John Stafford II
2026-2027 Tenor-Bass Jazz Choir
John Stafford II is Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities, and Coordinator of the Music Department at Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC). Professor Stafford was a 2015 recipient of the John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Award for outstanding teaching and leadership at the community college level. Also, Stafford was the recipient of the Henry Louis Award for Teaching Excellence at KCKCC in 2020 (Faculty of the Year award). He has also received two other teaching awards from KCKCC for Recruitment and Teaching Excellence. Previously, he was appointed at Millikin University, Eastern Illinois University, and Danville Area Community College teaching composition, theory, orchestration, history, and vocal jazz. He holds degrees from Millikin University (music business), Bowling Green State University (composition), and has done additional doctoral studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (choral conducting).
Among his current professional activities, Professor Stafford currently serves as the National Repertoire and Resources Vocal Jazz Chair of the American Choral Directors Association. He is also a member of the National Association for Music Education, Jazz Educators Network, and American Choral Directors Association. He also has arrangements published by the Lorenz Corporation, Anchor Music Publications and Kerry Marsh: Vocal Jazz and Beyond. Stafford is a contributing author for, “Rehearsing The Vocal Jazz Ensemble”, published by GIA Publications, “Sing Vocal, Teach Vocal Jazz: A Holistic Guide to Vocal Jazz Performance Pedagogy”, published by Routledge, and “The School Choral Program” (2nd Edition), published by GIA.
Professor Stafford is a nationally sought after clinician and presenter of vocal jazz and choral music. Recent activities include directing the 2021 Iowa All-State Jazz Choir, which won a 2022 DownBeat Magazine Student Music outstanding performance award, and he has directed All-State Vocal Jazz Ensembles in New York, Oklahoma, Missouri, Wyoming, Illinois, North Dakota, Washington and Kansas. In June 2022, Professor Stafford gave his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall (through MidAmerica Productions), giving the New York Premiere of Justin Binek’s “Missa Lucis” for choir and jazz ensemble. He will make his second Carnegie performance with MidAmerica in May 2027, conducting Paul Mealor’s “Stabat Mater”. In April 2024, Stafford received 3rd Place for The American Prize Dale Warland Choral Conducting Award and his college chamber choir was an American Prize national finalist the same year.
Professor Stafford directs “The Standard”, the award-winning contemporary vocal jazz ensemble from Kansas City Kansas Community College. They have been invited to perform at the national conferences of the Jazz Education Network (2025, 2022 and 2019), the American Choral Directors Association (2017), and the National Association for Music Education (2018). The Standard has also been selected to perform at the Southwestern Divisional Conference of the American Choral Directors Association (2026 and 2020), seven times at the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop, and the New York City Jazz Festival at Jazz at the Lincoln Center. Within the last ten years, The Standard has won sixteen DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards, including being the winner of the 2026 category for best large community college vocal jazz ensemble in the country. The group has released two studio albums and have shared the stage with such highly acclaimed artists as Take 6, The New York Voices, m-pact, säje, Sweet Honey On The Rock, and Carmen Bradford.