Biography

Dr. Judy Arthur is a Tallahassee musician who is active as a Collaborative Pianist and Music Director/Conductor. Dr. Arthur holds B.M.E., M.M.E.,and Ph.D. degrees from the Florida State College of Music. Dr. Arthur recently completed a three year appointment (2017-2020) as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Education Faculty at FSU. She taught the Choral Method classes for undergraduate and graduate students, supervised Field Experiences for the music education students, and conducted the Women’s Glee Club for two years. Dr. Arthur will continue working part-time at FSU, as a collaborative pianist and teaching in the Summer MME program.

Dr. Arthur retired as Director of Choral Activities at Leon High School in May, 2016 after serving on the Leon faculty for 38 years. During her teaching career her choirs maintained a reputation of excellence, earning many Superior ratings at District and State assessments, including the Florida Vocal Association Choirs of Distinction award for 2014-2016. Leon choirs have a strong reputation for quality throughout the community and state, and present many well attended concerts every year. Under her leadership the Choral Department created a climate where students from diverse backgrounds were welcomed, and all students given equal opportunities to develop their talents and love for music. Dr. Arthur is thrilled that the Leon tradition continues under the capable leadership of Tabitha Peck and Peter Pursino!

In 2000, Dr. Arthur incorporated the Leon choral parents into an active 501(3)c non-profit, Leon Friends of Music, Inc. As Executive Director of the organization she administered the Dale Pullen Scholarship Fund, an endowment and scholarship fund that has provided hundreds of Leon students with private voice lessons, subsidies for students with financial need, and college scholarships. The Leon organization has also been part of the Pullen family’s seat-belt safety campaign, Buckle up for Dale. Information about donating to Leon Friends of Music can be found at leonperformingarts.org.

Dr. Arthur is a Past President of the the Florida Vocal Association (FVA) and the Florida Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). She has served on the Board of both organizations in many capacities, and as a Conference Clinician for numerous sessions. In 2004 she received the Wayne Hugoboom Award for Distinguished service to Florida ACDA and in 2016 was inducted into the FVA Hall of Fame. Dr. Arthur, a Certified Adjudicator for District and State Music Performance Assessments, frequently serves as an adjudicator trainer as well as an adjudicator for FVA.

Through her career she has accompanied many Florida All State Choirs. She accompanied the Senior High Honor Choir at the National 2017 ACDA Conference in Minneapolis, under the direction of Eric Whitacre, the Nebraska All State Choir 2014, National, Division, and State ACDA Honor Choirs, Reading Sessions, numerous Choir Tours, Festivals, and the 2014 Oklahoma Arts Summer Institute. She is scheduled to serve as Collaborative Pianist at the 2021 ACDA National Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Experience in Music Theatre

An experienced Musical Theatre producer and music director, Dr. Arthur has collaborated on over 40 musical theatre productions. From 1979 until 2006 she was the pianist for the Leon High School musicals. She began producing the musicals in 1988, after the retirement of Ray Kickliter, and in 1992 she created the Leon Summer Musical Theatre program which has involved hundreds of students and teachers from area schools. When the Leon auditorium was not able to accommodate the musicals. they became a “traveling road show”, performing in many venues throughout the community. In 2010, renovations on the Leon Performing Arts Theatre brought the shows back to the Leon stage, and Judy added orchestra conductor to her resume. Her last four seasons at Leon brought memorable productions to the Leon stage. Les Miserables (2012), Sweeney Todd (2013), Fiddler on the Rood (2014), and Phantom of the Opera (2015).

As a free-lance music director and conductor, Judy now enjoys working for community theatre groups, collaborating with director, Naomi Rose-Mock. In April, 2016, she was the Music Director for Theatre Tallahassee’s West Side Story. She has served as Music Director for the Quincy Music Theatre productions of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (2017), and Sweeney Todd,(2017), My Fair Lady (2018) and Into the Woods (2018). Faith Presbyterian Church has sponsored numerous productions, A Christmas Carol (2017, 2018, 2019), Little Women (2018), Godspell (2019). The historic Monticello Opera House produced Little Women (2020).

The Pandemic of 2020 has postponed all musical theatre productions for the year, but Dr. Arthur and Director, Naomi Rose-Mock are looking forward to presenting The Sound of Music for Faith Presbyterian in spring 2021.

In her hometown of Tallahassee, Judy enjoys time with her father, who lives in the Westminster Oaks Retirement Community. Her two sons, Troy and David, and their families live in Ohio and North Carolina. While she has missed the daily contact with Leon high school students and colleagues, retiring from the high school classroom has taken her back to her beloved Alma Mater, Florida State University, where she has been making music most of her life. This transition time has also given her her time to pursue another creative interest, composing and arranging vocal music for middle school and developmental voices. Hopefully her pieces, many on available for free on this website, will appeal to teachers who are looking for repertoire for young singers with limited ranges.

Dr Judy Arthur is available for hire as a Collaborative Pianist, Musical Director, Clinician, or Adjudicator. She can be contacted by clicking Here