Hi, you may know me as Rabbi B, but my real name is Yossi Berktin. I am a children's musician and entertainer who lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I was born and raised in Toronto and always loved listening to music, which was what gave me an appreciation and ear for music. I went to public school in a Toronto suburb called Thornhill. My biggest influences on my early musical experiences were Raffi, Mr. Dressup, Fred Penner, Sharon Lois and Bram and Beethoven, seriously, I loved Beethoven. I also remember obsessing over a Phantom of the Opera cassette.
I really got my first music playing experience in Grade 2 when we began playing the recorder-flute. I was not the best player but, looking back, I really enjoyed playing it.
In Grade 3, my teacher had us memorize the entire Dr Seuss Green Eggs and Ham book and then had us sing it. I still remember it to this day. This gave me a love and joy for music because it taught me that music can be fun and silly.
When I was about 12 my parents got me my first acoustic Guitar from a J C Penny catalogue. I played it but it was not love and first strum. I had some formal lessons with the Royal Conservatory and Cosmo Music but I did not stick with it. I never practiced and always expected to be Hendrix every time I picked it up, which of course never happened. I guess I was still too young or immature (probably the latter) to know that you get out what you put in. So, since I put in minimal practice, I received minimal skill. Looking back however, it did establish my present playing because I did learn the basic notes and chords along the neck of the guitar which later resurfaced. Eventually, I traded the acoustic guitar for an El Degas Mexican Strat. electric guitar with my Dad's musician friend who is now quite an accomplished musician. The electric guitar was cooler to play and got me into my friends houses to jam a bit but I was still putting in minimal practice.
I think my biggest mistake in music classes was not asking the teacher to establish my knowledge of the neck by learning scales. I would just show up and say, "Hey, how do you play this song?" He would play it, I would try to copy him and forget it when I got home. This is basically how it went for a year!
Once I started to become more observant in Torah and Mitzvos, around age 15, which is itself a story, I gave up on music and focused on studying Torah and becoming more religious. After high school, I enrolled in the Rabbinical College of America where I would stay for four years, earning a Bachelors Degree in Religious Studies. Following that, I returned to Toronto to work and continue to study until I got introduced, engaged and married (all in the same year) to my wonderful wife. We lived in New York our first year. While in New York I was enrolled in the Kolel (a one year program for newly married men to continue studying Torah) but would skip classes and sessions. Instead, I stayed home and began writing some fun short stories and children's books. I thought, I would like to be in children's educational entertainment.
Upon our return to Toronto in 2007, I taught in a Jewish day school and then the following year enrolled in York University's Psychology Program eventually attaining a Bachelors Degree. While back in Toronto, a friend of mine had begun learning to play guitar under another friend of mine. Suddenly, this interest reawakened and I eventually joined them. I purchased an affordable Squire Stratocaster electric guitar, found my old amplifier and was on my way. Before I knew it I was learning and relearning to play guitar at an exponential rate. As well, with the advent of Youtube, I was able to expedite my learning and within a year I became an intermediate player. In 2010 I purchased my Breedlove Acoustic, which I use at every performance and then in 2012, I purchased my red Suhr classic custom-made electric guitar.
Too this date I have played over a hundred concerts and entertained and educated hundreds of little kids. Like Raffi of my generation, or Uncle Moishy in the Jewish world, I hope to inspire, motivate and excite kids all over the world in music. I hope they will look at me and get inspired to try playing music themselves. I try very hard to make music attainable and fun so that my students and fans never get discouraged or ever stop believing in themselves that they can do anything they put their minds and heart to.
With love and gratitude to Hashem,
Rabbi B
Rabbi B can be contacted at:
RabbiBMusic@gmail.com
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