With the exception of two years when she was on maternity leave, Jeanette Essig has been involved with every 6th Grade All-County Choral Festival since 1988. She was hired as a music teacher in 1987 and joined the fine arts team in Instructional Services in 2006. 

This year’s 6th Grade All-County Choral Festival was Essig’s last, as she will retire in June.

While she was a general music teacher, Jeanette served on many of the various committees necessary for the festival to run smoothly. Then, after she joined Instructional Services, she assumed many organizational duties, collaborating with FCPS offices and the Fairfax General Music Educators Association to plan and execute the festival. 

“The concert itself is the culmination of months of work for the students,” Jeanette says. “Seeing it come together musically and watching the expression of the students during the concert performance is truly magical. Students stretch themselves and grow as musicians. We even have current FCPS music teachers who remember participating in the festival when they were in 6^th grade!”

The biggest obstacle Jeanette encountered planning the festival over the years was, of course, the COVID pandemic. The 2020 festival was canceled. It was virtual in 2021 and modified in 2022. Watch this year’s festival below. 

Jeanette advises other music educators to remember that, “As a teacher, you make a difference in the life of a child.” For students, she suggests, “Don’t worry about being perfect—all musicians make mistakes, so take chances!”

Although she looks forward to enjoying the festival as a spectator in the future, Jeanette recalls, “Watching students who participated in the festival go on to succeed musically has been very rewarding for me; whether that was because they stole the show in their high school musical, became the drum major of the high school band, or even went on to become an opera singer!”