Jessica Anne Baron
Founder, Executive Director
Jess Baron is life-long musician and educator whose passion for bringing music, authenticity, and creativity to teaching and learning has led her through advanced studies, degrees and work in behavioral disabilities, child development and clinical psychology, human development education, and educational therapy, plus over forty years of experience teaching music to beginners of all ages. Her pioneering work in the fields of Music Integration and Adaptive Music has created access to making music for hundreds of thousands of students by training educators new ways to teach multiple subjects more responsively through the inclusion of music and the power of song.
She founded Guitars & Ukes in the Classroom in 2000, and continues to serve as Executive Director while keeping her hand in teaching professional development courses and workshops, presenting at conferences, and supervising teaching artist residencies in general and special education classrooms.
TEACHING FROM THE HEART
Jess Baron's collaborative style and dedication to developmental education have helped her gather, train, and support a compassionate faculty with rich and diverse skills and talents. Jess's respect and love for people and for music has made GITC a collaborative and participatory organization that is constantly being improved by capable individuals in its expanding community. In addition to building partnerships with school districts and individual schools, Jess deeply enjoys her work within the music products industry, cultivating positive pathways for business leaders and artists to make a difference for students while building a brighter future for music in education.
Founder, Executive Director
Jess Baron is life-long musician and educator whose passion for bringing music, authenticity, and creativity to teaching and learning has led her through advanced studies, degrees and work in behavioral disabilities, child development and clinical psychology, human development education, and educational therapy, plus over forty years of experience teaching music to beginners of all ages. Her pioneering work in the fields of Music Integration and Adaptive Music has created access to making music for hundreds of thousands of students by training educators new ways to teach multiple subjects more responsively through the inclusion of music and the power of song.
She founded Guitars & Ukes in the Classroom in 2000, and continues to serve as Executive Director while keeping her hand in teaching professional development courses and workshops, presenting at conferences, and supervising teaching artist residencies in general and special education classrooms.
TEACHING FROM THE HEART
Jess Baron's collaborative style and dedication to developmental education have helped her gather, train, and support a compassionate faculty with rich and diverse skills and talents. Jess's respect and love for people and for music has made GITC a collaborative and participatory organization that is constantly being improved by capable individuals in its expanding community. In addition to building partnerships with school districts and individual schools, Jess deeply enjoys her work within the music products industry, cultivating positive pathways for business leaders and artists to make a difference for students while building a brighter future for music in education.
INFLUENCES
Jess's work is influenced by several luminaries in the field of psychiatry and psychology including Erik Erikson whose work in child, adolescent and adult development is accessible, practical, joyful, curious and supportive of individuals to meet, address, and access their potentials at all stages of life. Shehas drawn upon the work of Abraham Maslow, Dr. Irvin D. Yalom, Donald.W. Winnicott and Heinz Kohut. Sje is a strong proponent of understanding the work being done on Multiple Intelligences and diverse, complementary learning styles, in addition to learning about the impact of music on auditory processing, cognition, language acquisition, and more. She recommends teachers become familiar with the work of Dr. Nina Kraus at Northwestern Univerity, and the VARK learning style inventory when learning to teach a diverse group of students. Any combination of these resources can shed light on how children process information and life experiences, and how a variety of factors impact the growing child's ability to navigate complex tasks and environments, and form meaningful relationships.
Jess's work is influenced by several luminaries in the field of psychiatry and psychology including Erik Erikson whose work in child, adolescent and adult development is accessible, practical, joyful, curious and supportive of individuals to meet, address, and access their potentials at all stages of life. Shehas drawn upon the work of Abraham Maslow, Dr. Irvin D. Yalom, Donald.W. Winnicott and Heinz Kohut. Sje is a strong proponent of understanding the work being done on Multiple Intelligences and diverse, complementary learning styles, in addition to learning about the impact of music on auditory processing, cognition, language acquisition, and more. She recommends teachers become familiar with the work of Dr. Nina Kraus at Northwestern Univerity, and the VARK learning style inventory when learning to teach a diverse group of students. Any combination of these resources can shed light on how children process information and life experiences, and how a variety of factors impact the growing child's ability to navigate complex tasks and environments, and form meaningful relationships.
These days, Jess directs our organization, and also remains active in classrooms to draw inspiration by collaborating with teachers and specialists to create breakthrough musical experiences, and purposeful new curriculum. She has authored and co-authored 8 books. These include:
- SmartStart Ukulele for Beginners Coauthored by Tiffany Stalker
- The Green Songbook
- YOUR MUSICAL CHILD: Inspiring Kids to Play and Sing for Keeps (String Letter Publishing, 2004).
- Guitarra de smartStart metodo y cancionero
- SmartStart Guitar for Late Bloomers and Baby Boomers
- SmartStart Guitar 43 Songs for Home and School
- SmartStart Guitar for Beginners
- Let's Make Music! Coauthored by Ronny Susan Schiff