Jeanni Highlander earned her BA in Music Education from UTC in 1981 as a clarinet/instrumental music major. In 1982 she began her career with Chattanooga Public Schools and then later with the merged system of Hamilton County. She spent 30 years in Elementary General Music as a certified teacher of grades 1-8 with responsibilities that included teaching beginning band, classroom percussion, Orff instruments, and hand bell ensembles. During this time she has directed numerous musical theater productions and choirs. Jeanni earned her Master of Arts in Education from Tusculum College in 2003. She teaches clarinet, flute, piano, beginning guitar and voice with Music Instruction Studio.