When former Moorpark College student Jeff Jesalva graduated from California Lutheran University (CLU) with a degree in psychology a few years ago, he knew his scholastic career was over.
Surrounded by his friends and fellow graduates, Jesalva proudly held his diploma in front of the cameras while he posed for pictures with his family. While his schoolmates were planning on attending graduate school in the fall, Jesalva was instead focusing all of his time on his true passion: music.
Jesalva has been musically inclined ever since he was a child. His father, Edmundo Jesalva, first introduced him to the piano and from that point his love for instruments began to grow.
“[When] I was 5, my dad taught me how to play the piano,” Jesalva said. “I could play Beethoven’s ‘Fur Elise’ and ‘Moonlight Sonata’ by ear. Then I taught myself how to play guitar, learning from YouTube videos and then friends when I was 16.”
Jesalva used his time at Moorpark College to take his general education classes and focus on his major. Jesalva’s father also majored in psychology and has his own practice in Westlake. Before he decided to focus on music as a profession, Jesalva’s plan was to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a therapist.
As a former Moorpark College and CLU student, Jesalva is now as disciplined with music, if not more, than he was with his school work. Jesalva has taken a few marketing online classes recently, teaching himself the best way to brand his stage name, SydSalva, as well as numerous lessons on audio mastering that have been taught by world-renowned DJ’s.
Jesalva explained that going to college helped to prepare him for these more focused classes.
“It definitely [helped me],” Jesalva said. “Those classes, those are really specific, really hard. It’s not just like going to high school where you can sit in class and take the test. You really have to want it, you have to try really hard and you can’t just float by.”
After dabbling with the piano and the guitar, it became evident to Jesalva that the sounds that were being produced from these instruments were not enough. That’s when he turned to electronically producing his own music.
“Eventually I couldn’t make the sounds that I wanted to make on the guitar,” Jesalva explained. “I was already listening to dance music, I was DJ’ing, and then I finally wanted to use my musical talent creatively.”
Over the past few years, Jesalva has converted his bedroom into a respectable, real deal studio. A huge television screen hangs above two computer monitors with giant speakers on either side. A keyboard and his DJ equipment sit below his laptop, with his turntables resting on the floor beside him. The room is soundproofed, which enables Jesalva to get the most out of his producing sessions while canceling the outside noise.
Jesalva’s longtime friend, Marcus Murata, often makes the drive over to his studio to give him feedback and help him on his songs. Murata also produces electronic music but not as seriously as Jesalva.
“I’ve known Jeff for awhile now,” Murata said. “We met in high school on the freshman basketball team and we instantly connected over music. Watching him improve [on his music] over the last few years and the dedication he has for his craft is really exciting.”
Jesalva isn’t earning an income from his music yet and spends most of the day as a manager at Meathead Movers, a moving company that focuses on hiring college students. He spends at least 40 hours a week there filling out paperwork or helping with moving jobs.
When he’s not working, the rest of his time is dedicated to his music. Jesalva will spend each work night perfecting every part of each song until he is satisfied. With so much time outside of work being spent on his music, Jesalva has had to make sacrifices in other aspects of his life.
“I’m here at the computer every single day,” Jesalva said. “I’ll write music over hanging out with friends, going out, sometimes playing basketball. It takes a lot of discipline, determination and drive to get into this industry.”
Jesalva has played a few shows in the Southern California area, where his upbeat and cutting edge sound was able to fill a few nightclubs. The most recent show that Jesalva played was at The Avalon, a popular club in downtown Los Angeles. Sean Mooney, a fellow Moorpark College transfer student, and Jesalva’s best friend since middle school, was one of the many friends that came to the show to support him.
“He was electric,” Mooney said, smiling. “He becomes this totally different person on stage where he looks like he’s in his comfort zone. When the crowd begins to move he gets more and more excited and gives off this incredible energy.”
Jesalva has since taken a small break from performing, instead choosing to promote himself on social media while practicing and improving his sound every day. Jesalva uses Instagram and Facebook to post links to his SoundCloud account, where he uploads and shares all of his music for free. Jesalva also updates his Snapchat, constantly showing the progress of each song that he is working on.
Jesalva hasn’t allowed himself a backup plan. Instead he follows the “10,000 Hours Rule,” believing that in order to become a master he has to work at it for at least 10,000 hours. His determination and confidence is apparent when asked if this is something that he wants to spend the rest of his life doing.
“My friend actually asked me that, ‘What’s your plan B?’” Jesalva said. “I don’t have a plan B. People that have plan B’s; they don’t make it … they just do this as a hobby. You have to make it your life, or you fail.”
