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OUR STORY

ABOUT JUMPIN’ JAMS

We are parents who live in Stamford with our two boys and Shelby, the dog. Monica was raised in Stamford and like many other Fairfield County families, we moved back to be close to parents. We both have a deep love of music and actually met at a concert in the East Village, NYC! Jason has been a professional musician for about 30 years (he started early ;) and Monica has had a successful career in Media and Publishing.

When we had our first son, one of Jason’s favorite activities was taking him to music class when he was 8 months old. That was when he realized the value in having an engaging musical experience on a regular basis for babies and toddlers.

Shortly after we moved to CT, Jason met Ray and “Jay and Ray” was born. Their music classes and performances became a favorite for families all over CT and NY. After eight successful years, Jay and Ray decided to make a few changes to allow them to focus more on individual projects. Monica was instrumental behind the scenes for “Jay and Ray”, from constructing props and inspiring activities to marketing and promotion. Naturally, she is very excited to be able to bring even more of her energy to this new venture, Jumpin’ Jams!

Jumpin’ Jams has been an amazing way for us to create a family business for families who want to get their kids rolling with music from the very beginning!

“I was constantly surrounded by music as a child. I’m grateful for that experience and I think that these classes offer some of that, but they also engage the kids in such a special way that ignites a lifelong love for music and learning”, says Jason. We are so excited to be working together (officially) to bring a high quality music class program to Fairfield County, CT.

We aim to inspire all of your little ones to sing, jam, dance and play their hearts out! And hopefully this leads to some awesome naps :)

Some fun facts about us:

Monica will never turn down a good puzzle
Taking hikes with Shelby the dog is one of our favorite things to do as a family
Jason might actually work for chips instead of money
Monica gets really upset when Jason works for chips

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ABOUT JASON (JAY) PHARR

Born into a musical family (his father a choral singer/conductor and his mother a choral singer and K-6 music teacher), Jason began playing drums professionally in high school and has never stopped. He's toured around the world and across the U.S. many times over sharing the stage and/or opening for artists such as as Norah Jones, Muse, The National, Pete Francis/ Dispatch, Madeleine Peyroux, The Editors, Elbow, Chris Brown, Rusted Root, Michael Franti, Dionne Warwick, Hootie and The Blowfish, Alisa Delois Peoples, The Four Freshman.

As a member of The Cloud Room, he has been a featured guest on MTV2’s Subterranean and MTV's TRL Australia. Jason has been seen or heard on MTV, BET, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, MSNBC, Spin Magazine, Rolling Stone, ET, and In Touch Magazine. The Cloud Room's music has been featured in many TV shows, movies and commercials including a worldwide Pespi ad campaign as well as a Pringles ad campaign. They also had a Rolling Stone top 10 single of the year!

While living and gigging extensively in the NYC area, Jason has also played with many of NYC's best jazz musicians in groups and big bands including the Ron Sunshine Orchestra and the early jazz ensemble Swingadelic.

Jason has a bachelor’s degree in music from the prestigious University of North Texas. He is an extraordinary and passionate educator with a deep background in the foundations of early childhood music education.

Jason & Monica are the proud parents of two boys.

To Contact Jason: jason@jumpinjams.com

About Monica Pharr

Born in New York City, Monica’s parents were heavily involved in the arts. Her father was a professional ballet dancer and her mother was an actress and model.

Monica has amazing memories of this time from sitting on stage during the rehearsals for the original “Chorus Line” to being on set of Sesame Street and getting a feather from Big Bird!

Monica has always had a passion for music and the arts and followed her dreams to be involved in the photo industry. After working as an assignment editor at Getty Images for 8 years, she made a move to publishing. She spent a year and a half at Star Magazine then moved to In Touch Weekly to be the Deputy Photo Director for 13 years.

To Contact Monica: monica@jumpinjams.com