. Continue reading →

Thoughts as 2024 draws to a close

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By Ande Jacobson

I used to write a holiday letter each year to share with friends, mostly those who were far away. At first I sent them in holiday cards via the mail, but over time I started writing them as emails, and later as articles on my website. They detailed my big events through the year. Sometimes they noted my personal accomplishments. Other times they covered my struggles. Over time though, I stopped writing them. Instead, I started writing an end of year essay thinking about what had happened over the year in broader terms. My individual exploits no longer seemed all that important in the grand scheme of things, either to me or to those I cared about. Continue reading →

The first Foothill Band Review

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By Ande Jacobson

It’s October. I’ve been so preoccupied by the biggest general election of my life, I completely forgot about another huge event that hits its 50th anniversary this year on 26 October 2024 – The 50th Annual Foothill Band Review in Pleasanton, CA. I was there for the first one back in October 1975 when our band, The Capuchino High School Marching Band, won sweepstakes in the parade competition. The six foot sweepstakes trophy from that competition graced the band room for decades after that. Our band director, Ralph Bredenberg – fondly known as “Mr. B,” retired after that school year, but what a final year it was. Continue reading →

Our votes matter

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By Ande Jacobson

Most of my friends have made up their minds for this contentious 2024 election, and the vast majority are voting Democratic up and down the ticket for the good of the country as a whole even if they aren’t completely in line with some specific policies or even registered as Democrats. This makes sense to me. I’m never completely in line with any politician’s policies, but I learned a long time ago that with politics you never get everything exactly the way you want it. I learned that you should vote based on the overall good of a given candidate and whether they want to help us all or not. This election, I agree with most of the Democratic Party’s policies such as:

  • Enacting fair taxation where everyone pays their fair share including the wealthy and corporations
  • Lowering prescription drug prices not just for seniors but for everyone
  • Stopping price gouging, especially for essentials like food, housing, and healthcare
  • Protecting Social Security and Medicare without raising the retirement age or cutting benefits
  • Producing more clean energy
  • Enacting initiatives to address climate change
  • Enacting sensible gun safety laws
  • Protecting reproductive choice and freedom by codifying the protections of Roe v. Wade nationwide
  • Enacting bipartisan legislation to tighten border security and enact humane immigration policies
  • Continuing job growth and strengthening unions
  • Making education affordable and accessible
  • Continuing to improve the ACA to make healthcare available to all without the threat of financial ruin
  • Protecting voting rights so that every eligible voter can cast their ballot – a bedrock principle of democracy
  • Appointing judges and justices who will uphold the Constitution and rule of law, not shred it
  • Strengthening our democracy
  • Maintaining the separation of church and state enshrined in our Constitution

VP Harris recently announced that she also supports expanding Medicare to cover long term care at home to help the disabled and our seniors when they need it most without the threat of financial ruin.

Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and the Democratic Party understand that we have to work together and support making things better for all Americans through the above initiatives and the rest of the platform and policies they support. As such, I am very enthusiastically supporting Democrats up and down the ballot in this election along with most of my friends. Continue reading →