Dr. Joanne Heaton, currently the Head of Bands at Haileybury College in Melbourne, Australia, is a distinguished music educator and conductor, showcasing a career defined by excellence and unwavering passion. The foundation for a lifelong commitment to music education was commenced at the University of Melbourne, completing two degrees in Music Education. Furthering her expertise in conducting performance, Joanne then pursued a Master of Music at the University of Utah while concurrently serving as the Band Director at Eastmont Middle School in Utah. This dual commitment underscored her dedication to both the academic and practical aspects of nurturing musicians.

In 2020, she achieved a pinnacle of the academic journey by completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree, specializing in Wind Band Conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Known for her expertise in ensemble direction, Joanne is in high demand as an adjudicator, conductor, and guest lecturer at esteemed institutions such as Monash University, The University of Melbourne, the Defence Force School of Music and Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Her international engagements include guest conducting roles for the Southern Mississippi University Honour Band, the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools Honour Band in Kuala Lumpur, and the Colorado State University, Pueblo, Festival of Winds. Joanne’s contributions extend to major clinic presentations, including the 2012 Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, the 2019 World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Conference in Spain, the 2019 Oxford University International Conducting Studies Conference in Sydney and the 2019 Australian Society for Music Education conference in Perth.

Acknowledged for her dedication, Joanne received the Jordan (Utah) Education Foundation’s Outstanding Educator of the Year award in 2000, an ABODA Victoria Excellence in Music Education award in 2017, and a Life Membership award from the Victorian branch of the Australian Band and Orchestra Directors’ Association in 2020.

Percy Grainger Gumsuckers March

Julie Giroux One Life Beautiful

Erika Svanoe Steampunk Suite