Jessica Johnson lives and breathes music.
Photo by Rebecca Holt
Twelve years is a long time to do anything, let alone devote most of it to a musical instrument. But in twelve years, Spartan Senior Jessica Johnson has learned the violin, piano, clarinet, viola, and the cello.
“The violin is my favorite,” Jessica says with a shy smile. “I don’t have to breathe into it, and I just love the sound.” The violin is the highest, and arguably the sweetest sounding instrument out there, so it’s of little surprise that she was drawn to its subtle melodies. When Jessica was very young she was exposed to the violin. “I heard it and really wanted to play it,” she said. After some encouragement from her musical mother, Jessica picked up the violin at the age of three, as well as the piano at the age of four. “My Mom says I’ve always wanted to play, but there’s not really one reason why I love it or why it’s my favorite.”
Jessica comes from a very musical family, with her mother Robin Johnson teaching instrumental music here at TJ, her cello-playing brother Ben Johnson at GW, and her youngest sister Kimberly Johnson playing the piano at home. Jessica is very close to her family. “She’s very shy, but she really speaks through the violin,” says Robin. “Jessica actually thinks music. Before she talked, she hummed and sang,” says her mom.
Jessica has always been shy, but she is a different person when she has a violin in her hands. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t get stage fright like the rest of us, though. “She doesn’t exactly look forward to performing,” laughs Robin, “so it’s a bit of a conundrum.” Regardless of her nerves, Jessica does not need coaxing to practice, unlike many music students. “Even when she was young, Jess always wanted to play,” said Robin. “We even had to get her to put on the breaks when I was pregnant with my son and I couldn’t help her hold the tiny violin,” she laughs. “But never once have I had to ask her to practice. She’ll go somewhere private on her own and play for hours. It’s a very personal experience for her.” A Mozart at birth, Jessica may not have been, yet she loved the instrument so much that she kept at it, working long and hard until she reached the level of mastery she has now.
Music is not always what’s on Jessica’s mind, however. Jessica simply loves any creature from the animal kingdom. “My husband and I bought her a rabbit when she was in kindergarten, and she raised it and took care of it for nine years, which is a long life for a rabbit,” said Robin. Jessica also wants to travel the world, and see what life is like outside of the US of A. “She wants to go to Antarctica. Don’t ask me why, she just wants to go there, especially,” Johnson says with a chuckle and a small shake of her head.
Jessica undoubtedly has music in her future. “Surprisingly, she is very comfortable talking to younger music students, and enjoys helping them learn to play,” said Robin. “She also has ‘the touch’ for the piano. It’s something you can’t teach; it’s something you just fall into.”
With dreams of travel, teaching a middle school orchestra, and taking her students around the country to competitions, along with the fact she has been accepted to every college to which she’s applied, Jessica has a very bright as well as melodious future ahead of her.
