Our Winter 2022 Spotlight Recipient: Jeaneau Julian
“Jeaneau encapsulates the meaning of musicianship. She possesses not only the knowledge and the skill set of an accomplished musician, but the very rare talent of having artistic sensitivity to reach emergent musicians.” – Stephanie Franklin, former principal
Jeaneau the Educator
Jeaneau has been teaching music to children in various levels and capacities for the past 21 years. Currently, she is busy teaching three to five music classes daily for PreK through 5th grade students. PreKindergarteners experience 40 minutes of Music a week while those in Kindergarten through 5th grade engage in weekly hour-long classes. Using speech and movement as entry points, Jeaneau’s students are given opportunities to observe, imitate, create, and improvise successfully. She connects their existing knowledge to new musical experiences through music and literature that represent both her students and others from around the world. Jeaneau’s Orff Levels teacher, Drue Bullington, writes that “Jeaneau is full of joyful creativity that she offers to the world in the spirit of helping build community, spreading kindness, and deepening tolerance for different ways of being.”
Jeaneau’s dedication to her community is evident. She has coordinated and recorded her school’s morning announcements for the past seven years, led Schoology training for her district in 2020, and served on several interview committees. She has also earned a master’s degree in ESOL to help her better serve English Language Learners (ELL). Denise Gagne – creator of MusicplayOnline – had the following to say about Jeaneau’s impact as a teacher:
“Jeaneau has made some kids’ demo videos for Musicplayonline, and you can tell by watching the videos that her students really enjoy her classes. By creating these videos, Jeaneau is helping make the Musicplayonline website – not just with kids’ demos that we needed, but by sharing videos from her community she is making the website more diverse and inclusive.”
A self-described “servant leader,” Jeaneau’s dedication to her students is evident. Her book study colleague, Chritine Ruggles, writes that “Jeaneau is tireless in her efforts to be the best music teacher for her students and to provide them with a high caliber music education. She is always composing music, reading, searching for new children’s literature, and writing lesson plans.”
Helping Others
Jeaneau’s colleagues often point to her willingness to share ideas. Fellow book club member Kristine McDonald notes that “as [Jeaneau] continues to find techniques that are successful in the classroom, she now shares them with the music education community.” Gagne agrees, writing that Jeaneau is “often answering questions, posting storybook suggestions and suggesting activities for teachers to try.” When asked, Jeaneau says that doing so has helped her begin to “[spread] my wings outside of my comfort zone.”
Jeaneau is active in the Music Education community. At a district level, she contributes to writing and revising curriculum and leads monthly professional learning communities. She is also an active member of ArkMEA/NafME and the Central Arkansas Orff chapter, with whom she helped provide virtual professional development sessions known as “Tuesdays with Central Arkansas Orff.” Several of Jeaneau’s articles have been published in AOSA’s Orff Echo and Reverberations, and she uses her growing audience on Facebook and Instagram (under the handle “julianorff”) to discuss her ideas on children’s literature, lessons, and music education in general. Her recent presentation for the Facebook group “International Sunday Sharing” featured Angela DiTerlizzi’s book The Magical Yet.
In addition to her work in education, Jeaneau is engaged in her church community. She serves as the Assistant Music Director of Children’s Music at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Three Cheers for Jeaneau!
“Jeaneau has inspired many young people to embrace their love and understanding of not only music, but the power in expressing and processing their thoughts/emotions. [she] has a unique gift of integrating music education with life lessons using literacy and social emotional topics as her inspiration. This ‘gift, talent, skill’ is the reason that many of her former students blossom into musicians, actors/actresses, public speakers, and/or student leaders.” – Stephanie Franklin, former principal
“She is vibrant and joyous. She always has a smile on her face. She knows all the children by name and makes a point to get to know them. Her ability to be so personable with them makes them feel loved and special. She does so much behind the scenes to help the children be the best they can be and successful. She truly has a heart for the children at Terry Elementary and uses her passion for music as a means to reach the hearts of the children at the school.” – Christi Fisher, parent of one of Jeaneau’s student
“Jeaneau is a remarkable educator, friend, and a gregarious woman. Her love of others and life shines bright.” – Stephanie Franklin