Jeffery L. Ames, Assistant Professor of Music, serves as Director of Choral Activities at Belmont University. His prior appointments include Assistant Director of Choral Activities at Baylor University and Director of Choral Activities at Edgewater High School and Lincoln High School in Florida.
As a choral clinician, Dr. Ames has conducted senior and junior high school mixed and male choirs at the state and regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and the Music Educator’s National Conference, including the inaugural Florida Male All-State Chorus (2005). He has performed internationally in the countries of Italy (2005-2007) and Costa Rica (2005). An accomplished accompanist, he has performed with well-known conductors such as André Thomas, Allen Crowell, Dan Krunnfusz, Lynne Gackle, Bradley Ellingboe, and most recently with Anton Armstrong and the 2007 Texas All-State Mixed Choir.
With a growing reputation as a distinguished and well-respected composer and arranger, Dr. Ames’ music has been premiered by the Florida Music Educators Association (1996), the Florida American Choral Directors Association (1998), the Southern Division of ACDA (2002), the National ACDA Conference in Los Angeles (2005), and most recently at the 2007 National ACDA Conference in Miami. His compositions and arrangements are published by Colla Voce Music, Earthsongs, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, and Walton Music Corporation.
Professor Ames holds the Ph.D. in Choral Conducting/Choral Music Education and a Master of Choral Music Education degree from Florida State University, and a Bachelor of Music degree, with at double major in Vocal Performance and Piano Accompanying, from James Madison University. He is the first recipient of the 2005 ACDA James Mulholland Choral Music Fellowship.