Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Boone.
Hi Jenna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born and raised in California, I knew by my junior year of high school that music would be more than just a fun elective. I earned my BM in Percussion Performance Music Education and my MM in Percussion Performance from California State University, Sacramento. Throughout those two degrees, I performed in various masterclasses and the Northwest Percussion Festival, and I won the Festival of New American Music Student Performer’s Competition three times. Outside of school, I performed with Northern California groups such as Modesto Opera, Sacramento Master Singers, and Vox Musica. I am pursuing my DMA in Percussion Performance at the University of Texas at Austin. I’m excited to combine my Northern California roots with the vibrant music scene of Austin, creating a new and exciting chapter for my brand.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wish it had been a smooth road. Three and a half years ago, I developed De Quervain’s tenosynovitis in both of my wrists. It should go away shortly with enough rest and ice. After various braces and splints, multiple injections, two surgeries, and a year and a half off from playing later, it persists, and now with tendinosis, too. However, this continued my academic journey. Instead, it fueled my motivation to help fill the gap of accommodating musical resources. That is where composing and commissioning accessible pieces came into the picture.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a percussionist, educator, composer, and scholar. Based on my experience with gender inequality and inaccessibility in the field, I push for performing more works by women and creating more accessible music for those with injury and disability. My notable achievements include the US premiere of Concerto Grosso for Timpani and Piano by Maya Badian, the only timpani concerto written by a woman, commissioning and premiering the first one-handed timpani solo and composing the first one-handed timpani method book.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I learned that music education can embrace technology better than it could before the pandemic. All areas of education had to shift to an online format quickly, and music education showed how adaptable it could be while facing that new reality. There are new online resources and lessons that students and teachers can use in and out of the classroom.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiptoptimpanist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennaRoseBoone
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@tiptoptimpanist
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tiptoptimpanist?_t=8gEN1Yt7wR1&_r=1
Image Credits
Image 5: @vanillasacs on Instagram (no name to provide) Images 6-7: Thea Venturanza Image 8: Erwin Wibowo
