YPO is privileged to honor Stanley Hoch as this year's recipient of the Educator of Note Award. 

 Mr. Stanley Hoch has been a music teacher in Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 34 years. His teaching career started at Booker T. Washington Middle School in 1989.  Ten years later Booker T. became a high school again, and Mr. Hoch stayed with the middle school students who moved to Jose de Diego Middle School in Wynwood.  He taught the same student population in the inner city for 25 years.  For the past nine years, Mr. Hoch has taught music to all second through fifth grade students at Oliver Hoover E.S. in the Hammocks.  Mr. Hoch has taken students to FGO dress rehearsals throughout his career.  Other field trip experiences for his students include concerts by the Cleveland Orchestra, New World Symphony, Nu Deco Ensemble, and Orchestra Miami. Mr. Hoch arranged for in-school performances by FGO Young Artists, members of the Cleveland Orchestra, and Piano Slam.

During his teaching career Mr. Hoch’s middle school students received excellent and superior ratings in Music Performance Assessments in chorus, orchestra, and keyboard, and his chorus performed many times at the Junior Orange Bowl Caroling Competition.  His elementary students have performed in the Superintendent’s Honors Chorus and also Broadway KIDS productions, including: Willy Wonka KIDS!, Lion King KIDS!, Seussical KIDS!, The Music Man KIDS!,and Aladdin KIDS!

Mr. Hoch received a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from Miami University (Ohio), and a Master of Music in accompanying from the University of Akron.  His work in professional music theatre started before his teaching career and did not stop when he started teaching.  He was Music Director of “A Chorus Line” for a summer stock production in Taunton MA, and for “The Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen Through the Eyes of Cole Porter” at the Shores Performing Arts Theater in Miami.  Mr. Hoch worked with Ed Ames and Robby Benson with the Kenley Players, and Phyllis Diller and Jo Anne Worley at the Westgate Dinner Theatre in Toledo, OH.

Mr. Hoch was the Director of Music for the Miami Lakes United Methodist church for 16 years.  He was a volunteer singer for the Florida Philharmonic Chorus and the Master Chorale of South Florida for many years.  He has sung or played the cello, piano, and/or organ throughout the region.

His awards include Teacher of the Year at Jose de Diego M.S. & Oliver Hoover E.S., Region Finalist for Teacher of the Year – South Region MDCPS, and Best and Brightest Award – Florida Department of Education.