[Passion to Purpose] Meet Jeffery L. Tribble, President of the MusicianShip

“I’ve found that comparing yourself to your peers is a pretty good recipe for being perpetually unhappy,” says Tribble. “I try not to think about ‘breaking through’ amongst my peers. In fact, I’ve tried to do the exact opposite—consistently focusing on my own path, with a head-down approach to progress.”

Putting his blinders on, Tribble keeps his attention on his work and the lives it will change.

“You’ll look up and see that the bar you’ve set for yourself is much higher than it might’ve been had you constantly measured your success or worth to others’. By extension, your impact will be greater—evaluated against your own high rubric and not that of someone else.”

As a result of Jeffery’s work, he has received numerous civic awards and taken The Musicianship nationwide through a partnership with the world’s largest music fraternity: Phi Mu Alpha.

“It is important that men like myself are represented for several reason,” Tribble tells BE Modern Man. “Black boys need to see men pursuing and achieving professional excellence and, hopefully, we can inspire others to endeavor down paths of their choosing.”

Throughout his journey Tribble has come across many young people who are unhappy and ready to settle out of fear, hopelessness, perceived failures or other self-defeating mentalities.

He says, “Nepotism is real. If black people are never in leadership or decision-making positions, we are at an inherent disadvantage, disallowing our community to be the beneficiaries of opportunities granted to people of other races.”

Hoping that his personal narrative is one that inspires others to achieve greater than they originally imagined possible, Tribble realizes that his life could have turned out much different.

“I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, where any number of things, people, or habits, could’ve altered my life trajectory,” Tribble tells BE Modern Man. “If you would’ve told me in high school that, before 30, I would’ve visited over 20 countries on every continent, and that I would be the founding CEO of a company, I would’ve said ‘That’s raw’ (early 2000’s Chicago slang for ‘That’s awesome!’). I hope my narrative incites similarly situated people to say, not only ‘That’s awesome,’ but ‘That’s possible; not only for him, but for me!'”

Meeting students where they are is essential to the development of each student The MusicianShip program touches. For Tribble this is what being recognized as a BE Modern Man is about.

“A BE Modern Man is someone who’s now on the hook to uplift others. Not every successful person cares to aid in the development and maturation of others. Being classified as a BE Modern Man puts you and the world on notice that you have a responsibility to leverage your platform to inspire others, and to lend a helping hand to those in need of your knowledge, resources, and relationships.”

The BlackEnterprise.com team congratulates Jeffery L. Tribble Jr. for his dedication to the community and passion for using the love of music to change the lives of our youth.

It’s our normal to be extraordinary. Follow @blackenterprise and join the BE Modern Man conversation using #BEModernMan.