Jeannine began her career in music as a small child, with formal piano, voice, and saxophone lessons. By the time she reached tenth grade, she was already taking piano classes at The Ohio State University School of Music. After graduating high school, Jeannine enrolled at The Ohio State University and received a degree in Music Education (with a minor in Criminal Justice!). She continued on with postgraduate work at Capital University, under the direction of Mary Craig Powell, a leading scholar in the Suzuki Method of piano.

Mary Craig took Jeannine under her wing, inviting her to observe how Mary Craig taught the Suzuki Method. Jeannine had never heard such artistry and musicianship from such young performers. She signed up for the courses and began her studies with Mary Craig. Mary Craig taught Jeannine how to teach by building foundations, how to encourage each little finger to learn good technique, and how to produce a fine musician inside and out.  Mary Craig nurtured Jeannine with much enthusiasm and firm belief in this method, which if approached in small steps would produce a wonderful musician with beautiful tone and an appreciation for music. Jeannine continued her studies and received her Teacher Certification in the Suzuki Method of Piano Instruction. The core of Jeannine’s teaching is the result of having Mary Craig in her life, and for that Jeannine is forever grateful.

Jeannine’s first inspiration to compose came at the age of nine with a small theory book called Finish the Melody. So proud of her writing, Jeannine brought her finished melodies to her piano lesson for her teacher to see and hear. The piano teacher scanned the book quickly and said in a clipped tone, “The songs are nice, but we need to get back to your lesson assignment.” The teacher took the book and placed it on the piano bench. Jeannine never got to play her little songs for her teacher or anyone. She did not write down another melody for years.

As a child, Jeannine did not really practice her assignments, because she was always arranging the songs in her lesson books. Although she did not prepare for her lessons, Jeannine was always able to sight-read her assignments. This is how she continued in her classes. At home, however, Jeannine composed and arranged songs with lots of enjoyment, despite the fact that no one ever heard her compositions. Jeannine was content composing for herself, but she would not write down her songs for anyone else to see.

It was a few years before Jeannine was ready to share her work again. The next time she began to compose for others was when she was a sophomore in college. She took a theory and composition class. The professor proclaimed that composers must use a certain series of theoretical basics for composing with chords and melodies, and the students needed to follow the course layout if they were going to compose well and pass his course. Jeannine took to class a few compositions that employed the guidelines of theoretical chord structures and incorporated them into the body of her compositions. The professor said that her compositions would not pass his course. In fact, he suggested that Jeannine drop the class and try some other musical endeavors. So once again she put away her staff paper and pencil. This was the second time that a person with authority did not recognize Jeannine’s potential as a composer.

Jeannine continued to study piano and voice and supplemented her college days with teaching private piano, voice, and saxophone lessons and accompanying other university musicians at their lessons and recitals.

In 1996 Jeannine was again inspired to compose. This time it was not for a teacher or professor but for God. The Words from The Holy Bible inspired her and lead her down a path that has brought her to this Bio. Here is the story of that inspiration.

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Every Moment

As long as I can remember, I have studied piano and voice. In college I studied different music styles, and I enjoyed a rewarding career during which I performed countless times and was recognized for my talents.

Even though my Performances were composed by other artists, I enjoyed what I was doing and felt successful. I was doing all right in an earthly sense, but the path I was on was not the one my Lord intended. I was an accomplished musician, but also burdened by emptiness. Something was missing — something at the very heart of my being.

How could I feel empty? I understood religion. I went to church. I knew Jesus.

Jesus said, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:14). I spent much of my life on the easy-to-find, heavily traveled roads that our world has to offer.  I kept God in sight — sometimes with only a glimpse in the rearview mirror. At times, I invited Him to sit in the passenger seat and He lovingly — patiently — directed me toward the narrow road. But I was always driving. I never relinquished my grip on the steering wheel and, therefore, never stayed the course on the “narrow road that leads to the abundant life.”

To quote the words from a song I composed, “I could not really see my Lord because of what I had done; but He said, ‘Take My hand and I will walk with you always.’”

God drew me to Him. He gave me the desire to spend time with Him every day. At first, I started my day with about fifteen minutes devoted to getting to know Jesus.  I would go downstairs to pray, read my Bible, and record my thoughts and questions to God in a journal. That was the beginning of my turn onto the narrow road.

