Mentors

JoVia Armstrong

Music Mentor

From Detroit, Michigan, hails percussionist JoVia Ljiljana Armstrong. JoVia began studying percussion as a high school freshman. By her senior year, she was section leader in the symphony orchestra, the symphony band, the concert band, the percussion ensemble, and the jazz orchestra. Throughout the week and weekend, she was a percussionist in the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra, the Wayne State University Honors Band, and the Charles Post Military Band.

She enrolled at Michigan State University as a percussionist performance major, where she continued to perform and study orchestral percussion (including four-mallet marimba/vibraphone). She studied African Cuban percussion and drum set with performer and educator Francisco Mora-Catlett, African drumming and dance, Latin jazz, and also Korean drumming. She transferred to Columbia College Chicago and earned a B.A. in Music Business.

JoVia played Cajon (box drum) for the “Tour of the Americas 2004.” The group performed original and traditional songs of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Argentina. JoVia has performed with various artists such as British recording artist Omar, Chilean artist Joe VasConcellos, Philadelphia native RES, Alison Crockett, Angela Johnson, Maysa, Rahsaan Patterson, Eric Robeson, Gordon Chambers, Warren Hill, Conya Doss, Yolanda Johnson, flautist Nicole Mitchell, saxophonist David Boykin, Maya Azucena, bluesmen Billy Branch and Ron Prince, Althea Rene, Brian O'Neal, Lola Morales, Blackman & Arnold, Level Rizon, Cello, Nadir, Ed Stone, Painted Pictures, Wendell Harrison, Pamela Wise, BSTC, Mathias, Inohs Sivad, and Heather Moran. She has opened shows for such acts as Talib Kweli, The Executioners, Kindred the Family Soul, Thomas Mapfumo, Gerald Albright, and The Bad Plus. She has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Amp Fiddler, Angela Johnson, Frank McComb, Trey Anastacio, Jazzhead, and Michael Franti & Spearhead.

To further her musical studies, she developed a hobby of writing music and audio production. This hobby soon turned into career as she is now writing and producing for various artists including her jazz group Musique Noire based in Detroit. They have been nominated for several Detroit Music Awards in 2009 and 2010 for Outstanding World/ Jazz Group and Outstanding World/ Jazz Album. JoVia was nominated for an individual award- Outstanding World/ Reggae Musician. She released her debut album Fuzzy Blue Robe Chronicles in 2009.