Julie Bearden (Shaffer) holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano pedagogy (voice minor) from Shorter College and the Master of Music degree in Chamber Music and Accompanying from the University of Georgia where she held a Graduate Teaching Assistantship in Class Piano. Noted piano teachers include Dr. Martha Thomas (UGA), Mary Ann Knight (Shorter) and Kay Greene (of Cartersville).
Bearden has taught on the faculties of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Bower School of Music (FL), Truett-McConnell College (GA), Parkland College (IL), Edison College (FL), the Conservatory of Central Illinois (IL), the Oakbrook Academy of Music (IL), and the Renaissance Academy of FGCU.

Since moving to NYC in January 2009, Julie has been a staff accompanist with Distinguished Concerts International New York accompanying rehearsals of choral masterworks and concerts of music composed and conducted by Eric Whitacre and other notable conductors on piano and organ. She coaches, accompanies and performs with singers, instrumentalists, choirs and orchestras throughout the Southeast, the Midwest and the New York City area. Julie has played piano/celesta/synthesizer per-service with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra since 2000 under numerous conductors and with noted vocalists including Andrea Bocelli (Miami and Tampa) and Bernadette Peters.
     Bearden has appeared throughout Southwest Florida with the Mountain Laurel Trio (flute, clarinet and piano) which she co-founded in 2004. The trio made their national debut at the National Flute Association Convention in San Diego in August 2005. Shaffer can be heard with clarinetist Ivan Garcia on “Colors: The Music of James Stephenson.”
     Julie made her Broadway debut subbing the Piano 1 score for Mary Poppins in November 2009. She musical directed three additional shows: Echo and Narcissus (Shortened Attention Span Music Festival at the Players Theatre), It's the Talk of the Town: The music of Jerry Livingston (Triad Theatre and Laurie Beechman Theatre) and Sing Along-with Iggy (NYC Children's Theatre at 78th Street Theatre Lab). Additionally, Julie is a highly sought after audition and musical theatre class accompanist and vocal coach.
     Julie is an avid musical theatre fan and has been involved with productions since high school when she played the piano in the Pumphouse Players (Cartersville, GA) productions including Carousel, Annie Get Your Gun and Mame. Shaffer’s Musical Directing credits include The Naples Players productions of The Music Man, A Little Night Music, Little Shop of Horrors, Fame, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, The Secret Garden and The Goodbye Girl. Regional professional productions include Nunsense at The Naples Dinner Theatre and Operating Theatre Production’s Songs For a New World (a 911 memorial performance benefiting the Collier Mental Health Association. Julie has produced and musical directed two productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Naples. Julie musical directed Guys and Dolls and A Chorus Line at the University of Illinois Illini Union Board and various musical theatre camps including the Illinois Summer Youth Music Musical Theatre camp and the Phil Oesterman Summer Musical Theatre Workshops in Fort Myers, Florida.
     Opera work includes accompanying Opera Scenes at the University of Georgia and Florida Gulf Coast University (under the direction of Jeanie Darnell) and the Youth.Opera.Preparation.Education program of the University of Illinois (under the direction of Nicolas Divirgilio). Bearden regularly collaborated on vocal programs for the Naples Opera Society with local, regional and international operatic soloists.
     As a ballet accompanist, Bearden has improvised piano music for ballet classes and workshops including the University of Illinois - Department of Dance, the Champaign-Urbana Park District Ballet Classes (RAD Syllabus), the Salt Creek Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago “Dancer’s Project”.
     Julie Bearden is a member of Music Teachers National Association where she has served on the local and district board of directors in Florida, most recently as President of District 7. She co-chaired the 2005 FSMTA State Conference held on Marco Island, Florida and the local 2008 FFMC Junior Festival. Professional memberships include the Mu Phi Epsilon International Music Fraternity, the Steinway Society of Southwest Florida, the Naples Music Club and the National Federation of Music Clubs.
     Since 2000, Bearden has operated JBS Music, Inc., offering music services (transcription, transposition, orchestrating and arranging) as well as an active private teaching studio in Naples where many of her students are finalists and winners of vocal and piano competitions throughout Southwest Florida. Her Junior Music club, the Naples Notemakers, boasts several Superior ratings each year at the NFMC Junior Festival. Julie has successfully prepared students for acceptance to many programs including Interlochen Arts Academy, the New World School for the Arts, Stetson University, Pace University and the Steinhardt School of Music at NYU.
     A native of Cartersville, Georgia, Julie has served many protestant churches throughout Georgia and Illinois. Most recently, Bearden served the Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church in Naples, Florida from 2001 - 2008 as Musical Assistant/Pianist where she accompanied the choir and directed the children’s music ministry. Julie produced and directed the children’s annual Mother’s Day Musical since 2002 and performed on as soloist and collaborative pianist on several programs for the Vanderbilt’s Concert Series. As the Assistant to James Cochran, she occasionally lead the traditional worship service from the organ and the First Fellowship contemporary service with the use of a Clavinova digital piano.