Music Educator
I am a Music Educator. I believe that all people benefit from the study of music. One of my goals as a music teacher is to make music education accessible for as many people as possible, regardless of their previous experience, current circumstances, or future aspirations. I feel strongly there is no single “correct” way to make music. Some may be inspired through practice and performance in ensembles. Others may feel fulfilled writing and creating songs. Many simply enjoy listening and discussing theory and history. I am passionate about exploring these various paths with students on their journey to discover their inner musician, whether I’m conducing a cello player in orchestra or a saxophone player in jazz band, instructing a trombone player in wind band or the rock guitar player in a cover band, or collaborating with a singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar or the music producer making beats on his laptop. All of these are perfectly valid ways of music-making, and I pride myself on having the depth of knowledge and breadth of experience to contribute to their musical growth.
Currently, I am the Coordinator of Music and Performing Arts at TASIS Portugal in Sintra, Portugal. Our program is based on the Core Knowledge Sequence. I work alongside a team of music, theater, and dance teachers to provide performance opportunities to students from Kindergarten through Grade 9. In elementary, all students attend 3 hours of music per week, where they study violin, ukulele, Orff percussion, and singing. In addition to large-scale end-of-term concerts, students also perform two Core Knowledge songs and a popular song of their choice at every biweekly school assembly. We also offer IGCSE music in the secondary, and are working towards building a robust performing arts program in secondary.
Previously, I taught Middle School and High School Wind Band and Orchestra at Berkeley International School in Bangkok, Thailand, where I also taught a section of Modern Rock Band, a section of Audio & Music Production, and an after-school Songwriting Club. Highlights of my time at Berkeley include leading student groups to write, record, and perform 8 original songs based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in order to raise awareness of how students and their communities might “achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.” Additionally, during my short time at Berkeley, our team and I have increased elective enrollment in music despite the challenges and limitations of distance learning due to COVID by framing online learning as an opportunity to innovate and discover new methods of music-making apart from traditional ensembles, by using online solutions such as Soundtrap and Google Classroom, while finding creative solutions for students to continue their music-making journey remotely.
From 2012 – 2020, I built a highly successful music and performing arts program at the Thai-Chinese International School, also in Bangkok, Thailand. My teaching assignments included Middle School and High School Wind Band, Percussion Ensemble, Audio Productions, Beginning Guitar, Rock Band, and Drama. Highlights from my time at TCIS include leading 40 student musicians on a 9-day international tour to the Harrogate International Youth Festival in Harrogate, England in both 2015 and 2017, and participating in the ISB Massed Band Festival every fall.
Prior to moving to Thailand, I directed two 7th grade Steel Pan ensembles at KIPP Austin College Prep in Austin, Texas (2011 – 2012), as well as High School World Percussion, Guitar, Recording Arts, and Drama at East Mountain High School in Sandia Park, New Mexico (2006 – 2008). Under my direction, the EMHS World Percussion ensemble traveled three years in a row to attend the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Columbus, Ohio, and Austin, Texas. I earned a Masters in Music and Human Learning from the University of Texas at Austin (2012) and a Bachelors in Instrumental Music Education from Troy University (2006). I am currently certified in the State of Texas and Alabama to teach three subjects from Early Childhood through 12th grade: Music, Theatre, and Technology Applications.
I am a Songwriter. After winning the John Lennon Songwriting Competition for the state of Alabama in 2006, I began to pursue songwriting more seriously, first as a hobby, and then professionally. In addition to writing and recording with other musicians and students, I write, record, and perform my own original music. In 2013, I released my first full-length album, “Phases”, a concept album about the light and dark sides I saw in myself. In 2018, a second album titled “Home for the Moment” followed, reflecting on my transient upbringing, after living in 11 states and 3 different countries in my lifetime. My third and most recent album, “Time Machine”, released on May 15th, 2020, and explores the emotions and memories embedded in old photographs stumbled upon during the 2020 Coronavirus quarantine. All my music is available on streaming and digital outlets such as Spotify, Google Play, and iTunes. All my creative works are registered through BMI.
Songwriting is an important part of my teaching, even in traditional ensembles like Wind Band or Orchestra. After being trained in some of the ideas behind Lucy Calkins’ excellent Reader’s-Writer’s Workshop, I think it’s important for students to conceptualize music in a similar way: students arrive at a deeper understanding when they perform with an audience’s perspective and listen with a composer’s perspective. I find that fostering students’ creativity through composition and songwriting to be an essential part of being a musician, and this paradigm shift usually strengthens students practice and skills as an ensemble instrumentalist.
Finally, I enjoy being a singer-songwriter because doing so models being a lifelong learner, which I also believe to be important when working with student learners. My journey and growth as a musician never stops, and I am constantly writing, recording, and releasing new material to demonstrate this commitment to my students in a very relatable, public, and accessible way.
Songwriter
Audio Engineer
I have integrated music recording technology studies into all of my music classes since 2006, either as a standalone Audio Productions class, or as an essential component of performance ensembles like Wind Band, Orchestra, or Rock Band. I find this to be an excellent way to reach students who may not be interested in performing music in a traditional ensemble, but still have the desire to be musical. Music technology can also assist students in their own practice and development as musicians, and online Digital Audio Workstations like Soundtrap have been incredibly valuable for distance learning during the 2020-2021 COVID Pandemic.
I am a Composer and Arranger. I had the great fortune of learning the art of music arranging with Alfred Music Publishing’s Ralph Ford, composing with composer Carl Vollrath, and music industry with composer Robert W Smith during my time as a student at Troy University. I have created numerous compositions and arrangements for wind band, orchestra, percussion ensemble, steel pan ensemble, drum line, and classical guitar ensemble. One of my highlights as an arranger came in 2017 while premiering a band and string arrangement of every track off the album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its release while touring the UK with a group of students from the Thai-Chinese International School. My proficiency in composing and arranging enables me to create weekly supplemental pedagogical materials, and often even original performance repertoire, for the ensembles I conduct in order to differentiate instruction and accommodate even the most advanced students and absolute beginners within the same ensemble.
Composer and Arranger
Personal Life
I am Jay Carlin. Apart from my professional life, I find personal balance and relaxation in a variety of hobbies and activities. I love learning new languages, and am fluent and literate in Thai. I enjoy long-distance running, completing the Bangkok Marathon in 2013, and I am currently training for the Amazing Thailand marathon in December 2021. I have enjoyed playing video games ever since I was young, and I played Tetris competitively earlier in my life. My COVID quarantine project was a focused effort to learn to cook better and attempt lots of new dishes, which has been fulfilling and delicious (and one of the reasons I run so much!). I love watching NCAA Football and NHL Hockey, and I’m a die-hard Texas Longhorns and Detroit Red Wings fan. I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and grew up in a military family, moving through 9 different schools between Kindergarten and 12th grade, including 2 years at an international school in Seoul, South Korea, when my Father was stationed there when I was younger. I have lived in 11 different states and 13 different cities, and have lived in Bangkok the longest. I believe this is one of the reasons I love to travel, to meet new people and explore new places, and to listen to and understand the music of different cultures. In the past, I have studied Indian Sitar and Tabla, played in Brazilian Batucada Samba Ensembles, and performed with an Indonesian Gamelan.