JEnna e. Jaffe
MAking Music
About the Artist
Jenna Jaffe is a passionate creatrix, educator, and multi-disciplinary artist/musician. She has been teaching music (piano, voice, composition, theory, history) for 34 years. Jenna specializes in teaching music both in schools and privately, with a holistic approach unique and tailored to each student. She specializes in working with neurodiverse people, weaving in strategies of emotional regulation, coping skills for living, and fostering creative self-expression with positive outcomes. In 2020, Jenna began teaching song classes online where students learn a new song each week in a different language, using accurate pronunciation, including translation of lyrics and geographic information. Her song classes include: French, Spanish, ASL, and folk songs from around the world.
Jenna is on the board at The Asheville Music School, a member of the Asheville Area Piano Forum (AAPF) and the National and WNC Music Teachers Association. In 2022, Jenna received a Tzedek Social Justice Impact Award for her musical and artistic work engaged in community activism and system change. She is a mixed media visual artist as well, and has her creations in several galleries in Asheville and has exhibited and performed internationally. Jenna is a warrior for racial, gender, sexual equality, justice, and the preservation of our planet.
In addition, she has been a Gender Vocal & Life Coach for over 24 years. She is a Certified Peer Support Specialist, certified in Mental Health First Aid, a Reiki III Practitioner, and has taught English as a Second Language (ESL/ELA) at Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College since 2017.
You can see and hear Jenna perform regularly in Asheville and view her art in local venues. For more information, visit her at: https://linktr.ee/jennajaffe or www.consciouscreating.org.
RESIDENCY OFFERING: Making Music
ALL grades
Global Voices: Music, Language & Creative Expression
Interactive classes featuring folk songs from around the world, language learning, enhancing critical thinking skills, geography, cultural connections, and group singing. Sessions are adaptable for K–12, and can range from 30–60 minutes, and best offered as an extended 4-6 class residency.
Collaborative Songwriting Workshops
Students work together to transform ideas and poetry into original songs by exploring lyric writing, melody creation, and the fundamentals of songwriting. Through creative collaboration, they discover how words and music come together to express thoughts, emotions, and stories. The workshop culminates in a group performance, where students proudly share the songs they have written and composed together. Adaptable for 4th-12th grade students, as a 45-1 hour class and best offered as an extended 4-6 class residency.
Music Through History
Bring history to life through music! Students explore the musical styles, composers, and cultural influences of the historical period they are studying in class. By connecting music to key events, people, and traditions, students gain a deeper understanding of history while learning and performing songs from the era. Students develop critical thinking skills, have embodied connection to specific historical periods, and form multi-disciplinary ideas and connections. Workshops are tailored to complement classroom curriculum and are available as 45-60-minute sessions in 3–6 week residencies for grades K–12.