Originally from Southern Illinois, Jennifer Harkey has been playing the piano since she was four years old, playing the organ since she was 12, and singing for nearly all of her life. Jen's family has always been very musical--she and all three of her sisters, plus her mom and dad, sang in the church choir while she and her sisters were growing up and Jen began to play the organ for Mass when she was only about 12 years old. Jen graduated cum laude from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education (double major in voice and piano.) After graduation, she immediately began teaching full-time at Parkway West Middle School in Chesterfield, MO. Jen and her husband, Jay, lived in the historic Central West End in St. Louis for five years while she taught. For nearly all her life, she has sung with, played for, and directed church choirs. Jen has worked at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows as a cantor and pianist, and was a cantor and soprano section leader at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis for 6 years. She has toured Europe twice with the St. Louis Archdiocesan Choir as soprano section leader. She was on the voice and piano faculty of the Cathedral's Academy of Music, and for two years she was the Director of Youth Music at Eden UCC in Edwardsville. For five years she sang with the St. Louis Chamber Chorus, St. Louis's premier a'capella choir. Jen is currently singing at St. Margaret of Scotland parish in South St. Louis.
From 2000-2005, Jennifer taught vocal music and orchestra at Parkway West Middle School in Chesterfield, MO. During her tenure at PWMS, Jen musically directed and did scenic design for the annual musicals, directed at least 10 concerts per year, was invited to have her choirs perform at the 2004 Missouri Music Educators Convention, and came to love the middle school aged child. Her years in the public school system were valuable experience but when her classroom was packed with up to 50 students at a time, it was difficult to really get to know students and build quality relationships. With nearly 20 years of private teaching experience, Jen is thrilled to be able to teach private lessons full time as individual instruction is her first love. Jen is the 2008 recipient of the National Federation of Music Club's Ouida Keck Award for the Independent Piano Teacher.
Jen has been Illinois and Missouri State Teacher Certified and is certified in "Protecting God's Children" by the Archdiocese of St. Louis. She is a member of the National Federation of Music Clubs and she is currently the Vice President and Adjudicating Chair ofMFMC District, IV's Virtuoso Club.
When she's not teaching music or performing, Jen can often be found in the kitchen cooking or baking. She and her family love living in the woods and spend a great deal of time outdoors gardening, hiking, and cycling and they love to travel. One of her great loves is photography--you can see some of the photos she has taken throughout this website and all around her house and studio.