JAMM's team-teaching model is practiced both in-school and after-school for a reason: it encourages creativity, builds community among teachers, and ensures accountability. JAMM classrooms pair a certified teacher with a community artists. Each provides a different strength while learning from one another. This model serves as embedded professional development and models to our students the importance of collaboration.
JAMM AFTER-SCHOOL INSTRUCTORS Executive Director
Lorrie Heagy (Strings) is the Executive Director of JAMM and the music teacher at Glacier Valley. Lorrie began the JAMM program after receiving the Yale School of Music Distinguished Music Educator award and returning to Juneau as one of ten Abreu Fellows to bring the very successful El Sistema program to the United States. In 2011 Lorrie won Alaska Teacher of the Year. In 2018 Lorrie completed her PHD in Education with a concentration in Learning, Instruction and Innovation. In 2019 Lorrie will study music education in Europe as a Fulbright Scholar, so that she may continue to bring new ideas and creative leadership to the JAMM program.
Site Supervisors
Meghan Johnson (Glacier Valley & Riverbend) has been part of the JAMM family for 7 years. She has a private string studio and also teaches general music during the school day. Meghan holds a Master's in Performance and a Master's in Education,with a K-12 Music Endorsement. When Meghan is not teaching strings, she enjoys performing; Meghan has served as principal cellist of the Juneau Symphony for 10 years.
Lindsay Clark (Auke Bay), a Juneau local, returned home in 2015 to pursue a Master's in Education. Lindsay holds a Bachelor's in Performance and a Master's in Education, with a K-12 Music Endorsement. Lindsay currently teaches general music at Auke Bay during the school day; after school, Lindsay is the site supervisor and lead teacher for Auke Bay's violin program. Under Lindsay's leadership, Auke Bay's program has expanded from one to two orchestras, which meet 4 days each week. Next year Lindsay hopes to expand to a full selection of orchestral instruments! In addition to teaching music, Lindsay serves as Principal 2nd Violin of the Juneau Symphony Orchestra.
Juneau School District Instructors
Susie Denton (Movement) is the P.E. teacher at Glacier Valley. Ms. Denton has a BSEd and certificates in K-8 special education and physical education. Ms. Denton enjoys integrating reading skills and math concepts through movement and offers dance and creative movement classes in JAMM.
Adam Ferguson (Ukulele) is a 2nd grade teacher at Glacier Valley; he holds a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from UAS. Adam is a versatile member of the JAMM family who has taught music technology, ukulele and movement in JAMM.
TJ Cramer (Songwriting) started has taken many poetry classes and graduated with a sociology degree and a minor in child and family development. TJ graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Elementary Education at UAS.
Leah Jellison (Music Tech)is the speech language pathologist at Riverbend Elementary. She enjoys assisting with songwriting and other areas throughout JAMM. She holds a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology and minors in psychology and linguistics.
Juneau Community Teaching Artists
Stephanie McDermott (strings) is a certified music teacher with a background in middle school orchestra. In addition to being a JAMM teacher, she is the proud mother of a JAMM cellist
Kristen Price (Strings) has begun to realize her musical aspirations a little later in life, and she has become increasingly fascinated with the challenge of playing violin, piano, and her newest affection, string bass. She is deeply appreciative of the arts in building community, and in particular admires the example that JAMM sets in including everyone and using music to teach skills that help us to overcome life's challenges. She is a long time Juneau resident and mother of two.
Denali Wentz (Strings) is a former student of Mr. Xia who contineus to play viola while attending UAS. Denali works with JAMM’s violinists, choir members and violists.
Kalei Wery (Ukulele) is the grandfather of a former JAMM students who inspired Glacier Valley when he performed Hawaiian music on the ukulele during a Family Library Night. Kalei graciously offered to help start a ukulele class as part of JAMM’s programming, and it has become an annual offering to Glacier Valley students. In spring 2018 Kalei expanded his program to Riverbend Elementary.
Janice Hurley (Modern Dance) received her teaching credentials from the University of Minnesota and her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Jacksonville University in Florida. She has taught in both academic and performing arts venues. Since moving to Juneau, Janice has participated in projects with Northern Lights Junior Theatre, Theater at Latitude 58, Juneau Lyric Opera, Orpheus Project and Perseverance Theatre. She was the Artistic Director of Juneau Dance Theatre from 2004 through June of 2011. In May, 2015, Janice received her Master of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Development in the Performing Arts from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Julie York Coppens(Musical Theatre), director of outreach and engagement for Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, is a veteran theatre artist, arts journalist, advocate, and instructor. Before following her heart to Alaska in 2012, Julie served on the national publications staff of the Educational Theatre Association/Dramatics magazine, running the Thespian Playworks student writing program for twelve years. She guides JAMM students in the collaborative creation of original “mini-musicals,” playful mashups inspired by classic and contemporary Broadway shows, popular films, and other sources.