At the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) annual conference Jan. 24-28, Central Methodist University had several alumni who participated or won honors.
Being named MMEA Outstanding Educator of the Year was Jana Harral Fox who teaches at Helias Catholic School in Jefferson City. Fox graduated from Central Methodist in 1982 with a bachelor’s in music education. She currently teaches choir at Helias, and her choir was also honored to sing at the MMEA Conference.
Fox has taught in Jefferson City for 13 years, six years at Helias. Prior to then, she taught in Stover. She is married to alumnus David Fox, who graduated from Central in 1983, also with a B.M.E.
Cayla Carr, a current CMU junior music education major from Mount Sterling, remembers Fox, her high school music teacher, fondly. “She is one of those rare music educators that embraces both the process and the performance,” Carr said. “Her contribution to Helias and the Missouri Music Educators Association is one of immense dedication and genuine love for the arts of both music and teaching.”
Two other CMU alumni also performed with their groups at the MMEA Conference. Marvin Manring, who graduated in 1985, conducted his Stockton High School Band; and Dr. Jay Jones, who graduated from CMU in 1991 and has a Doctor of Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia, directed his Platte County High School Wind Ensemble at the Conference.
Central Methodist Alumni Association and the CMU Swinney Conservatory of Music hosted a reception on Thursday, Jan. 25 for all Central Methodist alumni and their guests at the Conference.