Julee Shelton brings a tremendous amount of experience to her new role with Battle Creek Boychoir and Girls Chorus.  Julee graduated magna cum laude from Western Michigan University with double majors in music therapy and music education. She was a Waldo-Sangren scholar and Honors College graduate.  Julee earned a Master of Arts from Western, also, with a concentration in vocal music and choral conducting.

Professionally, Julee has many years training young musicians in developing their artistry and musical excellence.  Her public-school teaching career spanned several districts in southwest Michigan amassing five years at the elementary level, twenty-two at the middle school level teaching choir and general music and four at the high school level.  Julee owned private piano and vocal studios with many past students competing at the state level.  She has taught class piano at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and class piano and all choirs at Battle Creek Central while the director was on sabbatical. She has been Music Director at her church, Parchment United Methodist, for the past fourteen years.

Performing is an important part of Julee’s life having performed at Carnegie Hall three times in choirs-most recently in 2016 and 2017.  She has traveled with an ensemble under the direction of Dr. Jerry Blackstone (University of Michigan) performing in Salzburg, Vienna and many German cathedrals as well as Oxford College near London with the King’s Singers.  One of her goals is to enable the Boychoir and Girls Chorus singers to have similar transformative experiences.

Julee and her husband reside in Battle Creek, and she is very enthused to be getting involved with the Music Center directing the Boychoir and Girls Chorus and singing with the Community Chorus.