Dr. Jimmy Cheek is a proud native of Greensboro, North Carolina. His academic accomplishments include being the first African-American male to earn a Ph.D. in Music Education from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) with minors in Educational Supervision, Choral Conducting and Research Methodology; Master of Music Education degree from UNCG; and Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) in General Music from North Carolina A&T State University. Dr. Cheek is currently in his 26th year of teaching and is employed by the Clayton County Public School District at Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts. He currently serves as the choral director for the distinguished Singing Brothers of Stilwell, teacher of piano, intermediate/advanced music theory, and the secondary choral lead teacher for the Clayton County School District.
During his career, Dr. Cheek has had a positive impact on groups under his tutelage by utilizing the wisdom gained from his years of experience providing music instruction to schools, churches, community groups, and professional music organizations. His students have performed at Carnegie Hall and have received local, state and national recognition as his groups have consistently earned superior performance evaluation ratings at state level festivals in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Dr. Cheek has taught at all levels from kindergarten through graduate school and served as a choral clinician, music director, arts education consultant, project coordinator, adjudicator, and department chair. He has published music teaching strategies, presented research at national and international conferences, and received numerous awards including three Teacher-of-the Year awards and the Guilford County School System’s Teaching Excellence Award. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, the National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, and the American Choral Directors Association.His favorite quote is: The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. –Benjamin DeJong
