Norma Jean Haynes

Author of Make Music! A Kid's Guide to Creating Rhythm, Playing with Sound, and Conducting and Composing Music, Norma Jean Haynes is a powerful young musician and educator. Whether sharing folk songs learned on travels in Bosnia, Corsica, South Africa or Appalachia, composing original operas during school residencies, or designing new instruments from recycled materials, Norma Jean brings a vibrant creative spark that inspires others to lift their voices in song.  

A multi-instrumentalist on banjo, guitar, dulcimer and folk harp, Haynes has released one studio album, Mothers & Daughters, with a second album forthcoming in 2023. She tours regularly in the United States and abroad. Haynes' work grows from the belief that music should be joyful, celebrating community, ingenuity, and connection. 

A Massachusetts-licensed K-5 educator and Smith College graduate, Haynes is a seasoned educator with heightened socioemotional awareness. Colleagues remark on Haynes' "ability to create a wonderful classroom atmosphere, and her industrious nature," as well as "her natural talent for inspiring her students." 

Haynes is available for school and community residencies, summer camps and festivals, performances, and curriculum design.