Among the Awards presented are the SD Music Educators Association Distinguished Service Music Award and the National Federation Interscholastic Music Association Outstanding Music Educator Award.

SDMEA Distinguished Administrator Award 

Tom Long

Mr. Long received his BA in Business Administration from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1965 and his Masters in Secondary School Administration from Northern State University in 1972. During the 37 years he has been involved in education, Tom has taught at Notre Dame High School, Mitchell; Roncalli High School, Aberdeen; Mitchell High School, University of SD/Springfield, Dakota Wesleyan and Wessington Springs High School.

As a high school student, Tom was a four-year member of the Plankinton High School band and chorus. He was a two year member of the All-State Chorus in 1959 and 1960.

For the past 21 years Mr. Long has been the secondary principal at Wessington Springs. At Wessington Spring he has also served as head football, track and assistant track coach. He is a member of the South Dakota Secondary Principals Association, School Administrators of SD, a lifetime member of the SD Coaches Association, Past President of the SD Football Coaches Association and Former member of SDHSAA Board of Directors.

SDMEA Distinguished Service to Music Awards 

Paul Cherry

Dr. Paul Cherry has degrees in Liberal Arts and Music Education from Duke University, a Master of Music in Clarinet Performance from the Eastman School of Music and his Ph.D in Musicology from The University of Colorado. Post Graduate study has been done at Florida State University and Yale University. He also has extensive private clarinet study from the Principal Clarinetists of the Baltimore Symphony, the Eastman-Rochester Symphony, and the famous NBC Symphony. His performing experience includes first chair positions with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra in New York, the Jacksonville Symphony, and the Sioux City Symphony and Municipal Band. Teaching experience includes high school band directing in Florida, Woodwinds at Tennessee Technological University and thirty-four years as Professor of Woodwinds and Musicology at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

Dr. Cherry retired from USD this past summer and is now living in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Jan Pearson

Janis Pearson is a 1955 graduate of Hecla High School. She enrolled at Northern State Teachers College (now Northern State University), where she graduated cum laude in 1959. In 1960 she graduated with a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois. The following year she spent in California where she was a chorus member with the Roger Wagner Chorale and Vincent Mitzelfelt Chorale. From 1961-1963, she taught Grades 1-6 Music in the Belle Fourche School system and the next year she was the Music Supervisor of Grades 1-6 in the Aberdeen Public Schools. In the fall of 1964 she began a thirty-six year career as an Assistant Professor of Music at Northern State University where she taught Private and Class Voice, Exploring Music, and the Study of Opera.

On campus Miss Pearson was a member and served as an advisor of the National Women’s Music Fraternity of Sigma Alpha lota, and a member of Pi Kappa Lamda and Music Educators National Conference. She was the Editor of the South Dakota Musician magazine for twenty years.

She is a soloist and choir member at Bethlehem Lutheran Church and a past 20 year vocal soloist with the Aberdeen Municipal Summer Band.

She has been the recipient of NSU Student’s Choice Award, the Distinguished Service Award for service to the music profession from Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Mu (the National Band Masters Fraternity) and was named to The Who’s Who Among Teachers in Universities and Colleges. She was awarded the Sigma Alpha lota Ring of Excellence. During the National Convention of Sigma Alpha lota, she received the National Advisor Award (the first ever given).

In May 2000 she retired form Northern State University and was awarded the title of Emeritus Assistant Professor of Music.

SDHSAA Distinguished Service Award and SDMEA Distinguished Service to Music Award

Lonn Sweet

Lonn M. Sweet is Dean Emeritus of the School of Fine Arts at Northern State University. His career in music education serving the collegiate and high school levels spans 40 years. His career started in 1961 at Springfield Public Schools where he spent 5 years as K-12 Band and Choral Director. In 1966 he entered higher education as Director of Bands at the University of South Dakota Springfield. In 1974, Lonn started a 27 year career at Northern State University. In 1989 he assumed the duties as Dean of the School of Fine Arts at NSU. He retired from NSU in the spring of 2000.

Sweet received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota, Springfield and a master’s degree from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion.

His career was marked with local, state and national distinctions including serving as president of the Aberdeen Community Concert Association, business manager of the South Dakota Musician magazine, president of the South Dakota chapter of Phi Beta Mu, Region III president of the National Association of Schools of Music. Sweet has been honored with awards such as the USD-Springfield Outstanding Alumnus, Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Contributions to the field of Music education, NFIMA Outstanding Music Educator Award and Friends of the Arts Award by the Aberdeen Arts Council. He was the originator of the first Merry Tuba Christmas in South Dakota, and served as host of the Region IV music contests and the South Dakota All State Chorus and Orchestra. He also served the Aberdeen community as director/member of the Aberdeen Elks Chorus, and as director/member of the First United Methodist Church choir. Mr. Sweet also adjudicated numerous large and small ensemble contests in South Dakota and North Dakota, served as music camp director in South Dakota and Oklahoma and directed numerous festival bands during his career.

NFIMA Outstanding Music Dirtector Award

John Colson

After receiving his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Iowa, John Colson served on the faculty at Adams State College in Colorado and with the Bettendorf public schools in Iowa. He jointed the faculty of South Datkoa State University in 1965, where he was appointed the director of bands and orchestra, as well as brass teacher. With extensive performance experience playing with professional orchestras, Colson decided to devote his energies to teaching high brass, brass pedagogy and conducting.

In doing so, he has written two books on brass performance and one on conducing. He was selected to conduct both the 2000 Quad State String Festival and the 1990 J. Laiten Weed Honor Orchestra. For the 34 years under Colson’s direction, the South Datkoa State University Civic Symphony accompanied more than 50 world-class artist, including David Hickman, Thomas Bacon, Samuel Pilafian, William Brown and Leon Bates.

Colson has conducted and taught at numerous music camps throughout his career, and is the founder of two music camps that have continued to serve hundreds of students. He has served as an adjudicator and guest conductor for hundreds of contests, concerts and festivals throughout the country. In addition for many years he served the South Dakota All-State concerts as both an All-State Band and an All-State Orchestra selection judge.

Links to this page, in its entirety, are welcome. Please notify dakotacast@sdpb.org. This page or this site may be used inside your frame in its entirety. Any other use of the Content or Data in any format or manner via print, broadcast, or internet transmission, is prohibited without the express written consent of South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Use of the Content and Data provided to and by these pages is intended for personal entertainment.

©2002 SDPB Onl¡ne