Dr. Julian White
Conn Selmer Educational Clinician
Dr. Julian Earl White, retired Distinguished Professor of Music, Director of Bands, and Chairman of the Music Department at Florida A&M University, graduated from Florida A&M University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. He later received a Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois and the Doctor of Philosophy Degree from The Florida State University. Dr. White served as Band Director of The William M. Raines High School for ten years. The band consistently received superior ratings in marching and concert band assessments. The students in the band participated in Solo and Ensemble Assessments and received more than 200 superior medals each year.
Under Dr. White’s leadership, the Florida A&M University Wind Ensemble presented a concert at the American Bandmasters Association Convention and numerous others across the country. In 2009, the Wind Ensemble was invited to perform a concert at Carnegie Hall. The internationally acclaimed “Marching 100” rendered performances at three Super Bowls, The Grammys, The ESPY nationally televised awards ceremony, CBS Game Day, and the Inaugural Parade for President Barak Obama.
Dr. White served as Drill Designer for the McDonald’s All-American High School Band. His drill creations were featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, and the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. His elaborate drills have also been featured on all major television networks and the Bastille Day Ceremony in Paris, France.
Dr. White is on the staff of Bowl Games of America, where he designed halftime shows for College bowl games. He is also on the adjudication staff for Music Festivals, USA, and International Music Festivals. Dr. White designs halftime shows for many high school and college bands across the country. Dr. White is the creator and founder of the Florida Classic Battle of Bands in Orlando, Florida.
Dr. White received the Distinguished Professor/Advanced Teacher of the Year Award, the University Superior Teacher Accomplishment Award, and was a three-time recipient of the University Teacher of the Year Award. He received the NAACP Achievement Award, The Thurgood Marshall Outstanding Achievers Award sponsored by the FED EX Orange Bowl, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kappa Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, Inc., and the Richard Allen Educational Achievement Award, presented by the AME Church. Dr. White received the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award. He was also honored to receive the Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc. National Service Award is the highest award bestowed upon a fraternity member. Dr. White is among approximately 300 members of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in the United States and Canada. Dr. was named a History Marker in July 2014. The Video Oral History Interview of Dr. Julian E. White is a permanent part of the History Makers Collection housed in the Library of Congress.
Dr. White has served as Florida Bandmasters Association District IV secretary and Chairman. He was also the Florida Music Educators Association Advisor for the College Music Educators National Conference and Chairman of the Florida Music Education Association Black Caucus for five terms. Dr. White served seven terms as a member of the FMEA Executive Board. Dr. White has an interview on the Florida Bandmasters Legacy Project. Dr. White has served as conductor for the All-State Reading Band and the ninth and tenth-grade bands. He has also served as a concert and sight reading adjudicator solo and ensemble, and marching Florida Bandmasters Association Music Performance Assessments on the state and district levels.
Dr. White founded and directed the Goodwill Music Outreach and The Spirit of Goodwill Community Band. He is a Senior Consultant with Coordinated Services for the Improvement of Education (CSIE) and serves as its Leader for the Save Our Bands Initiative. Additionally, Dr. White teaches instrumental music at Stubbs Music School in Tallahassee, Florida.
Dr. White’s most recent honors include the Mayor and City Council of Jacksonville, Florida, renaming a portion of Moncrief Road the “Julian Earl White, Ph.D. Parkway,” The William M. Raines High School is named its music suite “The Dr. Julian E. White Fine Arts Complex,” and the HBCU Consortium presented him with the 2014 Heritage Legacy Award. Dr. White serves as a band clinician/consultant for the Duval County Public School System. In commemorating the World War I centennial, Dr. White serves as Director of the replicated 369th Fighting Regiment Band (Harlem Hell Fighters) in New York City, New York. Dr. White was selected as a Florida Bandmasters Association Legacy Award Recipient. He is also featured on the Roll of Distinction by the Florida Bandmasters Association and is a Mid-West National Band Clinic Legend. Dr. White was the 2021 Gladys and Al Wright Legend award recipient.
He is married to the former Dennine Mathis, who serves as Flute Professor at Florida A&M University. They have one son, Julian Earl White, II, a trumpet performance major at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Dr. White has two daughters, Tonja Mathews and Phaedra White, and two grandchildren, John Burt and Mallory Mathews.