Artistic director walks away on a high note: Jay Jordan steps down from job at private high schools

Jordan, who is also the musical director at Serra, encouraged the person who will ultimately assume his role to take no shortcuts in their endless pursuit of perfection.

“Being precise matters,” said Jordan. “Go the extra mile to ensure it is a quality production.”

The three schools have come together under the Tri-School Productions umbrella since 1990 to produce musical showcases, which have launched the careers of some students who have ultimately gone on to perform professionally on Broadway, or other notable stages across the nation, said Jordan.

Alumni of Jordan surprised him with a tribute following the final performance of the spring production “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” to honor the popular educator.

Jordan, 62, said during the tribute many students expressed appreciation for the way he had changed their lives through building their passion for music and performance — a sentiment he considered mutual.

“They changed my life, and made me a more complete person,” Jordan said, of the students he has taught over the years.

Though he will remain for a limited time in his capacity at Serra High School, where he has worked for 39 years, Jordan is beginning to look toward retirement.

Reflecting on his career, Jordan said he is amazed by the way the music and production departments have changed over his nearly four decades in the industry.

He has watched production capabilities grow from a skeleton staff to an advanced and comprehensive department which can offer students an opportunity to develop their skills on the stage, but also behind the scenes.

The variety of talents required to produce a quality performance, said Jordan, has become a favorite component of his work.

Musical productions exist in the intersection of singing, acting, lighting, sound management and a variety of other components that require a high degree of coordination, and tremendous attention to detail, which speaks to Jordan’s passion for precision, he said.

“That’s the reason I fell in love with musical theater, is that it combines all art forms into one,” he said.

Jordan said the process of managing so many contributing factors which rely heavily on one another for a quality performance can be taxing, but ultimately satisfying.

“It’s a stressful thing making it all come together,” he said. “But by the time you get to closing night, that is the reward, and you are ready to do it again.”

As he looks to the future of stepping away from the world of artistic direction, and to becoming an audience member of the productions, Jordan said he is prepared for a potentially challenging transition.

“It’s going to be weird,” he said, “It’s going to be harder.”

But Jordan credited the staff that has developed at the various schools in providing him assurance that ultimately the program would succeed beyond his tenure.

“I feel confident that it is going to be OK,” he said.

The Foster City resident who graduated from Hillsdale High School said even though he looks to the next chapter, he still expects music to play a profound role in his life.

A singer as well as guitar and trumpet player, Jordan said he has appreciated the ability to pursue music as a passion both professionally and personally.

“Music’s role is that it is both my career and my hobby,” he said.

With music expected to preserve its significance in his life, Jordan said he anticipates his biggest adjustment will be no longer playing such an integral role in the production of performances.

“I loved seeing these students when they experience that opening night and got applause,” he said. “Just the joy in their faces. That is the best part, for them to feel like they accomplished something.”

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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