Hi!  My name is Jess, and I am a music educator in Arlington, MA.  Piano is my specialty, and you can find me in my storefront studio at 85 Warren Street in East Arlington.  I am also into early childhood music, and run a music program of my own design based on the teachings of Orff, Kodaly, and Gordon at the Arlington Children’s Center.  From my humble beginnings being driven around as a baby with the radio on so I would fall asleep, I have spent my life immersed in music, and I am thrilled to be sharing my joy and passion for music with others!

I’ll admit, I’m bit of an education nerd – I enjoy figuring out how others learn best and designing activities that support their discovery and mastery of skills.  My years studying early childhood education at Boston University and working as a kindergarten teacher helped me develop a ‘student-centric’ approach to music lessons that is ideal not only for young beginners but also for students of any age.  My students and I work closely to choose songs they enjoy (be it songs they know or are creating, or pieces that they are excited to learn more about), explore music notation, and build a working musical vocabulary of gestures and sounds.  I love classical music, and have recently become fascinated with how examining music from the past opens a dialogue between composer and performer that bridges times and contexts.  When we interpret music, we are discovering a balance between our own thoughts and ideas about the notation and what we think the composer was trying to convey – what an amazing process!

If you would like to learn more about piano lessons with me or would like to talk music or education, feel free to email me at jess@jesswestmusic.com, or use the form below to contact me.