Mrs. Jessica Eastridge

Welcome to the River Bend Middle School Band. I am excited to make music with you! 

My name is Mrs. Eastridge. This is my 7th year at River Bend Middle School and my 11th year teaching music. I teach Band 6 Woodwinds and Percussion, Band 7, Band 8, and General Music.

Before I moved to Virginia, I lived in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Florida, and Delaware. I was born in Pittsburgh, PA. My family moved to South Carolina in 1997. I lived most of my life in Bluffton, SC (that's near Hilton Head Island). I attended the University of South Carolina, where I earned my Bachelor of Music in Music Education. After I graduated from college, I moved to Florida with my husband, Jared. While we lived in Florida, I taught middle school band in Bainbridge, Georgia (about an hour north of Tallahassee, FL). In 2013, Jared and I moved to Delaware, where I attended graduate school at the University of Delaware. I graduated with a Master of Music with emphasis in teaching.

My primary instrument is clarinet. I also enjoy playing steel pan. During graduate school, I performed with the University of Delaware Wind Ensemble and Delaware Steel. I enjoy performing, and I am excited to continue to find new opportunities!

I am active in the field of Music Education research. I often present at state, national, and international conferences. Last summer, I collaborated on a research paper that was published in the Journal of Research in Music Education!

I live with my husband, Jared, our son, Sam, our daughter, Penelope, and our two dogs, Fannie and Sadie. When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my family. I also love to travel! Some of my favorite places I traveled are Austria, the Bahamas, England, and Italy.

Degrees and Certifications

Virginia K-12 Teaching Certification, Instrumenta Music (current)

University of Delaware, M.M. Music Education (2015)

Gordon Institute for Music Learning, Instrumental Music (2012)

University of South Carolina, B.M. Music Education (2010)

Gordon Institute for Music Learning, Elementary General Level I (2010)

Professional Presentations and Publications

A Comparison of Virginia Band Performance Assessments in Relation to Director Gender (published Summer 2020 - Journal of Research in Music Education)

A Comparison of Virginia Band Performance Assessments in Relation to Director Gender (poster presentation November 2019 - Virginia Music Educators Assocation)

iCreate: Utilizing iPad Technology to Generate Creativity in Instrumental Music (conference presentation November 2017 - Virginia Music Educators Association, February 2018 - South Carolina Music Educators Association)

High School Students’ Musical Achievement and Improvisation on the Steel Drum (poster presentation 2015 - Pennsylvania Music Educator’s Conference, the National Association for Music Education Eastern Division Conference, the International Research in Music Education Conference in Exeter, England, and the Gordon Institute for Music Learning Bi-Annual Conference)

Research to Practice: Functional Piano and Research to Practice: Improvisation (conference presentations Spring 2015 - the International Research in Music Education Conference in Exeter, England)

Professional Affiliations

National Association for Music Education

Virginia Music Educators Association

Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association

Gordon Institute for Music Learning (past Northeast Chapter President, past National Memebership Commission)

Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Band Sorority