Hansford Elected to State Executive Board of Music Educators

Article Date

October 25, 2005

Jim Hansford, Oklahoma Baptist University professor of music and director of bands, was recently elected Oklahoma Music Educators Association vice president for higher education.

OMEA is the federated state association of the National Association for Music Education, the largest special-discipline education association, with more than 120,000 members worldwide.

The 10-member OMEA executive board is comprised of statewide music educators who have been elected by the constituency to promote, govern and oversee music education activities in public schools. The current president is Dr. James South of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and the executive secretary is Jerry Huffer of Muskogee, Okla.

An educator/conductor for more than 35 years, Hansford has been a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator in public schools and churches in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. He served as a senior editor and write for a recently published textbook, "The Instrumental Resource for Church and School."

This past summer, Hansford lectured on "The Music Education System in the United States" and "The History of Jazz in America" for the School of Music at Xinjiang Normal University in Urumqi, China.

Hansford holds a bachelor of music education degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. He earned his master of music education degree and Ph.D. degree in music from the University of North Texas.

Hansford has served numerous churches as an interim and supply music minister and is a member of First Baptist Church of Shawnee, Okla., where he serves as a deacon, choir member and instrumental music coordinator. His wife, Conchita, a children's voice specialist, serves as director of the music preparatory department at OBU, teaches Kindermusik and conducts the Shawnee Honor Choir.