Mr. Jacobetz, THS’s resident band director, can be seen leading various activities throughout the high school. Although he teaches multiple classes—including band, guitar, and Music Production—many students don’t realize who he truly is. Jacobetz, who used to play in a cover band that performed at bars and weddings, is the same teacher that now teaches Tenafly students the circle of fifths.
Yes, you read that right. Jacobetz, or Mr. J as he’s more commonly known as, was not always a teacher ordering around a marching band from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the back of the high school. He once lived much of his life far from the band field—2,317 miles away, to be precise.
Jacobetz spent much of his life in northern New Jersey. During his youth, he was introduced to two musical instruments: the guitar and the tuba. He excelled in both, making it into the North Jersey Region Band his high school sophomore year. In fact, he found such a passion and had such talent in music that he secured an extremely cutthroat opportunity to learn under famous tuba instructor Sam Pliafian, something he still struggles to believe happened. For that, he flew across the country with his guitar and amp and officially began attending Arizona State University.
At Arizona State University, he continued to immerse himself in as much music as he could, joining the college’s marching band where he trained rigorously every week. Memorization and discipline was key. He recalls that his band director made the band perform a different show every game. Once, Jacobetz was even able to watch some fans tear down an entire goalpost!
Jacobetz established friendships with fellow students, including a next-door roommate who shared his same love for music. After graduating, he picked up a job as a music teacher at a middle school for a couple years, teaching both the orchestra and band. It was during these years that he joined a band of his very own, one where he performed gigs at weddings and bars from evening to twilight.
At the time, ’80s music was popular at weddings, corporate events, and bars. Since “bands were always looking for a bassist,” he taught himself bass to be hired. Furthermore, since he was able to sing very high notes and hence harmonize with the leads, he was even more needed. Jacobetz would drive down the mountains to the school each morning to teach, hold private lessons in the evenings, perform at various gigs, and drive back up the mountain at 2 a.m.
But how did he arrive here at THS? After getting married, he and his wife wanted to raise their daughter with the support of their extended families. Conveniently, his wife’s family also lived in the Northeast, specifically NYC. He thus began keeping an eye out for jobs around the eastern areas. Then, the job opening for THS popped up. Determined to get it, Jacobetz immediately flew across the US to reach Tenafly for an in-person interview. After the first encounter, he was called back once more for a final interview. He got the job.
There were a few influencing factors. Jacobetz believed that his guitar expertise was something that other job applicants didn’t have, which made him most qualified to teach the two guitar classes offered by THS. The second factor was the fact that he knew the English teacher Mrs. Hampson. Hampson used to be his band classmate, so she knew Jacobetz prior. He theorized that she had probably put in a good word for him, becoming the “last extra push.” Once he began teaching at THS, Jacobetz completely changed the entire atmosphere of the band.
Jacobetz’s past continues to influence the way he teaches to this day.
