Bell named NW director of bands

The music program at Northwest Missouri State University has announced that conductor and teacher John Bell has been named artist in residence and director of bands.

Bell, who currently serves as conductor of the Northwest Wind Symphony, also teaches advanced conducting at Northwest and shares conducting responsibilities for the Northwest Symphonic Band with Kendall Prinz.

In his new position, he succeeds Doug Overmier, who resigned last summer.

Bell spent much of his career as a public school music educator and retired from the Park Hill School District in 2008. He has since served as a horn instructor and music education instructor at Missouri Western State University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.

A recipient of the John Philip Sousa Legion of Honor award, Bell is a former Park Hill School District Teacher of the Year and a recipient of the University of Central Missouri music department’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

An active adjudicator and clinician at music events and contests throughout the Midwest, Bell was recently named associate conductor of the Medical Arts Symphony of Kansas City and is also a co-conductor of the NorthWinds Symphonic Band.

He has held leadership posts with the Missouri Music Educators Association and also belongs to the National Association for Music Education, Phi Beta Mu, the Missouri Bandmasters Association, Phi Delta Kappa and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Bell holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Central Missouri and earned a master’s degree in music education from the University of Illinois.