Nola Jones

Nola Jones is the coordinator of visual and performing arts for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) in Nashville, Tennessee. In this role, she oversees instructional supervision of 400 professional arts education specialists, curriculum planning, and the implementation of Music Makes Us, a public and private partnership among MNPS; Karl Dean, Nashville's mayor; and music industry and community leaders in Nashville. The goal of Music Makes Us is to function as a worldwide leader in music education, bringing the resources of the Nashville music community together to enable participation and foster student success for all of its 81,000 students.

In addition to her work as coordinator for MNPS, Jones is an active guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician for concert bands, marching bands, and honor ensembles. In the U.S., she has appeared in 38 states, and internationally, she has appeared in Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, and Singapore. The National Association for Music Education asked her to direct the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Army All-American Band, which performed at the NBC-televised U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas; she also served on the Blue Ribbon Committee to write national standards for marching bands. She has served as a judge for Winter Guard International, Bands of America, and Drum Corps International (DCI), and currently serves on the DCI judge liaison team.

Jones received her bachelor's degree in music education from Mississippi State University, her master's degree in music education from Mississippi College, and her D.M.A. in conducting from the University of South Carolina.