Dorrett Correne Thaxter – A Life Journey Inspired by the Performing Arts

Looking back, Dorrett Correne Thaxter believes that her life was destinated to unfold the way it did.

From a child performing at festival to unearthing and nurturing creative talent as a teacher and later Director of Arts Development and Training at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), her journey has been characterised by a passion for the performing arts.

On National Heroes Day, Monday, October 21, Mrs. Thaxter will be conferred with a Badge of Honour for Long and Faithful Service for 38 years of dedicated and outstanding contribution in the field of culture.

“Service to others has been my passion, hence I am grateful that I have been recognised for my contribution to cultural development,” she tells JIS News.

Reflecting on her life, Mrs. Thaxter, who grew up in Wakefield in Trelawny, says she showed an affinity for music from a young age.

“If there was a choir at school or church I was part of it,” she recalls, noting that her parents often remarked that her tendency to cry a lot as a baby was a sign of her future musical talent.

Some of her earliest and fondest memories are of entering the festival competitions in music, dance and drama as a student at Wakefield Primary School, which continued throughout high school, including memorable moments at the Ward Theatre in Kingston for national dance finals.

In high school, she actively sought out opportunities to audition and participate in various performances, especially in music.

Mrs. Thaxter’s passion for the arts flourished in every sphere of her life.

As a pre-trained teacher at the Wakefield Primary, she assisted with preparing students to enter JCDC’s competitions.

While attending the Moneague Teachers’ College (now Moneague College) in St. Ann, she was an active member of the institution’s choir.

After completing two years of teacher training at Moneague, she was assigned to the Rio Bueno All-Age School in Trelawny to do internship for one year, and there she continued to be engaged in her passion, the performing arts.

In 1983, Mrs. Thaxter moved to Portland, where she spent many years teaching at Drapers All-age School.

“I entered students in speech and drama, taking them to the parish finals,” she tells JIS News.

At the secondary-school level, where she was Choir Director at Titchfield High School in Portland and Old Harbour High School in St. Catherine, both institutions did well at the JCDC competitions.

While at Titchfield, she received the awards for the Most Outstanding Folk Music Teacher, the Most Outstanding Gospel Music Teacher, and the Most Outstanding Music Teacher overall in the Music Competition.

It was at Titchfield High School that she discovered the exceptional talent of three students.

Realising that she had reached the limit of what she could offer them musically, Mrs. Thaxter drove with them from Port Antonio to the School of Music at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, where she registered them in the summer programme.

One of the three students went on to pursue her Bachelor of Music Degree and a Performer’s Certificate and is currently an acclaimed Soprano.

Mrs. Thaxter fondly remembers an invitation from the Bob Marley Foundation for Titchfield High to perform at Universal Studios in the United States, at the official opening of a Bob Marley Restaurant.

She notes that at the time, the school was the only one that was entering Bob Marley songs in the JCDC’s Music Competition.

Mrs. Thaxter not only prepared students for competitions but also became an adjudicator and trainer for the Music Competition at the JCDC, allowing her to appreciate the talents she nurtured from multiple perspectives.

As a teacher of Home Economics, she also prepared and entered students in the JCDC’s Culinary Arts competition.

This multifaceted involvement equipped her to contribute meaningfully to programme development at the JCDC when she joined the staff in 1998.

Mrs. Thaxter recalls that initially, she was reluctant to make the transition from the classroom to the JCDC, as she did not want to leave her students.

However, after consulting with her husband, she embraced the opportunity to take her career to new heights.

During her years of employment at JCDC she held various positions, including Regional Manager, Special Projects Coordinator, Marketing and Public Relations Director, and Director of Arts Development and Training.

“My involvement at the various levels, as a student, teacher, adjudicator and trainer, prepared me well for my role as a JCDC member of staff,” Mrs. Thaxter says.

At the JCDC, she held the position of Festival Queen Competition Coordinator for 10 years, while also serving as Regional Manager and Special Projects Coordinator.

Under her leadership, the Festival Queen contest evolved with the introduction of community projects for parish and national winners, encouraging them to engage with their communities meaningfully, and she sought and secured sponsorship of a motor car for winners of the competition.

Mrs. Thaxter also planned and organised trips for the winners over the years to visit diaspora groups in the US, United Kingdon (UK) and Canada as well as enabling the winners to enter other competitions in St. Vincent and Antigua; drafted the Standard Operating Procedures for the competition and introduced training in designing and dressmaking for local dressmakers and tailors who were required to design gowns for the contestants.

She recalls the pride she felt when 2005 Festival Queen, Dr. Marsha Barnett, addressed legislators in New York, which was the first for someone from the Caribbean, representing the potential of Jamaican youth on an international stage.

Mrs. Thaxter’s years of service at the JCDC culminated with her being appointed Director of Arts Development and Training in 2012.

A position she held until her retirement in 2015.

Although retired, Mrs. Thaxter remains an active citizen in Portland.

She currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Management for Skibo Primary School.

She is a member of the Planning Committee for the Annual Jamaica Baptist Union National Assembly and serves as the Choir Director at the Buff Bay Baptist Church (Jamaica Baptist Union).

She is also a member of the JCDC Portland Parish and Festival Queen Committees and one of the trainers for the Festival Queen Competition in the parish.

Additionally, Mrs. Thaxter holds the position of Chairman for the Poppy Appeal Committee and chairs the Custos’ Community Outreach Programmes Planning Committee.

Her journey is more than just a career; it can be best described as a tapestry woven with experiences, relationships and a relentless passion for the arts.

As she looks back on her life, she is grateful for the opportunities she has had to change lives through music, dance, and drama.

“I believe that God has given me these talents not to keep but to share,” she asserts.

“I am grateful for my mentors, family, students, their parents and co-workers, recognising the collective effort that shaped my path. My story is a reminder of how passion and dedication can transform lives and communities,” she says.

Mrs. Thaxter holds an MBA (with Merit) from the University of Leicester, England; Bachelor of Education from the University of Technology (UTech) with First Class Honours; a Diploma in Teaching (Credit) in Secondary Education from Shortwood Teachers’ College; a Certificate in Teaching (Credit) in Primary Education from Moneague Teachers’ College; and a Certificate in School Music Teaching from the School of Music at Edna Manley College of the Visual & Performing Arts.

She is married with a son and a granddaughter.