Announcing A New Library for Vocal Jazz

Noteworthy Compositions Now Available for Singers
For the first time, Lyrics and Song collaborations with renowned composers, including Kenny Barron, George Cables, Michael Deak, and Eddie Russ with singer, lyricist, and vocal arranger Janice Jarrett, are available for purchase. Jarrett began writing lyrics early in her career, accumulating a rich collection of meaningful lyrics, rich in imagery. Visit the Shop to see the current ballads, bossas, jazz waltzes, swing tunes, and more. Return for new additions this Fall. Or email jjjazz@mac.com for more.
As a respected educator, Janice Jarrett teaches private lessons, group sessions, and workshops in voice based on relaxed or open throat singing, music theory, songwriting, and more both online and from her Tucson-based Vocal Technique Studio. As a scholar and long-time advocate for the arts, she is a sought-after speaker on music and culture. Contact her for lessons, and to book talks, JJJazz performances, workshops, and commissions for lyrics or vocal arrangements.
For over a decade, she led the five-voice vocal jazz group, Borrowed Time, in Los Angeles. Joining Sunny Wilkinson, Leila Thigpen, Rocky Davis and, Bob Joyce, Borrowed Time played with backup bands that included up-and-coming accompanists, who now are among the most respected Jazz artists. The majority of Borrowed Time's book was based on lyrics and arrangements by Dr. Jarrett, many of which are available here, or will be added soon for purchase in the Shop

Making A Difference

VTS Student Comments
I have been a student of Dr. Jarrett for four years, and I can assure you that Janice’s teaching is truly of the highest quality. Her vast experience and perceptive ability allows her to hone in on student’s vocal problems, no matter how subtle they are, and then correct them with little difficulty. Under her pedagogy I have achieved consistent vocal freedom and ease, as well as great increases in my voice’s range, resonance, warmth, and richness that I had not previously thought would be possible….”

Andrew Gleckler, BFA Musical Theatre, Elon University, N.C., class of 2017, Currently Freelance Actor, L.A.
I am very thankful I was referred to Dr. Jarrett’s studio when I was only 11. All I wanted to do was sing. Not only does she teach you the proper way to sing, she dissects songs with you to find the true meaning of the words you are singing. Six years later I am still a part of her studio and I have learned and grown so much as an artist, I know that the techniques I have learned by being one of her students are ones I will keep with me as I continue with my singing career. I am still learning new things each lesson

Christina Kroell, Musical Theatre Major
I chose Dr. Jarrett because she was a PhD and a musician, not a kid with a Mel Bay scale book. I was looking to correct a long-term pitch issue, and Janice taught me that my issue was breath control, not pitch control. We addressed that and much more! My lessons have gone so far beyond the pitch issue – performance mind-state, music theory and notation, clarity of artistic message, artist personal management, and most important – voice preservation and care. I am nearing 60 years old, and I can hear myself improving month-to-month. I have gone so far beyond what I thought I was capable of.

Matt Bruner, Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist

Noteworthy & New

The latest additions from the Kenny Barron collaborations in the Shop are “In the Slow Lane,” “Rain” and “Marie Laveau”.  (The Lead Sheets page includes most of the names of current and future titles to add.) Product pages have short clips, brief descriptions of styles and composers, and portions of lyrics. Return for new charts, or make it easier: sign up for “What’s New” below to join the email list for exclusive, periodic updates. Or email me. If you want to hear Kenny Barron’s latest CD, you might want to read Downbeat’s rave review.  For weeks it was included in their newsletters. It’s that good. Recorded in France, “The Source” is an elegant accomplishment throughout, complete with lovely liner notes and a beautifully designed physical CD package. Elegant is such an operative word when it comes to Kenny Barron’s illustrious career and beautiful music.

After a much-needed computer and software upgrade and some interruptions, like most people are fielding in this day and age, I’m slowly returning to proofing new songs for the Shop. My vocal studio has been coming back since we all can reasonably sing in person again.  I enjoy teaching vocal technique to students who love a wide variety of styles. Learning the fundamentals of your physical instrument and how to protect it prepares you for virtually any style. The Studio page has an overview of my work as a voice and musicianship teacher, speaker, and arts advocate. For more on my background, credentials, and as a professional musician, see JJJazz and About JJ

My latest talk, “How We Learn: Music as a Metaphor” will be given at an Arizona Art Center in January 2024. My hour-long presentations inspire me to keep up with continuing studies by neuroscientists and educators. Just recently one study concluded that musicians are better learners due to balancing multiple networks that fire across, not just both left and right hemispheres, but the whole brain. The neuronal connections in music go where other executive activities don’t. Another amazing finding reported that scientists can tell if someone was a musician after death by their brain. Study after study for decades has reinforced music’s ability to stimulate endorphins and dopamine, provide important health benefits, and to be of remarkable help in children’s development in multiple ways.  The “joy of singing” is not hyperbole. For topic abstracts, see Writer/Speaker.)

For lessons in voice/songwriting/arranging, etc., please visit the VTS page or just email me. For your band, group, or organization, review the VTS offerings of  Workshops.  New ones for next year will be announced this Fall.  You can read how some former students voice their say on the References page. I hope to return to in-person performances this fall: visit the JJJazz page to book performances. And see Noteworthy for a few brief blog posts related to singing, music, and the arts. Topics can include vocal technique, memorization, effective learning, and improving musical practice. Posts are infrequent given my schedule but hopefully rich in information.

Keep up with “What’s New“ in Noteworthy and the Shop

By checking the box below, you acknowledge that you are signing up for notices of upcoming music additions and the latest posts on Noteworthy.
I have read and understood the above statement.(Required)

Contact Janice

Janice Jarrett