Strumming the right chord »
Jacob Wagner
Associate professor
Architecture, Urban Planning + Design
College of Arts & Sciences
Wagner (center) started playing the guitar in high school before getting his hands on an old mandolin when he was in college. From the first strum, he was hooked. Today, he plays with a local swing and jazz trio named the Village Gypsy Jazz Band, and he sits in with one of his favorite bands, Truckstop Honeymoon, whenever they’re in town. “Playing an instrument is a completely different kind of mental and physical exercise than being an educator, scholar and urban planner,” he says. “I get to use a different part of my brain.”