By William H. Kelly III
(JACKSON, Miss.) – Ramon Jackson, D.M.A., D.M.E., has been named Jackson State University’s (JSU) 2025 Humanities Teacher of the Year by the Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC). The MHC Humanities Teacher Awards pays tribute to outstanding faculty in traditional humanities fields at each of Mississippi’s institutions of higher learning.
Jackson currently serves as the assistant chair for the Department of Music and is also an assistant professor of music education. The educator says that he is proud to be recognized for his efforts and was very “caught off guard” to receive the award.
“I’m very elated, thankful and humble,” Jackson said. “I stand on the shoulders of many giants and I’m happy to honor their legacy in the Department of Music by elevating our academic programs for our students and progressing the opportunities that were established by those educators that came before me.”
Jackson’s impact and accolades in the Department of Music include establishing an online degree option for the Master of Music Education degree program and revising the curriculum for the undergraduate and graduate music education degree programs to fit more modern audiences. He also assists with the accreditation process for the department by the Mississippi Department of Education.
He recognizes trailblazers such as the late Emma Brooks-Smith, D.M.A., who created the Master of Music Education degree program in 1967 and introduced the Orff-Schulwerk certification program in the 1980s, making JSU the only HBCU to offer the training at the time. The certification program ended in 2007. In 2021, Jackson revived the certificate program and now serves as the president of the Mississippi Orff-Schulwerk #100 Chapter.
He believes that teaching is a lifelong commitment that should be transferable across multiple disciplines.
“We build strong student relationships and create engaging cross-curricular teaching methods,” said Jackson. “Being a teacher of the year isn’t just about teaching music. It’s about inspiring a love for music that lasts a lifetime.”
Jackson led a lecture at Jackson State University on February 25, 2025, for faculty and staff to learn more about the history of the Department of Music and innovative music teaching methods for all ages.
He is a member of the National Association for Music Education advisory board, a board member of the Kodály Mississippi Chapter and serves on the Mississippi Department of Education Music Education Accreditation Board. He is also president of the Jackson (MS) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Jackson has been recognized as Marquis Who’s Who in America and was honored JSU’s Professor of the Game during the 50th anniversary of the Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band and homecoming celebration in 2021.
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Media Contact: William H. Kelly III, william.h.kelly@jsums.edu