When Janine Jones was a young girl, she couldn’t wait until it was time for music class. There was no question in her mind about what she wanted to do and where she wanted to be when she grew up.
“I always loved music, I always wanted to be a teacher, and I always wanted to go to Florida,” she says. “I told myself that I’d take the first job offer I got, and I ended up here.” Jones smiles as she recalls the path that led her from upstate New York to Vero Beach, where she has taught music for 40 years, the last 15 at Osceola Magnet School.
In January, Jones received the Florida Music Education Association’s 2026 Music Educator of the Year award in honor of her dedication to music education, student achievement, and leadership. It was well deserved…