The Sullivan’s Island Music Teacher Who Hit All The Right Notes

Name: The Sullivan’s Island music teacher who hit all the right notes
Item: Sullivan's Island Elementary School
Author: Laura Strecker

Julie Mathias reflects on her two-decade career instilling a love for music in the island’s children.

by Laura Strecker

Jun. 20, 2023

1:23PM

Rob Byko Photography

When words fail, music speaks

Rob Byko Photography

These inspiring words greet students as they enter Julie Mathias’ music classroom at Sullivan’s Island Elementary School. Eleven affirmative phrases accompany it on the door. To name a few:

You are special.

You are creators.

You are respected.

You are important.

Inside, the classroom is decorated with colorful instruments, including ukuleles, drums, and more affirmations. In her two-decade-plus career at SIES, Julie has curated a whimsical, welcoming space. She hopes her students feel accepted and supported for exactly who they are. This positive attitude is why the students and faculty at the school are reluctant to say goodbye to Julie this June when she retires.

Julie is leaving SIES in part to help her father, Jamie Hyman, who is battling a terminal illness. “The staff was surprised, and some of the kids are worried that things will change,” Julie says, noting that this is an extremely bittersweet transition for her. “This classroom is my second home. I will miss the kids, the parents, and the teachers.”

With over 32 years of teaching under her belt, Julie has had the pleasure of connecting with and teaching so many young minds. She recalls vivid memories teaching two students in particular in her Sullivan’s classroom: her daughters. When Julie first began her career at SIES, Callie and Anna were in first and third grade. “It’s crazy to think I was teaching them when they were 6 and 8 years old,” she says. Today, Callie is 27, and Anna is 29, and both are married. Julie hoped to instill in her daughters all those years ago what she continues to instill to this day – inspiring kids to feel successful and included. Having the opportunity to connect with children at such an impressionable age has allowed Julie to focus on “social and emotional music.” “I can reach children at the very depths of their inner being, and I find it so rewarding,” she says.

“I can reach children at the very depths of their inner being, and I find it so rewarding.”

Immeasurable Impact

At one point or another, students and faculty passing by Julie’s classroom have probably heard the familiar melody of “Unique,” the song she sings at the beginning of every class. The lyrics are: “I’m brave, I’m strong, I’m loved, I’m smart, I’m unique.” “My hope is that they will take the words from songs that they have learned here, and, when they are having a difficult time, they will be able to reach back to them,” Julie says.

She has made a resounding impact on her students that carries far beyond her classroom walls. Over the years, past students have shared their accomplishments. One has become an internationally known harpist, and many others have performed in high school and college musicals. “They find me on Facebook and tell me how meaningful it was to be in the productions I put on here at Sullivan’s.”

Under Julie’s stewardship, the music program at Sullivan’s Island Elementary has flourished. She has staged 20 musicals during her career; her favorites are Aladdin and The Lion King. She loves the songs and storylines in both. But her signature showpiece is the May Day Festival. At the end of each school year, students put on this showcase, a school-wide performance where each grade level performs songs, and the graduating fifth graders close the show with a rap. It’s a tradition that students have looked forward since before Julie began her career at SIES but an event that her passion for the arts certainly has enhanced. “It is so rewarding. The parents love it, and the kids are very proud of themselves,” Julie points out.

Julie says working with each grade level over the decades has been a gift and notes that there are so many ways to reach children through music. Different avenues speak to children individually. Whether it’s singing, playing drums, or performing in musicals or choir, there’s something for everyone at SIES. “The facilities are amazing,” Julie says, alluding to more than just the school’s possibilities in the music room. “We have a wet lab here that allows students to get up close and personal with the wildlife and oceans. It’s very conducive to being a coastal environment school.” She recalls taking her students out into the forest behind the school, just feet from the ocean, where they played in a drum circle and truly immersed themselves in the surrounding nature. “There’s no other school like it,” she says.

The Music Maker

In addition to teaching, Julie sings and plays the piano, the clarinet and other woodwinds and steel drums. She has a dual degree in clarinet performance and music education, but her love for music came much earlier in life. Her mother, Susie Hyman, was a music teacher for 30 years, most recently at Rollings Middle School of the Arts in Dorchester County. “I’ve always been around some sort of music creation,” says Julie. Her father, Jamie, an educator as well, is a former superintendent of the Berkeley County School District.

Julie's family, her husband Tim and daughters with husbands (1).png

Georgia Grace Photography

Julie's family: her husband Tim and daughters Callie and Anna with husbands

Julie’s husband, Tim, also is a musician. A percussionist, he works for a music company and has a steel drum band called The Island Trio, which often performs at the Wild Dunes Resort. Fellow music aficionados liken their tunes to the musical stylings of Calypso and Jimmy Buffet. Tim is excited about Julie’s next chapter and all that awaits on the horizon, yet the pair appreciates all she’s leaving behind. Julie will miss the sense of pride the students have when they learn something new or when they devote countless hours in rehearsals to put on a program. “I’ll especially miss when I can just tell a performance or lesson has made a really big difference for them. It’s the light in their eyes and that special spark,” she says, pausing. “Yeah, I’ll really miss that.”

“I’ll miss when I can just tell a performance or lesson has made a really big difference for them. It’s the light in their eyes and that special spark.”

“My goal as a teacher is to make every child feel like they belong and to help them take the love of music with them wherever they might go for a lifetime,” she says. And wherever Julie may go, she will undoubtedly do the same. Post-teaching, she says that music will still be a very active part of her life. She plans to continue to play the clarinet with North Charleston POPS! as well as teach clarinet lessons and play steel drums in her husband’s band. Most of all, Julie is looking forward to spending time with her family, comforting her dad, and welcoming her first grandchild.

As she looks back on her extensive career and around the walls of her music room, Julie is flushed with gratitude. “Thank you to the parents, my colleagues, and my Principal, Susan King, for being such a big supporter of the arts. I have always felt so supported here, and you don’t get that everywhere. ... But it’s been amazing here. Parents have always been willing to help. The kids have always been willing to perform. It’s been a fabulous place to work. I’m very, very fortunate, and I will miss it dearly.”