Frances Fox, a longtime music teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), has won the Outstanding Music Teacher Award from the Maryland Music Educators Association. Fox is an instrumental music teacher at Spark Matsunaga Elementary School and at Sequoyah Elementary School.

Fox has taught instrumental music in MCPS for 34 years. After five years at Brookhaven Elementary School, she went to Parkland Middle School, where for 27 years she developed an instrumental music program recognized for its quality as well as size. She was awarded the Outstanding Jazz Educator Award by the International Association of Jazz Educators for her work with the Parkland Jazz Ensemble.

For 14 years, Fox served as the only county instrumental music resource teacher, assisting with planning and administering the District II Band and Orchestra Festivals.

She served for 20 years as host director of the District II Solo and Ensemble Festival.

Fox also is co-founder of the MCPS Junior Honors Band and the MCPS Elementary Honors Band, which performed at the Kennedy Center.

Fox will receive her award on March 3 in Baltimore at a meeting of the Maryland Music Educators Association.