I began each day this way. If I needed to be somewhere during my regular time with the Lord, I got up earlier to be with Him and honor my commitment. The place where Jesus and I met was very quiet and removed from everyday distractions. The more I continued to make this time with the Lord my first priority, the more time I seemed to have to spend with Him.

My life changed pretty quickly. The priorities I once held dear were no longer important. Blocks of time I never knew I had became available. It still makes me smile to think of how Jesus arranged my life’s schedule. How He gently took hold of the wheel and began driving me down the “narrow road.”

He was driving; I was letting go. The view from the passenger seat was more glorious than I could have imagined. Not only did the world become clearer, but Heaven seemed to be here on earth. Jesus had been preparing me for this journey my whole life, and now I was finally going to experience it.

For many hours, days, months, and years I prayed for Jesus to use me for His Kingdom. It seemed as if it was forever before something happened. Every Sunday in church I longed to do something with the talent that He had given and nurtured in me.

No artist, no music, no song stirred anything in my heart. My Performances seemed lacking, and music was just music. I worked hard, yet felt inadequate. In fact, I grew fearful of making a mistake when performing someone else’s work. The pressure for perfection was very real, and my heart was not in my music.

Then one day, while I sat in church, I listened to a gentleman read the 139th Psalm. A coolness, like a refreshing breeze, passed through me from the right side of my body, and it covered me completely. My whole body and mind felt new and refreshed. A powerful strength rose within me. The tears and love were overwhelming.

I could not get the words of Psalm 139 out of my head. I could hear all sorts of melodies in my mind. I was hearing music from somewhere, but from where? If I had tried to write down all of the melodies, I don’t think I could have, because they came so fast and left just as quickly.

I kept my Bible open to that Psalm throughout the service. Every time I glanced down at it, my heart heard a melody going along with the words as I read them.

“A song . . . a song” kept repeating over and over in my mind. I did not know what to think or to do. This had never happened to me before. My mind could not focus on anything else but Psalm 139 and “a song . . . a song.”

Toward the end of the service, the pastor asked us to get together in little prayer groups, hold hands, and pray. To this day, I do not remember who was in my group. As we prayed, the prayers seemed so full. They filled the entire sanctuary with volume; a heaviness. There was a very low, deep sound; not like shouting, but like a consuming thickness or covering surrounding us.

In my prayers, I asked, “Jesus, what do you want me to do? What am I to say? How do I help you save lives here on earth? What work can I do?”

I remember as I drove home from the service, I felt very quiet inside. I did not have much to say. Once I got home, I decided to take a nap. But before I went to sleep, the same thoughts and musical melodies came again: “a song . . . a song . . . Psalm 139.” I did not know what to do. Then I drifted off to sleep.

Later that night, it started again. But this time it wasn’t “a song . . . a song,” but “THE SONG”!  It was more direct. This seemed to get my attention more, and I began to feel like something was about to happen. What it was I did not know, but I felt very restless, as though I were searching for something.

That same evening I had thoughts of the 139th Psalm and “THE SONG.” They consumed my mind. I even thought, “There will be words, and I will sing it, too.” This was a new and surprising experience for me with God. “THE SONG” seemed to have with it thoughts of challenge; immediately I sensed that the spiritual battle was on. The forces of darkness suggested, “Just write a ‘normal’ song and wait until later to bother with ‘THE SONG.’” In my thoughts, I ended the conversation by saying, “No! I’ve got to do ‘IT.’”

Even as I look back now, I know that that conversation was part of a spiritual battle between good and evil. I was compelled to write “THE SONG.” It came from a driving force deep within me, one that could not be stopped. How could I be so sure of something that as yet had no apparent direction? I didn’t really know what I was being called to defend. Why was I so passionate to write . . . “THE SONG”?  I am not a composer and therefore questioned my thoughts.

When I went to bed, I took my clipboard, paper, and Bible. I opened my Bible to the 139th Psalm. As I read it, I began to write out the words based on the Psalm.  The words flowed in a paragraph form. At the time, I did not know what to do with them.  I got up, went into the piano room, and placed the words I had written and my Bible on the piano. Then, I went to bed without another thought.

The next day, I awoke earlier than usual. I felt very calm and peaceful, as though I were still asleep. As I entered the hallway, my head turned toward my piano and I saw my Bible and the words on the music rack. The words looked as if they were a written song.

