Winifred Crock Receives the Section V NFHS Outstanding Music Educator of the Year Award

Each year, the NFHS Music Association gives it Outstanding Music Educator of the Year Award to one recipient in each of their eight board sections.  This year, MSHSAA is pleased to recognize Winifred Crock, retired string director from Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, as the 2015-2016 Section V award recipient.  Section V represents the states of Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.  

Winifred earned a Bachelor of Music Education at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in 1982 and a Master of Music Education at Kent State University in 1985.  She began her teaching career in 1985-86 in Elyria, Ohio and in 1986, she became the elementary school string teacher with the Parkway School District, in Chesterfield, Missouri.  In 1989, Winifred became the high school orchestra director at Parkway Central High School, a position she held until her retirment in the spring of 2015.  She has also maintained a private violin studio since 1977.  Under her direction the Parkway Central orchestra program experienced tremendous success and growth.  The orchestra performed at the Missouri Music Educators Association conference five times with the most recent occuring in 2013.  The ensemble and student members have received numerous honors and awards including seven students selected to the National Association for Music Education National Orchestra in 2014.

Winifred has contributed in multiple ways to the betterment of high school music programs.  She has served on local, state and national committees and continues to work towards the advancement of string education in general.  Her work in the development of music theory and class piano curriculum has helped establish Parkway Central High School as a top tier music program in the Midwest.

Crock's involvement in the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) has resulted in the publication of materials for Suzuki in the Schools, a series of teaching and training courses through the SAA and the production of materials for teachers available via the web.  These contibutions have resulted in the publication of over 30 articles with the SAA Journal.  Winifred has spoken at every American String Teacher Association (ASTA) and SSA conference for over a decade and has been the featured string clinician at TMEA, MMEA and other music conferences in over 20 states, Canada, Lebanon and New Zealand.  In 2010, Crock was the conductor of the Suzuki Association of the Americas International Suzuki Youth Orchestra II.  She continues to write, publish and share materials to assist others in teaching and learning.  She works with and mentors teachers locally, nationally and internationally in facilitating their teaching and learning.

Ms. Crock believes that the high school music experience is one of the most important educational experiences that young people can have.  She believes that while excellence in music is vital, the life lessons learned through musical experiences are even more valuable.  While a number of her students have gone on to pretigious music careers in performance and education, she believes that some of her most important teaching is to those students who will not become professional musicians but will continue as life long learners and consumers of music.