Aldo Noboa
When you first see Aldo Noboa the first thing you notice is his hair; it resembles a dying Mohawk, buzzed-like hair all around with a few strands of hair at the top of his head that somehow evaded the razor. Aldo has the wise eyes of a thousand year old man, you can’t tell him anything because he already knows everything. When I first walked into the room, he had a presence much like my favorite rock star, just a feeling of awe washed over me.
“I am a musician, I am a music teacher, I’m part of a national music program that is a business and my company title is Chief of Knowledge, which, I consult on all things pertaining to curriculum, culture within the schools, and musical details,” he calmly said, reassuring my nerves. Aldo is the leader of the San Francisco branch of The Paul Green School of Rock Music; a national music program teaching kids how to play music. “Rock School,” as its so affectionately known, is a big deal, ranging shows from The Haight Street Fair, to a half time slot at a Golden State Warriors game, to 12 Galaxies, a club on mission street. Aldo somehow manages to get the school the kind of shows most professional bands dream of.
During the interview, Aldo told me that he is a teacher because of his quest to explore his previously unanswered questions about music. So, I asked him how he escapes because his passion and love is so closely linked to his job. “It may sound corny, but, what’s crazy, is there’s nothing to escape in this realm. You know what I mean, like, if I were cutting fish for a living, then my escape would be music or whatever, but I do music for a living, and there’s nothing to escape,” he answered.
Aldo’s theory on his zone is quite different, he explains to me that he finds a connection between his exploration of meditation and the zone; both are about being in the moment and experiencing nothingness. “All you notice is that nothing is still, and that’s a good spot, but I find that zone to be the musical equivalent when I’m in the throws of the best parts of playing music, I’m not doing anything I’m just playing, I’m completely in the moment, I’m not thinking, I’m not worrying, I’m not concerning myself with several hundred people in the crowd, I’m not even necessarily concerning myself with my musicians. I’m just there, we’re all just there and we’re making something in the moment.”
For Aldo, his sheer drive to explore his own questions led him to find connections between music, his job and passion, with other interests in his life like meditation. And since his interests come full circle, Aldo has no reason to escape from his job because teaching and being the leader of Rock School only helps him on his journey to answer the questions he needs fulfilled.