Something triggered me. I stared at the piano motionless, and just as if a light went on, I told myself, “I need staff paper.” I ran to get it as though someone were chasing me.  Back in the piano room, I opened my Bible and read Psalm 139 again. I began to pray out loud: “Dear Lord, if you want a song for this Psalm 139 to come alive in me, help me to hear, to listen, to put my fingers on the notes you want, and I will write ‘THE SONG.’”

Tears began to roll down my face. They were not anguished tears, but tears of love. I felt that cool, refreshing breeze pass through me again from my right side and out my left side. I felt surrounded by something spiritual, which I believe were angels.

My piano room was full of angels. Angels were everywhere. I could not see them, but I knew they were present. They felt like air, but they were heavier. They were warm, full, and very strong. I was afraid, yet not afraid. I can’t begin to know how to describe this. The Bible speaks of a hedge. I now believe a hedge of protection was around the piano and me. How incredible Heaven must be with Jesus and all the angels! WOW!

As I sat there, I felt as if a choir were going to begin singing and I was going to sing with them.  I began to write the melody for “THE SONG.” As each verse and chorus was completed, tears came down my face and let me know that it was finished.

My tears were coming from deep within my heart. As I cried, I felt as if I saw Jesus on the cross. He had so many tears for all of us. He died for me and for this entire world. My heart really ached. I could feel it hurting.

I thought of the cross and my Lord’s death and resurrection. I thought of His tears shed for all of us and the completed task that He was sent here to do. I knew that these tears from my heart were my way of letting me know I was doing just what He wanted me to do . . . a completed task for Him.

Around noon the phone rang. The person asked what I was doing and I smiled. I said in a strong, full voice, “I am writing a song, called ‘THE SONG.’” The person’s response reminded me of the same thought process I was challenged with the night before. They remarked, “Why do all that work now? You have a full day ahead of you. You need to get ready to teach.” I replied that I was ready. In my mind and heart I knew the magnitude of what I was saying. I was ready . . . ready to follow the “narrow road,” ready to do whatever God asked me to do.

We never spoke another word on the subject.

I returned to my task. I was overwhelmed to see that all the words I had written the night before had a melodic note. They fit with the music the Lord had given me. I knew this was Divine. It was all so amazing and unbelievable.

I had ended the last paragraph with “. . . and lead from the start.” But the last line of music had too many notes. I prayed, “This isn’t going to work out, Lord. What should I do?”

I sat there for a moment and reached for my Bible to reread Psalm 139. There, in what I call “flashing lights,”were the words that I had omitted. They were important words Jesus wanted in His song: “. . . a path of everlasting life.”

Weeping, I told Jesus I was sorry for omitting His words. The Lord spoke to my heart and He told me to pray and to listen to Him every moment. He promised He would guide me in everything I do. That is how the title came to me.

Within the span of fewer than eighteen hours, fourteen handwritten pages, three hundred and fifty-four measures, “THE SONG” was completed by a person who does not write music. He had been with me “Every Moment.” Every fraction of time belonged to Him. He wrote “THE SONG.”

“A song” became “THE SONG,” and its final name would be “Every Moment.”

As I finish this story, I feel so very exhausted, but the tiredness is peaceful and I feel so complete and good. A job well done for my Lord. I can’t tell any of you why this all happened to me, but it did. I can’t tell you what to think or what to feel about all of this. However, I now know I am to pray and listen for Jesus every moment from here on out, and I believe this is what the Bible means when it talks about faith.  Believe that every moment your Lord is real and loves you so completely.

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These days you will find Jeannine performing at numerous venues, such as the Christmas Celebration for Dublin Baptist Japanese Chapel; Lower Lights Ministries Events, to help raise awareness of the organization; Yutzy’s Farm Market Customer Appreciation Day; backyard picnic concerts called “Picnic with Peacefull Heart,” for family, neighbors, and friends; and at a few local restaurants, including Chick-fil-A and Tehku Tea House. With her Peacefull Heart Music, Jeannine has been a guest artist at National Church Residences Senior Village, Dublin Baptist Church, The River Valley Life Center, Faith Memorial Church, Bellows Avenue Church of the Nazarene, New Hope Church, and various other churches and venues.

Jeannine has been interviewed by Refreshing 90.9 FM to tell her story about how Peacefull Heart’s music journey began. Currently she leads the Praise and Worship at Dublin Baptist Japanese Chapel and continues to teach piano and compose original compositions and arrangements. Jeannine says that the inspirations from the Holy Bible, numerous people’s life experiences, and teaching all these years have been blessings that have sustained her life in innumerable ways both personally and professionally.