
Jodi (she/her) has taught music to the students of Los Angeles and Long Beach Unified Public Schools for 37 years. She is a freelance trumpet player in Los Angeles and still educates others in jazz and classical music. She got her BME from The Ohio State University and MME from North Texas State University where she was awarded a Trumpet Teaching Assistantship.
Moving to Los Angeles in the early 80’s, she played in the all woman jazz band Maiden Voyage. They played various jazz festivals including the Playboy Jazz Festival. Later on, she became director of the Great American Swing Band playing venues such as Paramount Studios, Beverly Hilton, The Flamingo Hilton Las Vegas, House of Blues in West Hollywood, as well as many others and private events. In her retirement, she still teaches part time after retirement for Jazz Empowers, whose mission is to transform the lives of youth in underserved schools through jazz education.
Jodi has been a member of GFBLA steadily the past 10 years and off and on before that since the early 80’s. Jodi describes directing the GFBLA Jazz Band as “a wonderful experience full of great musicians and great people.”