Jacob Factor: Biography
Guiarist, Hornist, and Music Educator
Jacob began his musical journey at the age of 5 with classical piano study. This was supplemented with the horn in public school at the age of 10, and soon followed with self-teaching guitar at the age of 13. Horn and guitar took the spotlight in high school, and after participating in an honors performance series in Carnegie Hall, Jacob decided to follow his passion for music as his profession.
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Instrumentally, the combination of the classically-oriented horn and rock/pop/blues/jazz/folk-oriented guitar have developed a keen musicality within Jacob. This versatility continues to allow him to adapt to many performance and teaching settings with ease.
Teaching and Performance Experience
For the past 10 years, Jacob has taught brass and guitar students privately of all ages and ability levels. This is his favorite format for teaching: one-on-one work that allows for the utmost customization to the student's needs. He served as a guest artist/clinician at the Eastern US Music Camp, presented at professional music education conferences, and has frequently worked in public school districts while continuing his education. As part of his assistantships at Ithaca College and Eastman School of Music, Jacob has designed brass class curricula, evaluated student teachers in their placements, taught band and other classroom music methods, and many other logistical functions.
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Jacob has won jobs as associate principal horn of the American Wind Symphony Orchestra and for multiple military groups. He has also played with Cirque Du Soleil, performed locally as principal and section horn in the Catskill Symphony, Binghamton Philharmonic, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Clinton Symphony, and the Eastern Mountain Music Festival. Throughout many years of this performance career, Jacob has assimilated pedagogy in masterclasses played for Gail Williams, Sarah Willis, Elizabeth Freimuth, Richard Deane, Eli Epstein, Adam Unsworth, and attended countless others.
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Jacob's guitar performance frequently comes in the form of small gigs or arranging projects, such as collaborations with his friends for local venues. The creativity of these performances permeates Jacob's teaching habits, as he encourages anyone studying with him to explore individual expression through arranging music they love.
Education
Jacob attained his Bachelor degrees in performance and music education from Ithaca College in 2015, as well as a Masters in performance from the same institution in 2019. In 2021, he began work on a DMA in performance at the Eastman School of Music, only to find that his pedagogical goals were not quite being satiated by the degree program. In 2023, he successfully transferred into the PhD program in music education and currently is working on the final requirements before becoming Dr. Factor.
Philosophy and Other Interests
Jacob believes how you are taught to experience and share music needs to be tailored to your unique qualities. While teaching and performance are deeply intertwined, they are distinct achievements and each must be developed to professional standards. Life is all about balance, whether we are speaking professionally, musically, or otherwise. Embodying the balance of performance craft, sequencing learning to the individual's needs, engaging in creative practices that expand the mind, and the intellectual nature of developing materials create the core values of Jacob's philosophy of music.
When not engaging in musical or academic endeavors, Jacob enjoys being out in nature on walks, hikes, and runs. He also enjoys gardening in the appropriate seasons and cooking. Paired with his love of guitar, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Jacob picked up the hobby of woodworking and has made a number of guitars by hand. More recently, knitting has made its way into the hobby arsenal, and Jacob enjoys making garments for his family and friends. He currently lives in Rochester, New York while finishing the last stages of his PhD program at the Eastman School of Music.
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