Jeff received a BS degree in Elementary and Special Education from Millersville University in 1991 and earned his Certification in Church Music through Virginia Wesleyan University in 2015. In May of 2021, Jeff graduated from Trinity Lutheran
Seminary at Capital University with a Master of Arts Degree in Church Music. The faculty at TLS honored Jeff with the May Schwarz Award in Church Music, which is given to “a graduating student who show[s] outstanding potential for and commitment to the church’s music ministry.”

Jeff’s pastoral musician research has appeared in the Journal of the UCC Musicians Association and in ACDA’s quarterly online magazine ChorTeach. In addition to leading music ministries in Lancaster and Lebanon, Jeff has worked as an instructional
assistant supporting learners with intellectual and emotional disabilities, served as President for the Central PA Handbell Festival and sang tenor with the Elizabethtown College Community Choir.

Originally from Boyertown, PA, Jeff now resides in Mount Joy with his husband Brent and their dogs Daisy and Bentley and he maintains membership with the Handbell Musicians of America. Jeff enjoys working in his yard, trips to the beach, time with family including his son Addison and wife Rachel, and the pursuit of lifelong learning. 

Body, mind, spirit, voice - It takes the whole person to sing and rejoice! – Helen Kemp