Family of Joy Hinton

Joy Hinton is a native Charles Countian. Joy was educated in Charles County Public Schools and graduated from Pomonkey High School in 1966, the first black high school in Charles County. In the third grade, Joy wanted to learn to play piano. Her mother found a High School Biology teacher, who was teaching piano to some of the black students in the area, and her life in music began. By Junior High, Joy’s music teacher encouraged her mother to find another teacher, because “Joy’s skills had surpassed what she could teach her.” In high school, Joy began learning to play the violin. During her senior year, Joy’s mother found another piano teacher who lived in Washington, D.C., and every Saturday, they made the trek from Bryans Road to Washington, D.C. for her lessons.

She later attended Howard University in Washington, DC, where she majored in Music Education and Minored in Piano. After graduation, Joy took her music education skills back to Charles County Public Schools where she taught from 1970 to June 2013. She taught at multiple grade levels and was known for the semi-annual concerts she directed that gave the students opportunities to demonstrate their musical skills. Through the years, Joy built close relationships with the parents, and their children. Joy was known by many in the county, as she taught several family generations. Not only did Joy teach in the schools, but she also offered private lessons. Joy retired from the school system in 2013 to care for her mother, but soon found herself back in the school’s substitute teaching with children who needed additional academic support. Even in that role, Joy made an impact, but her first love of music remained strong. Joy admitted she was most proud of the fact that some of her students became music teachers and others continued to play instruments.

Joy was born into the Metropolitan United Methodist Church family in Indian Head, MD, and was an active member, serving in multiple roles. Joy taught Sunday School, she started the “Youth Kick Back” which was an outreach for the youth to give them safe and fun activities on Fridays. She also helped prepare and deliver meals to the Robert E. Fuller House for Transitional Men, initiated the Christians In Action Ministry which served the community by preparing and delivering bagged lunches to LifeStyles of Maryland, Inc., served as a dedicated volunteer for the weekly Weekend Backpack Food Program, a Trustee, helped initiate the youth liturgical dance ministry, fundraisers, and directed numerous plays. Joy served as the musician and choir director for Hallelujah Choir, Praise Team, Youth Choir, and the children’s Celestial Choir. She was dedicated to the Celestial and Youth music ministries and took pleasure in picking up the children to ensure their participation in the choir.

She played for just about every church in her home area, leading choirs, and congregations to sing to the glory of God. Joy was not known as just the choir director, but as a cherished part of these church families. Joy was indeed a quiet giant who touched so many lives through the years. She possessed a gentle spirit and was a penultimate musician.

Joy’s other passion was playing tennis with her brother and their friends. Joy and friends started a tennis camp every summer at her church for area children. They would round up the children at 6:00 a.m. to hit the tennis courts for lessons. Some of these children have excelled in the sport based on their involvement in this program and won many awards.

In her life, Joy brought so much “joy” to many children and touched so many lives.