Page 155 - CJJanuary2026

2026 ACDA Southwestern Region Conference March 4-7, 2026 Albuquerque, New Mexico

Kansas City Kansas Community College Lubbock Christian University
The Standard Best Friends

The Standard is the award-winning contemporary
vocal jazz ensemble from Kansas City Kansas Commu- Lubbock Christian University’s Best Friends has
nity College. They have been invited to perform at the represented LCU in national and international concert
national conferences of the Jazz Education Network and worship venues since 1983. In 2013 the group be-
(2025, 2022, and 2019), ACDA (2017), and NAfME gan receiving international recognition as the Contem-
(2018). Within the last nine years, The Standard has porary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) nom-
won fourteen DownBeat Magazine Student Music inated that year’s album to receive a Contemporary
Awards and has recorded two studio albums. The A Cappella Recording Award (CARA). In 2019, Best
group has shared the stage with such highly acclaimed Friends’s album Risen was awarded the CARA for Best
artists as Take 6, The New York Voices, m-pact, säje, Religious Album. In February 2025, the album On Our
Carmen Bradford, Dianne Reeves, and Marilyn Maye. Way received two CARA nominations for best religious
album and best show tunes song.
John Stafford II is professor of music,
director of choral activities, and coordi- Philip Camp serves as professor of music
nator of the music department at Kan- and director of choral activities for Lub-
sas City Kansas Community College. bock Christian University. He earned de-
Stafford was a 2015 recipient of the John grees from Abilene Christian University
& Suanne Roueche Excellence Award for outstanding and Arizona State University, and earned
teaching and leadership at the community college level. a PhD in music with an emphasis in choral conducting
He was also the recipient of the Henry Louis Award from Texas Tech University. He has taught choral mu-
for Teaching Excellence at KCKCC in 2020. He has sic for thirty-three years and will be completing thirty
also received two other teaching awards from KCKCC years as collegiate faculty in 2026. He began serving
for recruitment and teaching excellence. Previously he as director for LCU’s award-winning contemporary a
was appointed at Millikin University, Eastern Illinois cappella ensemble, Best Friends, in 2018. LCU choirs
University, and Danville Area Community College. He under Camp’s direction have performed throughout
holds degrees from Millikin University, Bowling Green the Southwestern United States as well as Ireland, East-
State University, and has done additional doctoral stud- ern Australia, and Eastern Europe.
ies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5 153