My name is Jessica Boykin-Settles and I want to be a great jazz musician when I grow up!
I am a native Washingtonian and attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as a Vocal Music Major.
Upon graduating, I embarked on a grand adventure! I moved to New York City and studied jazz with a bevy of amazing jazz masters at The New School.
I returned to Washington, DC, married my high school sweetheart (saxophonist and composer Brian Settles) and enrolled in the Graduate Jazz Studies program at Howard University where I got to be a part of an AMAZING jazz vocal program. After graduating, they bestowed a high honor upon me by inviting me to be a part of the Howard University music faculty where I spent the last 15+ years teaching and mentoring a wonderful group of talented and beautiful young people.
Since returning to Washington, DC, Brian and I have also had the distinct pleasure of teaching and mentoring youth with The Washington Jazz Arts Institute an organization started by our mentor Davey Yarborough.
I have most recently begun full-time doctoral studies at George Mason University (Fall 2020) while still teaching full-time at Howard. Yup…I’m officially insane!!
I took a LONG time off from this blog but am shaking the cobwebs off of my blog typing fingers in order to document some new adventures.
I’ll be bringing you a bit of everything; All of my eclectic group of interests will be represented here. So if you like music, travel, literature, academia, food, and all other fun things, come hang out with me here at Between the Lines and Dots!
Office Bio:
Jazz vocalist, composer, arranger and educator, Jessica Boykin-Settles is currently Assistant Professor of Jazz Voice at Howard University where she teaches private voice lessons, jazz vocal improvisation, vocal arranging, jazz theory and directs the female vocal ensemble, SAASY. She also conducts workshops on jazz singing and gives lectures and multi-media presentations on topics in jazz history. Jessica has served on the faculties of the Washington Jazz Arts Institute (WJAI) and the Blues Alley Jazz Summer Camp; has appeared as a Guest Artist at George Washington University, University of Pittsburgh and Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, OH and is a regular presenter at the Washington Women In Jazz Festival held annually in Washington, DC. She maintains an active performance schedule, appearing at various venues in the DMV area.
Jessica began her training at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC under the tutelage of voice teacher Dr. Mary Jane Ayers and saxophonist and jazz educator Davey Yarborough. She earned a BFA in Jazz Performance at New School University in New York City where she studied with jazz legends and musicians such as Reggie Workman, Junior Mance, Arnie Lawrence, Buster Williams, Dr. Richard Harper, Amy London, Sheila Jordan and Teri Thornton. Jessica earned an MM in Jazz Studies at Howard University and while there, she sang in the premier vocal jazz ensemble Afro Blue, under the direction of Connaitre Miller. In summer 2020, Jessica’s article “Two Heads Are Better Than One: The Artistry of Shirley Horn” was published in Resonance: The Journal of Sound and Culture and in Fall 2020, Jessica began doctoral studies in the DMA Jazz Studies program at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.
My Jessica!!I’m sooooo very proud & excited for you 🙂 I love that you are able to follow your dreams. You are “So Amazing”..(Lutha)lol I love you my friend *hugs*