Jane Jessamine has spent her life immersed in music. At the young age of five, Jane began her formal music training, but even before she could form full sentences, she was inseparable from the piano. Her sister, twelve years her senior, was taking lessons, and Jane—having just learned to walk—would waddle around the piano, interrupting practice sessions. When she was finally allowed to begin her own musical training, her love of music was cemented.

She has since dedicated herself to musical training—for others and herself, in equal parts.

Jane studied piano for fourteen years with Kelli Brown Stephens, completing the Oregon Music Teachers Association's Level 10 Syllabus curriculum under her guidance. By eight, she had also taken up the harp under Marion Fouse, a pioneering harpist on the West Coast. She played as principal harpist of the Portland Youth Philharmonic under the baton of David Hattner, performing multiple times at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. At fourteen, she studied abroad in Germany with harpist Gesine Dreyer in Hamburg—an experience that deepened her connection to European classical music traditions.

In 2015, Jane founded Oregon Octave Music Academy—an independent studio serving students across all ages and developmental stages. What began as a private teaching practice has grown into a thriving community institution, with a curriculum philosophy rooted in individualized instruction, measurable progress, and long-term musical development. Jane has worked with neurodivergent learners, multilingual students, older adults, and young beginners, bringing the same commitment to each: that music education, done well, changes people.

Jane's approach to technique is informed by the Taubman Approach, which she researched at the Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium, hosted at Princeton University. This biomechanics-based framework—focused on injury prevention and physical efficiency at the instrument—shapes how she teaches students of all levels, helping them build technique that is both expressive and sustainable over a lifetime of playing.

Jane continued her piano studies with Dr. Hana Lim at George Fox University before auditioning for a competitive collegiate music program at Portland State University. There, she completed dual Bachelor of Arts degrees—in Music Performance (Piano & Harp) and Liberal Studies, with a Minor in Philosophy—graduating summa cum laude, studying under Julia Lee (piano) and Denise Fujikawa (harp). She was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, named to the President's and Dean's Lists throughout her studies, and completed a senior thesis recital of original compositions for piano and harp, accompanied by written analytical program notes examining structural design and artistic methodology.

This July, Jane joins the University of Oregon to pursue a Master of Science in Education Policy and Leadership, with a specialization in Educational Data Science—exploring the intersection of arts education, cognitive development, and evidence-based policy.

Jane currently serves as Music Theory Teacher at the Portland Youth Philharmonic, designing and delivering cross-instrument theory instruction within a conservatory-level youth orchestra program. She also mentors international doctoral applicants in academic English communication for 재클린유학 (Jacqueline Study Abroad) in Daegu, South Korea—coaching research articulation, disciplinary vocabulary, and high-stakes interview performance for students navigating English-language admissions processes.

As a performer, Jane plays both as a soloist and in collaboration with her sister—a pipe organist—with whom she has performed professionally since 2012. Their duo has provided music for weddings, memorials, sacred festivals, business events, and orchestral performances throughout the Pacific Northwest. She also serves as church organist and accompanist, maintaining an active role in Portland's musical community.

Jane remains committed to bringing the joy of music to everyone—through performance, teaching, research, and sharing her love of classical music with a growing audience.