To contact me, please email jjjazz@mac.com
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For more on the performance aspects of my career please see JaniceJarrett.com which includes more on my educational background, and my CD, Blue Nights and Sunshower.
About Singing & Voice Instructor Janice Jarrett
I have taught voice, music theory, history, survey & performance for years to students of all ages in schools, colleges, community programs & private lessons. Over 12 years ago I found myself balancing 2 teaching jobs with free lance writing, performing & lecturing. However, the community school closed unexpectedly, & soon after the university had yet another cutback. I was left with at least 30 private vocal students with no place to teach them. That’s when I started my own “school,” Vocal Technique Studio.
BRIEF MUSICAL HISTORY
Education
I sang solos in church as a child, and continued singing in ensembles and as a soloist in high school; as a freshman in college I directed a credited vocal ensemble. During this early period I sang in just about every style - folk, pop, rock, musical theatre, classical and jazz. By the time I was midway through my B.A. in Voice and Composition at Antioch in Ohio, I realized that jazz was my personal musical home. As an undergraduate my pursuit of jazz studies propelled me into a job at MUSE Jazz Workshops (Brooklyn), crucial studies with jazz masters, and eventually graduate school that offered a fantastic program in music from all over the world.
While working on my M. A. (World Music) and Ph.D. (Ethnomusicology), some of my most treasured experiences include the Ghanaian drumming and dance ensemble; research residencies in Greece; European, U.S. and Canadian tours as a singer with a new music ensemble (Steve Reich); and intense performance, history and theory studies including the musics of India, Indonesia, Africa, and Latin America. I continued to sing with a number of different jazz ensembles and began writing lyrics and arrangements.
Professional
After teaching at a few colleges, the teaching job market, even for those with advanced degrees, began to shrink. I moved to Los Angeles where I was leader of an incredible jazz vocal ensemble. Although we are now in various parts of the world, our ten years together in that intense entertainment industry crucible made us one of those families that are formed from collaborative hard work and intense dedication to the arts.
I moved to Arizona in the early 90’s and have since taught in various schools and community programs, freelanced as a speaker/instructor for the Arizona Humanities Council and The Learning Curve, and the Tucson Pima Arts Council, among other organizations. I returned to teaching voice when I was adjunct at the University of Arizona and head vocal instructor at Prime School of Music. I was encouraged to open my own studio when those positions ended.
I have performed as a jazz singer in a wide range of venues in Tucson. During the economic recession, performing opportunities diminished significantly. I plan to return to live performance when I can. There are a number of very talented jazz musicians in Tucson who are wonderful ensemble players.
Talks and Workshops
I have repeatedly had the privilege of being included in the Speakers Bureau of the Arizona Humanities Council, traveling all over the state to deliver talks on music requested by various organizations and libraries a few times a year. The topics have included 1) Jazz and the American Identity 2) Music and Healing 3) Music and the Brain: Can Music Make You Smarter? and 4) Music and Math. These talks help me dust off my academic skills and follow current music research. The ability to reach a diverse audience with such vibrant topics is invaluable and quite gratifying. The AHC talks are specifically designed to encourage dialogue with the speakers and I have always learned from my audiences each time I go out to some new community. For more information on the AHC talks please visit their site or email jjjazz@mac.com