By Aaron Johnson (@voz_aaron1) – Spear Reporter | Jordan Cobbs on the sideline before San Jose State’s game against Wyoming on 10/19 (photo by Nick Orozco Co-Executive Editor)
Drums, guitar, saxophone, piano and violin are just part of the extensive list of instruments that San Jose State linebacker Jordan Cobbs has played while performing.
His repertoire would include more instruments if not for one rule he set for himself.
“If I’ve never played it in concert, I wouldn’t consider it an instrument I’ve played,” Cobbs said. “I’ve played the flute but never in concert.”
Cobbs began to pick up these different instruments during his time at Montera Middle School in his hometown of Oakland, California. There he played in the jazz band under the direction of music teacher Eric Swihart.
Eric Swihart conducts the Montera Middle School Jazz band
“He was the greatest music teacher I ever had,” Cobbs said. “I probably wouldn’t be as deep into music now without him.”
Giving Cobbs the opportunity to play guitar in concert was just one of the ways Swihart encouraged him to pick up new instruments.
Cobbs became good friends with his classmates Kheshawn Wynn and Desmond Paré through the band. The three were often the last students left still playing after class.
“Playing music together is just a different type of connection,” Wynn said. “Band feels like one of the few places you can truly be yourself.”
Some of Cobbs’ favorite memories came from the sessions of improvisational music he and his classmates would play for fun before rehearsal time even started.
“Before you knew it we were making amazing music together,” Cobbs said. “It’s almost like a football play where everything goes right. You get that feeling of unity between everybody.”
Cobbs said the jazz band performed at local restaurants, bars and birthday parties. One of the pieces they played was a Stevie Wonder tribute which would blend multiple songs of his into one cohesive piece of music.
Cobbs traveled across Oakland to attend school, play after-school sports and then perform at a concert, all in the same day.
“I remember my mom told me ‘I don’t know how we’re going to do this,’ ” Cobbs said. “But we always used to make it happen.”
Though Cobbs was proficient in many instruments, he didn’t know how to read sheet music until he took an advanced band class in sixth grade.
“I was like ‘man beginning band sounds weak, let me join the big band,’ ” Cobbs said. “But I didn’t know the requirements.”
One of the requirements of advanced band was being able to read sheet music, something Cobbs did not know how to do at the time because he learned everything by ear.
“I came in the first day and they handed out the music, I thought I was screwed,” Cobbs said. “I kind of faked it until I made it for like a month. But then they caught on.”
Cobbs’ music teacher in sixth grade gave him two options, either quit and come back next year or stay after class to learn how to read sheet music. Cobbs chose the latter.
Swihart said it is common that students learn by ear as opposed to sheet music.
“The sheet music shows you the map of where the song is going,” Swihart said. “You don’t have to use sheet music, but to me being able to read and play by ear have always gone together nicely.”
Jordan Cobbs (8) in position pre-snap against Kennesaw State on 9/17 (photo by Nick Orozco Co-Executive Director of The Spear)
Balancing time between football and music became more challenging as Cobbs advanced from middle school. At San Leandro High School, Cobbs was in the marching band and the football team at the same time and could only play with the band during the day.
“During games I used to ask my head coach ‘What if I go out at halftime and play with the marching band?’ ” Cobbs said. “But he wasn’t going for it.”
Cobbs also said he would have auditioned for the SJSU marching band if he was not on the football team.
With the busy schedule of an NCAA Division I athlete, Cobbs has not been able to play music as much as he wanted to in recent years.
He has taken a sound engineering class at SJSU which allowed him to have a jam session with classmates once again. Cobbs hopes to get into the music production side of the business in the future.
“I want to bring live music back into music production,” Cobbs said. “That’s the dream, to turn a hobby into something bigger.”
