Workshops: 1.The Heartbeat of Music. 2. Nashville Co-writing & Community & the path of a song, 3. Navigating the path as an independent songwriter in business, publishing, royalties, licensing & social platforms & booking agents (Possible panel).
Jara Johnson is a singer/songwriter originally from Clarinda,Iowa, a small town in Southwest Iowa. She’s been singing most of her life, but it wasn’t until herfirstyear of college that she decided to pursue her music career fully and so her musical journey began by taking her out of Iowa to Houston, Texas.
It was in Houston at the age of 19 that Jara first began writing songs.
After Texas shemovedback to the Midwest to finish college and get her degree in Medical Technology at NWMSU and in2003she got married,all the while her music and Nashville always pressing on the back of her mind. A year later that pressing thought became a reality when Jara and her husband packed up all they owned and drove to Nashville, no jobsand not knowing a soul, only following her passion for music and drive to make her dream a reality. Jara spent the nextfour yearsin Nashville perfecting her artistry; singing, recording, and writing songs with some of Nashville’s best songwriters.
Three of her songson her debut album from 2009, “The Last Time”, “Where I’m Coming From”, and “It All Could Have Ended There” she wrote with Nashville hit songwriter,the lateTim Johnson, who had manyofhis songs cut by country artists and had numerous #1 hits.
In 2008 her musical career took another turn, as her husband’s job change brought them back to Iowa,where hetook a job as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Central College. Since then Jara has traveledback and forth to Nashville to continue recording,singing demos,writing and performingat places,such as theworld-famous Bluebird Café.
Since their move to Pella, she’sperformed at venues throughout the Midwest, such as the Iowa State Fair, Iowa Cubs baseball game, Pella Opera House, Tulip Time & the Des Moines Social Club, etc. and hasreleased several albums and singles from 2009-2016that are available on iTunes,Amazon, Spotify, YouTube andother music platforms.
Jara for the past4years has worked as the Event Coordinator/Associate Directorat the Pella Opera House andin her time at the Opera House, Jarahas had the opportunity to bring to the Pella Opera House & perform in a singer/songwriter “Bluebird Café” style show called Nashville North with some of her Nashville friends/hit songwriters as well as had the opportunity to open for country music artist David Nail.