jenny collins

​Jenny Collins is a freelance professional trumpeter, arranger, and musician in education. She earned both her BM and MM in Music with high distinction from the University of Rhode Island, studying classical trumpet with George Kent and big band jazz with Hal Crook. Prior to that, she studied with Airmen of Note band member, jazz trumpeter Kenny Grasley. She performs throughout the Ocean State, zipping from Watch Hill to Newport to Providence to Kingston. Jenny is a founding member of the Queen’s River Trio and the brass quintet Block Island Sound. She was soloist with the South County Chamber Orchestra and the Providence Adult String Orchestra. Some of her favorite gig memories include improvising musical theater at the Contemporary Theater in Wakefield, playing her trumpet as the Ghost of Christmas Future, and playing for churches and at weddings, which is pure joy! She is super stoked to be playing big band music again with the She-Bop Orchestra.


Jenny loves teaching band and jazz band at Broad Rock Middle School in South Kingstown, RI. She designed and currently directs the Music Mentoring Project, which pairs URI music students and community musicians with SK music students for tuition-free music lessons after school. In 2013, she received the Yale University Distinguished Music Educator Award. In 2016, she was named South Kingstown Schools’ “Teacher of the Year.” And, in 2020, she was awarded the George Parks Leadership in Music Education Award. For 20 years, she was grant writer, arranger, and musical director for GEAR Productions.  GEAR (Give Everyone A Role) is a theater company that creates and produces original plays welcoming all students in an elementary school as their cast. She served as a representative on arts grant panels and Artist in Education interview committees for the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. 


Above all she is most delighted by her three children, now grown, who are really amazing people, and her grandson, Akintola. Oh, and for fun? Jenny sings alto with the Chorus of Westerly, practices kundalini yoga, and loves to walk on the beach or swim in the ocean. Good thing she lives in the Ocean State!