Dr. Jill Timmons

As an award-winning author, Jill Timmons has written on topics that include entrepreneurship, grant writing, career development, music education, and volunteerism within the arts and humanities. She is a recipient of the Wilk International Literary Prize from University of Southern California. Her best-selling career guidebook, The Musician’s Journey: Crafting Your Career Vision and Plan, is now available in a newly revised and expanded second edition (Oxford University Press, 2023). As a pianist and arts educator, Timmons has performed internationally, offering concerts and educational residencies on three continents. She has performed under the auspices of the National Endowment for the Arts and has recorded on the Laurel, Centaur, and Capstone labels. Ken Burns chose music from her Amy Beach recording with Laura Klugherz for the soundtrack to his PBS documentary, The War. As an NEA Fellow, she recorded the complete works for solo piano by American composer, William Bergsma. Timmons serves as the Artist/Teacher Affiliate for Classic Pianos in their seven locations throughout the US. As founder/director of Artsmentor, LLC (www.artsmentor.com), she serves as an international performing arts consultant to the Yamaha Corporation of America, and O’Malley International Associates in Pasadena, assisting individuals and nonprofits in creating sustainable and vibrant arts initiatives. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Washington and the Master of Music degree from Boston University. In 2021-2022, she was awarded a Visiting Fellowship at Yale University.

Oxford University Press: The Musician’s Journey—Crafting Your Career Vision and Plan

“The title is apt – this book describes a journey in thought, preparation, and destination, and is appropriate for all, not only musicians, who are building a career and a satisfying life. The reader is led from idealistic aspiration through awareness of self and the market to practical outcomes that are entirely possible. Beyond the message and excellent writing, the quotes and bibliography are a diverse and priceless bonus.”

—Stephen Clapp, Doctor of Music, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Violin, The Juilliard School

“Timmons guides us through the aspirational, the theoretical, and the practical in a way that speaks not only to the concert musicians she intended, but, indeed, to any inspired artist who is called to develop and share their gifts. If we have the skills and passion, this book shows us the method… So, buckle up, roll down your windows, and drive this car with its top off. You will love every vista you encounter.”

—Martin D. Jean, Professor of Organ, Director, Institute of Sacred Music, Yale University

“This is a bold book that aims to offer an inspirational and practical resource for musicians embarking on their careers, or perhaps re-evaluating and making changes in their professional portfolio. Its tone is emphatically optimistic, and it is suffused with useful information, practical tips, uplifting quotations, and stories. It draws on an intriguingly broad set of reference points from ancient philosophies to spiritual texts, contemporary neuroscience to personal experience.”

—British Journal of Music Education