Norma Jean Haynes is a banjo player, songwriter, music educator, and community organizer raised in New England, whose work explores the themes of tradition, community, and placemaking. Performing on five-string banjo, Norma Jean has released the album Mothers & Daughters, and is currently recording her sophomore Mercy Drops, which features original songs in English and French. From a young age, Norma Jean has absorbed a wide variety of musical traditions. Performing and touring with the organization Village Harmony, she has studied vocal traditions in England, South Africa, Corsica, and Bosnia, where she lived for six months. A lifelong clawhammer banjo player, she also maintains deep connections in the old-time music community of Eastern Kentucky. As a songwriter, Norma Jean explores the poetic and musical traditions of her New England homeplace, including Sacred Harp singing, the work of poets Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost, and unaccompanied balladry. A published author in music education, Norma Jean maintains a vibrant teaching practice. She currently serves as Music Director at The Common School in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Norma Jean Haynes
