About the Owners
Orith and Monica met at Vancouver Community College while completing the Contemporary Music Diploma Program in 2000. They became fast friends studying and practicing their instruments together and their lives have intertwined ever since. Orith’s band The Grand Trine Trio and The Monica Lee Band both held residencies at the East Vancouver legendary music club – The Libra Room for over a decade. After starting their individual music companies (Jump Into Music and Monica Lee Music) and becoming mothers, they began a partnership with Jump Into Music, their now shared business.
Monica and Orith share an unwavering passion for music education. They aspire to inspire children and their families to come alive through music and movement. Here’s to many more years of great friendship!
Orith Horwitz
Owner, founder, curriculum creator, music instructor
Vancouver Island
Orith started Jump into Music in 2012, creating the original curriculum and teaching it in the Lower Mainland. She has since expanded the company to the Cowichan Valley, spreading the joy of music to the island. For Orith, music instruction begins with creating a safe place to be silly and at ease.
As well as teaching Jump Into Music, Orith loves teaching privately to students of all ages and delights in witnessing their growing confidence. She offers instruction on bass, voice, ukulele and piano. She is a formidable Jazz musician on upright bass and vocals performing regularly in a myriad of styles for the last 23 years. Orith holds a degree in music from Capilano University and uses it every day to bring community together via the language of music.
Learn more about What Lady O is up to on her website.
Monica Lee
Owner, curriculum developer, music instructor, Singer-songwriter, Video Producer, Playwright and Event host
Vancouver
Monica has been described as a total goofball and a brilliant musician with a unique and lovely mind. A powerful vocalist and an even bigger personality, she draws in children with her natural charisma and the parents with tissues for the love bomb that fills her classes and performances.
Aptly named by her students, ‘Teacher Monica’s philosophy is grounded in the “play” of playing music and uses this as a starting point for all learning and exploring. Digging into the story behind the song, what makes genres unique and the cultural significance of traditions, Teacher Monica successfully pivoted her classes online during the Lockdown reaching up to 150K people through her Facebook LIVE Get Togethers. These classes continue in concert with in person classes in Vancouver BC through Jump Into Music’s viral YouTube Channel. Approaching 2M impressions this channel is growing fast.
As a mother she finds deep meaning in connecting with her two children. From this love, she wrote a stack of heart full bedtime songs that are the core of her New 2023 Release You, Me and the Moon – A love letter to kids from parents. Monica wrote and performed a play around these songs that were debuted at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts May 28th, 2023.
Learn more about Monica Lee, her music and the videos here.
Monica’s musical journey has taken her from the Viola section in orchestra, to a diploma in Contemporary Voice from Vancouver Community College, to singing Jazz with a Big Band, touring with Hip Hop artists and poets, and writing and performing her original songs for both adult and kid audiences. As a roots artist, she released her album “Farewell” in June of 2020. The late John Mann of Spirit of the West once compared Monica Lee to Joni Mitchell and it’s easy to agree after hearing her ability to balance confessional subject matter with vivid observations of everyday life. Farewell is a statement both beautiful and soul stirring, a testament to following one’s muse, as well as Lee’s undeniable, natural talent.
Whether ‘Teacher Monica’ or Monica Lee, her passion for music is palpable. Monica has limitless enthusiasm for sharing her joy of “Do re mi”, helping bring music into the daily lives of the children and families she works with.
Lisa Beth Dery - Instructor
Lisa Dery with over twenty years experience as a professional vocalist and actress trained New York and Vancouver, has been teaching adults and children in the skills of performance for well over 15 years. Lisa has developed positive relationships with children and their families sharing her love of the stage, music and story telling as a dance teacher, choreographer, acting coach with curriculum she has developed at locations such as Myung Sook Chung Dance school, Quilchena Elementary and The Richmond Arts Centre. Jump into Music is a class that has touched her heart deeply as she’s witnessed her young son’s musical transformation through the classes that Monica and Orith have created. Lisa is thrilled to jump onboard as one of Jump into Music’s faculty. She has launched a new branch of Jump into Music in the Arrow Lake Region of BC and is excited to share the wonder of music with all of you.