Jamming with Jed

By Susie Rogers, ELA 5th-8th

Career Day will be in April for my 7th and 8th grade students, and to prepare, we will be having guest speakers throughout the year. I invited Jed Harrelson as our very first guest. Jed is a rising Nashville musician and spent his childhood days at St. James!  He and his brother, Hank, eagerly toured the campus with the 7th grade class reminiscing about their time here. When all of the middle school students gathered, Jed introduced himself and gave a little bit of his background. He then opened the floor for questions, and the students had a lot of them. 

Jed was asked, “When did you start playing guitar?” (8 years old) “Did you take lessons?” (self-taught) “What made you want to perform?” (saw the positive effect music had on others) “How did you react when someone didn’t believe in you?” (Keep going on- as long as you have the passion, don’t let anyone tell you no)  and “What is an average day/week like?” (4 days a week playing up to 8 hours a day.) *Disclaimer- questions and answers are summarized, not verbatim! Jed also gave the students wonderful advice to find something you love doing and make that your career, and if you have a bad day, learn from your mistake and simply keep trying. After fielding questions, Jed performed his new original song, “Olly, Olly, Oxen Free “ We just know it's going to be a hit! 

St. James Day School is not only fortunate to have such an impressive alumnus, but now the students will look back on Jed Harrelson’s visit and be able to say, “I remember when Jed came to see us when he was just starting out, and look at him now!” We all agreed that his talent and charisma will have his name in BIG lights before long. Thank you Jed for sharing your passion, your career, your advice, and your memories.  Listen to his newly released single, “Keep It” on Spotify, and check him out on Facebook: @JedHarrelson: A Music Collective.