Since beginning his teaching practice in 2022, Jacob Unruh has developed a curriculum focused on listening, technique, improvisation, literacy, and repertoire, helping students build the skills to thrive in musical communities and across disciplines. He taught students ages 4-15 at Flower Mound Music Academy in Texas for two years, and he continues to integrate classical and jazz approaches as a teacher with In Home Music Teachers. His early experience in Denver included teaching in-home lessons, taking Suzuki pedagogy classes, and working as a substitute teacher for group classes at Primavera Place. His vision is to create connections between his students and the wider music scene through partnerships with community organizations such as libraries, music schools, school music programs, and arts-based nonprofits and businesses.

Jacob became interested in jazz in college after visiting local jazz venues in Denver with friends and improvising in practice rooms with students studying jazz. Drawn to the union of collective and individual expression in jazz, he changed his major to jazz and designed much of his own curriculum, graduating in 2024 from the University of Denver with a B.M. in Jazz Studies and Commercial Music, where he studied with violinist Igor Pikayzen and jazz pianist and composer Annie Booth. At the University of North Texas, he studied with jazz violinist Scott Tixier and completed his master's degree in jazz in 2026. He has been active in the classical and jazz scenes throughout Colorado’s Front Range and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, subbing in regional orchestras and performing in jazz, chamber, R&B, and folk groups. Notable performances include the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, Dazzle Denver, the 2026 Jazz Education Network Conference, and a feature with the Lamont Jazz Orchestra. He continues his journey in Denver, where he is building a violin studio that emphasizes improvisation and community connections.