Leeanne Gerry

Give a brief bio about yourself/your background/your history.

My name is Leeanne Gerry, I am 19 years old, and I am from Brandon Manitoba. I am the second oldest of 8 children. I graduated from Neelin High School in 2021 where I was an avid member of the choral and band programs and a strong academic. Apart from being a singer in the choirs at Neelin, I was also a member of the Choir Executive Council. Additionally, I took part in Westman Youth Choir and many provincial honour bands while I was in high school. I am now in my second year at Brandon University, studying music education. I am in the instrumental stream and I play clarinet. I am also studying chemistry as my second teachable subject area.

What education have you taken?

I graduated from Neelin High School in 2021 and I am now in my second year as a Music Education student at Brandon University.

How did you become interested in your field/area of study?

After having wonderful experiences participating in both school and honour band and choral programs within Manitoba, I realized music was such an integral part of my identity, thus I decided to pursue my passion at the University level. As one of the eldest amongst 8 children, I have always been around younger kids and truly love children. After many rewarding experiences as a tutor, and other roles caring for youth, I decided the most rewarding path for me would be to share my passion with youth, hopefully helping them to grow and find their passion. As a result, I am now studying Music Education and I can not wait to be a teacher!

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

I am most proud of being Neelin High School’s class of 2021 recipient of the Governor General’s Academic Medal. I am also proud of being the recipient of 5 general proficiency awards throughout my academic career. Additionally, I am proud to be the secretary of the Brandon University Student Music Educators Association, and the work we have done as a council.

Where do you see yourself in the future? What do you hope to undertake or accomplish once you leave BU? 

In the future I see myself being a successful teacher, making a valuable impact on youth. When I leave BU I hope to create an environment which helps young students grow and succeed. I am also hoping to perhaps continue my education and acquire a master’s degree.

What is your philosophy in life?

Be the best version of yourself you can be, do what you can to inspire the best in others, and follow the path which provides the most happiness and reward.

In one sentence, how will you #EmbraceEquity?

I will #EmbraceEquity by seeking out inclusion and encouraging others to embrace equity.

First Nominator’s Comments:

Members of the 2022-2023 Brandon University Student Music Educators Association (BUSMEA) council are five intelligent, industrious, and engaged women who are committed to music education and who demonstrate leadership in the field. BUSMEA is a student-run association that organizes, plans, and fundraises for clinics and professional development opportunities, including Da Capo, an annual one-day conference held in the School of Music with professional development opportunities for pre-service and current music educators. Attendees at this year’s highly successful in-person conference came from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and South Dakota.

This exceptional group of women have addressed the unique challenges faced by music educators in a post-pandemic world, all while navigating their own education that was interrupted by the pandemic. It is rare at such an early stage in a young person’s education to see them balance their diverse responsibilities. Yet these women already realize the crucial role their contributions will make in the rebirth of music education, and they recognize the value of working with their peers and future colleagues in their ongoing education to continue adapting to a post-pandemic world. Their commitment to leadership within the School of Music has provided opportunities to share their experiences and educational resources with their peers, fostered avenues of collaboration among their peers and with future colleagues, and created meaningful professional engagement opportunities to prepare students for careers in music education.

Second Nominator’s Comments:

While I realize that it is customary to nominate outstanding women as individuals, I feel that it is necessary to nominate this stellar team as one unit.  They work together to advance their pre-professional community while excelling as individual students on campus at Brandon University.

Responsible for organizing professional development opportunities for BUSMEA members, Abby, Faith, Leeanne, Kendra, and Janina serve Brandon University, the School of Music, and the Music Education Community with unique and thoughtful initiatives. Following on the successful programs of past BUSMEA Councils, they are successfully negotiating change following the challenges of the 2020-2022 academic years. They are working to reunite a professional community and reinvigorate a discipline and a community of learners that has experienced unique obstacles because of shutdowns and strict guidelines.

Other significant issues are also at the forefront of Council discussions. They have sought to contribute meaningfully to BUSMEA programming through discussions of accessibility, equity, and social justice in music. Despite these students’ diverse interests, backgrounds, and goals, they collaborate to advance the development and engagement of their colleagues in music and education. The 2022-2023 BUSMEA Council is a model of strength through cooperation.