Tag Archives: Music Teachers

Teachers who specialized in music.

Arkansas educator Jimmy Jeffress was also a capable politician

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Retired music educator Jimmy Jeffress served in both the state Arkansas House of Representatives and the State Senate. Photo Credit: Arkansas State Legislature

Many excellent educators have also experienced success in the political arena. One of these is Jimmy Jeffress, a retired teacher and politician from Arkansas. After he left the classroom, he served his community in both the Arkansas House of Representatives and the Arkansas State Senate.

Jimmy was born on Sept. 19, 1947, in Monticello, Arkansas. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 1971. He earned his Master’s degree in Music Education from Northeast Louisiana University in 1986. In addition, he completed coursework through the Kennedy School of Government program at Harvard University.

After earning his degrees, Jimmy taught music education courses in Crossett Public Schools in Crossett, Arkansas. His career as an educator spanned 28 years, from 1971 through 1999. During those years, the outstanding educator garnered recognition for his work in the classroom. In both 1994 and 1998 Jimmy was named the Choral Director of the Year by the Southeast Arkansas Choral Directors Association.

In 1996, Jimmy was elected to the Arkansas State House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. There he represented District 24 from 1997 to 2000. Following his terms there, he served in the Arkansas State Senate from 2001 to 2009. While in the state legislature, he served as the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee. He was also a member of the Committees for Children and Youth; Joint Budget; Joint Retirement and Social Security Systems; Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development; and Joint Energy. He also served as Chair of the Legislative Task Force on Athletic Trainers and as a member of the Task Force on Substance Abuse Treatment Services.

Jimmy earned honors for his work as a public servant, too. In 2001, he was chosen as the Legislator of the Year by the Arkansas Municipal League. In 2000, he garnered the Legislator of the Year Award from the Arkansas School Counselors Association.

CA music educator Keith Ballard inducted into 2024 National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Music educator Keith Ballard of San Diego, California, has been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF). Photo Credit: National Education Association

I am always excited when the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) announces the names of exceptional educators who have been inducted into their hallowed halls. This year, the organization has selected Keith Ballard, a music educator from San Diego, California, as one of the five teachers nationwide who has been so honored.

Keith teaches at Southwest Middle School. He has taught at the school for 26 years. When he first began his tenure there, the school was considered a disadvantaged school, located only four miles from the US border. Keith once said the average student has about a third-grade reading level. He also instructs music courses at Launch Virtual Academy, an online music school for grades 7-12.

To advance his professional skills, Keith has traveled around the globe to learn best practices to support his students. After a 1999 visit to Tijuana, Mexico, he organized a mariachi band to support the school’s large Latino population. In fact, his classroom is affectionately referred to as “Mariachi Disneyland.” He has also visited schools in North Korea, and he has formed an African drum ensemble.

This extraordinary Chalkboard Champion has earned him over 25 teaching awards, including the prestigious Milken National Educator Award. Furthermore, Additionally, his classroom programs have been featured in the media over 80 times, including in national broadcasts such as the NBC Today Show, CBS This Morning, and PBS National Television.

Keith earned his Bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University. He earned his Master’s degree at San Diego State University.

The NTHF honors teachers through an annual recognition program, inducting five outstanding educators nationally every year. The organization, located on the campus of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas, was founded in 1989. The recognition program annually honors five of the nation’s most outstanding PreK-12 educators who have at least 20 years of teaching experience. To visit their website, click on NTHF.

 

Efrain Casillas named Arizona’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

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Arizona music educator Efrain Casillas has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Chicanos Por La Causa

I am always pleased to share the story of an exceptional educator who has been recognized for their work with young people. One of these is Efrain Casillas, a music educator from Arizona. He has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Efrain serves as the Co-ordinator of Music Programs for the Tolleson Elementary School District (TESD) in Phoenix. There he created the district’s first mariachi, jazz, marching, concert, and Latin jazz bands. Under his expert direction, the Tolleson Elementary School Mariachi Band competed at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference, where they won first and second place in the Choice Awards—three years in a row! The band has also performed at Disneyland in the Disneyland Parade. Efrain’s Latin jazz band has participated in the Fiesta Bowl Parade for three consecutive years. Currently, Efrain teaches both general and instrumental music at two schools in the district.

