Jenna L. Potts
Ms. Potts began her violin studies at the age of 6 in a small Suzuki program in Midland, MI. She holds a Master of Music with an Emphasis in Pedagogy from the Longy School of Music where she studied with Mark Lakirovich, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Music, summa cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University where she studied with faculty from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Ms. Potts is an active member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has taken Suzuki training with both Moshe Neumann and Kimberly Meier-Sims. Additional pedagogical studies have been with Clay Hoener, Valerie Bobbett Gardner and Terry Durbin.
Jenna Potts has been hailed as an exceptional rising violin instructor by many who have been in the private teaching sector for as many as 30-50 years. She has over nine years of experience teaching all of the different age groups, and she is as comfortable with the preschool/kindergarten student as she is with the adult student. She strongly believes that every single individual with a reasonable amount of dedication who wants to learn to play the violin can learn to play – and play beautifully. Nothing delights her more than to be able to play a part in this wonderful process.
With a warm and inviting personality, Ms. Potts creates a positive environment where students feel comfortable and excited to be at their lessons. She loves sharing the enjoyment of music, violin, and simply beautiful sound with the students and families she meets. A cornerstone of her teaching philosophy is that people will enjoy what they do well, thus one of her primary goals in teaching is to develop ease of playing with solid technical skills. Students who are comfortable with their instrument enjoy playing their solo pieces skillfully and with great musicality. Ms. Potts teaches using both Suzuki and other methodologies, tailoring instruction to best meet the needs of each student. In addition to a strong emphasis on ear-training, all of her students begin learning theory and note reading concepts within the first few months of lessons. She has studied advanced college theory as well as theory pedagogy and is comfortable teaching theory from the very beginning up through college levels.
In addition to her work at South Shore Conservatory, Ms. Potts has taught through Creative Arts in Reading, MA, Covenant Christian Academy in Peabody, Longy School of Music’s Community Programs Large Ensembles, the Pentucket School District, the Wyoming Center for the Arts in Cincinnati, OH, the Cincinnati Music Academy, and the Cincinnati Musical Arts Center. In 2009, her work teaching violin lessons to underprivileged children within the Emmanuel Community Center pre-school was a featured story on the Cincinnati’s Channel 5 television station. In the summer of 2010, Ms. Potts served as faculty for the Alcyon Summer Music Festival coaching chamber groups and teaching music history classes. She directed and instructed her Summer Practice Retreat in both 2010 and 2011. Additionally, Ms. Potts has led handbell ensembles, taught beginning piano and viola lessons, tutored conservatory theory students, and assisted with undergraduate music history courses.
Ms. Potts can be found performing around the Boston area. Noteworthy performances include July 2011 where she appeared as soloist with the Ukrainian National Philharmonic orchestra, and the summer of 2009, where she toured Hungary and Finland as a member of the Halo Ensemble. She has performed in the Clermont Orchestra in Cincinnati, OH, the Keene Chamber Orchestra in Keene, NH, and the Richmond Orchestra in Indiana. However, Ms. Potts passion for sharing beautiful music with others can be encountered in recitals that she gives both privately and in collaboration with other musicians in community venues such as libraries and retirement centers.