Daily Inspiration: Meet Haskel Jackson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haskel Jackson.

Hi Haskel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder for “Music For Your Mental Health”. MFYMH started over five years ago at my Hollywood recording studio. One day Jay Vincent B (Our Chief Operations Officer) came to the studio… As usual, Jay and I started having a casual but purposeful conversation about music therapy. We spoke about wanting to impact our youth and young adult community by creating something that we felt would engage them as well as interest them. After about 2 hours of talking, brainstorming and dreaming big, we decided to put our words to action. Jay suggested we bring his friend Stevie McBride (Our Clinical Director) and share our vision with him. Once we shared the vision with Stevie, he immediately came aboard and said, let’s do this, I’m in.

The timing of our coming together and deciding to form this power-packed team couldn’t have been better. You will get the chance to meet the other three team members later in this interview. Since we’ve started at the top of 2021, we have solidified three strong partnerships/relationships where we will be facilitating training and workshops. It’s pretty exciting to be a part of something so needed, especially during this most volatile time in our worlds history.

These are some of our program goals and expectations:
Enhanced Self-Expression Skills
Express feelings through songwriting and given the opportunity to discuss feelings in a safe environment.

Improved Perception
Develop empathetic listening skills and engaging in self-reflection through music in order to understand the world around you.

Increased Self-Esteem
MFYM creates a fun learning environment that tracks progress and gives students a feeling of accomplishment!

Increased Communication Skills
Students learn to communicate clear ideas and feelings through lyric analysis and learning song structure.

Improved Social Skills
Collaborative music projects will allow students to work in small groups, sharing ideas with each other.

Increased Focus
Learn to use music applications, write songs, and analyze favorite musical compositions while working to achieve time-managed objectives.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some obstacles and challenges we faced were making sure we were able to stay active while all of the schools and programs were shut down. We had to create safe ways to stay connected to the kids, the parents and the program directors. This was new for everyone, so instead of sitting around and complaining we rolled up our sleeves and figured out how to keep moving in the right direction.

– Haskel (CEO)

Definitely has not been a smooth road developing our program. One would think that when creating a program with such powerful and foundational structures such as music and mental health the pathway would be all rainbows and butterflies.

The conflict doesn’t lie within our team because we are family and we hold that as a core principle. Honestly were are awaiting that opportunity and platform to let not only our youth in our inner-city communities know what we can do and how to make effective change, but the goal is to implement the program statewide or even on a national scale. It takes visibility, word of mouth, shares, likes, comments, all of that! We need to be seen!

– Stevie (Clinical Director)

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Music For Your Mental Health (MFYMH) is a unique program guided by Grammy-nominated music producers and therapists, fostering the creation of music as a therapeutic tool for youths 4 to 18. The concept is to identify talents and desires that the youth identify with. Therapy can be used in all forms of art. These techniques will support the artist within.

When you sign up on the site (musicforyourmental.org) you will have options as to what area of focus you’d like to be engaged in. The site is simplified between the Instructor & The Student.

I am most proud of our team and the love we share for the work we do together. We are here as a team. Take a moment to meet the team.

Haskel Jackson,
Chief Executive Officer
Haskel Jackson, Jr. is a 7x Grammy-nominated and 3x Billboard #1 hit music producer whose career in the music industry spans well over 27 years. Jackson worked in conjunction with the Challengers Boys & Girls Club in Los Angeles to run Grammy award-winning artist Kanye West’s ‘Loop Dreams’ foundation for over six years—a foundation that he and his mother, Donda West, founded. In that position, Jackson developed an engaging curriculum that taught students how to create hip-hop and use their expression as a means to improve themselves and their environment. Jackson also owns an Artist Development company that trains, instructs and guides artists, producers and musicians from all music genre’s called PAI Stations. PAI Stations stands for Production / Artistry / Industry. It’s a one-stop shop program for all music needs.

Jared Baisley,
Chief Operations Officer
Jared Baisley, an accomplished musician and engineer, has been working in the music industry for over ten years. Baisley is a Billboard #1 songwriter and has worked with Interscope, Warner Brothers, and various other record labels to write and produce music for a wide range of artists. In addition, Baisley also taught choir at Centennial High School in Compton, California. Baisley taught students from grades 9–12 and developed a first-class vocal ensemble that went on to perform throughout the Greater Los Angeles area.

Stevie McBride,
Clinical Director
Stevie McBride has been a marriage and family therapist for five years; working with children ages 0-18 and families of different backgrounds at The Guidance Center in Long Beach. Before becoming a MFTI, McBride worked as a Youth Consultant at the Braille Institute in Anaheim for 4years, where he created, supervised, and developed programs for blind and visually-impaired teenagers. In his spare time, McBride has also worked with different musicians, songwriters, and producers writing songs for various artists.

Élishia Sharie Baisley,
Chief Brand Officer
Élishia Sharie is an accomplished singer, songwriter, performer, graphic designer, and photographer. Élishia Sharie brings with her a diverse background in entertainment and media, expanding well over a decade. Élishia Sharie has published songs for TV and Film and has performed on some of the most iconic stages in Los Angeles. She has also worked behind the scenes for some of the world’s coolest personal brands, celebrities, and media companies, like NBCUniversal and Participant Media, creating unique branding materials and photography.

Sean Lewis,
Curriculum Director
Sean Lewis has been a marriage and family therapist for five years; providing individual, family, and group therapy to adolescents within group homes, schools, and throughout the Los Angeles area. Lewis, a songwriter and musician as well, has utilized music-based interventions with companies such as Phoenix House and Hathaway-Sycamores, teaching teenagers to better communicate needs and learn new coping skills. He has collaborated with other clinicians and music/art therapists in developing music workshops and facilitating process groups.

Sean McBride,
Chief Financial Officer
Sean McBride is a K-12/ ESL instructor that has been teaching throughout the Los Angeles, Compton, Watts, and Inglewood School Districts for the past four years. Since graduating with an M.B.A. in Organizational Leadership, McBride has worked with children as young as five years, to adults as mature as 60 in a classroom setting. This enabled him to specialize in learning styles and techniques to best compliment the students and help maximize their potential. In addition, McBride has more than ten years of experience working alongside Producers Haskel Jackson and Jared Baisley as a musician/songwriter in Hip-Hop/Soul band Dyles Mavis.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Favorite Apps: Soundtrap, Cove, Logic Pro, ProTools, Incredibox, Apple products (Macbook Pro), Favorite Book: The Bible

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://musicforyourmental.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mfymh/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mfymh
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mfymh
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7wOd4i5Tz825EeWb1gW7tg

Image Credits:
Haskel Jackson (Chief Executive Officer) Jared Baisley (Chief Operations Officer) Sean McBride (Chief Financial Officer) Elishia Sharie Baisley (Chief Brand Officer) Stevie McBride (Clinical Director) Sean Lewis (Curriculum Director)