For his work in the classroom, Efrain was a featured guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2020. He garnered an Esperanza Latino Teacher Award from Chicanos Por La Causa in 2018 and a Music Teachers of Excellence from the Country Music Association Foundation the same year. Furthermore, he was nominated for the Life Changer Award in 2017, and in 2015 he was selected TESD’s Teacher of the Year. He has also served as a presenter for the National Symposium on Multicultural Music at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2004. He is an active member of the Arizona Music Education Association.

As Arizona’s Teacher of the Year, Efrain will receive $15,000 from the Arizona Educational Foundation. He will travel to National Teacher of the Year events, meet the President at the White House, and attend the International Space Camp in Alabama. The Arizona Educational Foundation says the honored educator will also be considered for an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University.

Efrain earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and his teaching certificate in education, both from Western Connecticut State University. His career as a public-school music teacher spans 24 years.

 

Music educator Louise Smith named 2024 Mississippi Teacher of the Year

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Middle school music educator Louise Smith has been named the 2024 Mississippi State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Gautier Middle School

I am always excited to share the story of an exceptional educator who has been honored for their work in the classroom. One of these is Louise Smith, an instrumental music teacher from Gautier, Mississippi. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Louise teaches seventh and graders at Gautier Middle School in Gautier. She has worked in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District for 22 years. The honored educator passionately believes that music literacy is essential to literacy in general. And her work shows this passion. Because of her commitment to teaching young people to read music, her students have achieved success at regional and state levels.

Raised by a single mother of Filipino descent, Louise credits her family and her teachers, particularly a college band director she met at a high school band clinic, with her success as an educator. She encourages teachers to recognize their importance in the lives of children. She says being a teacher is not an easy job, but she knows the impact she has on students and will always advocate for them.

Her selection as the 2024 Mississippi is not the only recognition Louise has earned. She was featured on the cover of NEA’s magazine in their August, 2020, issue, with an accompanying story entitled “Helping Students and Educators Recover from Covid-19 Trauma.” The article detailed her work dealing with teacher stress and mental health. Furthermore, in May, 2021, US News and World Report profiled her as one of the professionals who made a difference for her students during the pandemic.

Louise earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2002 and her Master’s degree in Administration and Leadership in 2005, both from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher. In addition, Louise is an alumnus of the National Education Association (NEA) Teacher Leadership Initiative, and she has served as a state coach.

Christy Todd named Georgia’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year

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Middle school music educator Christy Todd has been named Georgia’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: All on Georgia

Our nation’s students are indeed fortunate to have so many exceptional teachers in the classroom. One of them is Christy Todd, a middle school teacher from Georgia. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Christy teaches music education to students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades at Rising Starr Middle School in Fayetteville, Georgia. But her influence goes far beyond her own music classroom. To make music education accessible to all students on her campus, Christy launched a collaboration between the Music Department and her school’s Special Education classrooms. Impressively, the program has reached more than 10,000 students over the last 15 years. 

In addition to her classroom instruction, Christy founded her district’s Community for Creativity initiative, a program that supports schoolwide creation of songs, podcasts, videos, and audio books. These products are released through the school’s recording label, Hall Pass Entertainment.

Christy began her teaching career as a Choir Director. In fact, she still actively conducts honor choirs, along with publishing articles and research for various state, national, and international education journals. She was also a founding member of the Story Arts Collective, a group of education and industry leaders committed to growing Georgia’s creative work force.
 
Her recognition as the Georgia State Teacher of the Year is not the only honor Christy has received. In 2013, she was named a Grammy Music Teacher of the Year National Quarter-Finalist. In 2016, she was honored as the Georgia Middle School Association’s Teacher of the Year, and in 2022, she was named Fayette County Public Schools Teacher of the Year. She has also been honored as a key youth influencer by the United States Navy’s Blue Angels.

Christy earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Shorter College in Little Rock, Arkansas, and her Master’s degree in Music Education from Florida State University.