Jacob Chen
musician, educator, composer
bio
musician
Jacob, a member of Scissortail Traditional Dance Society and Country Dance and Song Society, plays English and contra dances regularly with Merry Mayhem and Panda Stomp. His go-to instruments are piano combined with foot percussion, though he occasionally switches to guitar, accordion, mandolin, or fiddle. Jacob also integrates a live loop pedal for dances which adds many interesting and complex layers to tunes. Panda Stomp plays locally in Oklahoma and has had opportunities to play in neighboring states. Panda Stomp also plays for school family nights and school folk dances. Occasional contra dance video recordings can be found on Youtube.
composer
Jacob enjoys writing both dances tunes and rounds. Most of his dance tunes are often written with a groove and chord progression in mind which are inspired by many artists such as The Syncopaths, Nightingale, Julie Vallimont, and Rachel Bell. To add to the creativity, many of his dance tunes are often commissioned by his students via a school fundraiser where there are specific moods and stories tied to the tune. Writing rounds is a recent joy and discovery of Jacob’s. Heavily inspired by Tom Krumm’s round writing methods, Jacob draws on personal and intimate ideas to create harmonious interweaving lines. His rounds contain intricate harmonies and delightful texts that have been used in both the classroom and folk circles. In addition, many of Jacob's tunes have been used for choreographed folk dances within the contra and English country dance styles. Sharing tunes is a joy of Jacob’s and his tunes are listed for free use.