Audio Engineer and Musicologist
Short Biography
Dr. Jasmine A. Henry (she/her) is a versatile and engaging audio engineer and musicologist. As a live sound engineer, she has entertained international audiences through her work on critically acclaimed productions such as the Blue Man Group and HBO’s The Newsroom. She holds bachelor and master’s degrees in sound engineering and music business, respectively, from William Paterson University. In May 2022, she completed a PhD in musicology at Rutgers University with the defense of her dissertation entitled, “Jersey Club: Race, Place and Black Independent Music-Making in Newark, New Jersey.” Henry researches, writes, and lectures about contemporary popular music subjects in the context of racial, cultural, and socioeconomic issues. You may find her recently published and forthcoming publications in the Popular Culture Studies Journal, Journal of Pan African Studies, and Journal of the Society for American Music. As an educator, she designs and teaches music business, music technology, and music history courses at several higher education institutions including The New School, Rutgers University, Felician University, and others. Henry currently serves as the artistic director and coordinator of the Newark School of the Arts Media Lab where she regularly works in collaboration with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), United Nations, and Prudential Center to design and host multimedia performances.
Teaching
Henry teaches music business, technology, and history courses such as The Art of Production, Beat Mixing & Composing at the Computer, and Beatles to Beyoncé: Exploring the Business of Music.
Research
Henry researches contemporary do-it-yourself music-making practices, critical race theory, and hip-hop/R&B music. You may find her forthcoming publications in the Journal of the Society for American Music and Journal of Pan African Studies. In November 2018, she presented her Frank Ocean sound recording aesthetics research at the AMS Popular Music Study Group’s “Rethinking Amateurism” session in San Antonio, TX. In March 2021, Henry presented "Sounds of the 'Hyperghetto': Sounded Counternarratives in Newark, New Jersey Club Music Production and Performance" at the Society for American Music Annual Conference in Tacoma, Washington.
Research Interests
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Do-it-yourself (DIY) music-making practices and cultures
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Contemporary hip-hop/R&B music and culture
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Critical theories of race, place, and space
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The mass-mediation and commodification of black expressive cultural practices