The jam is the playground.

How do kids learn? By playing.

The jam session, in all its forms, is a platform for learning.

When you go to a jam—whether with musicians much more skilled or much less skilled—you have an opportunity to learn something.

Here's the challenge: can you make something together regardless of your differences? Can that thing be beautiful because of your differences?

A common mistake of the trained musician is to play exclusively with musicians of a similar caliber. This makes sense outwardly—play with the folks who can keep up and challenge you.

But the counterintuitive truth is that playing with people of all backgrounds is the real challenge. The highest musicianship is the kind that makes music regardless of circumstance.

You will always encounter musicians "better" and "worse" than you. The comparison is not the point.

The real question is: can you make art together?

Here's my invitation: the next time you're at a jam, ask yourself: how can we make the best music together by embracing our differences?

You might find yourself making music you never could have imagined.