Jessica Payne is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree at the University of Kansas where she studies tuba and euphonium with Professor Scott Watson. Ms. Payne is very involved in the tradition of brass banding in North America. Currently, Ms. Payne performs with the Athena Brass Band, Fountain City Brass Band, and the Free State Brass Band. Before moving to Kansas, Jessica held positions in the Natural State Brass Band, the Brass Band of the Western Reserve, the Arkansas Musicworks Brass Band, and the Brass Band of Louisiana. Ms. Payne has been invited to solo with the Western Reserve, Musicworks, and Natural State bands. 

As a performing artist, Jessica has toured with several brass bands, euphonium quartets, and as a soloist. In 2022, Ms. Payne performed a solo euphonium tour that took her to several colleges across Arkansas and Texas. In 2023, Ms. Payne performed a tour of local high schools and several colleges in her home state of Ohio. Jessica is an advocate for new music for the tuba and euphonium and makes efforts to expand the repertoire with new works from diverse composers.