Longtime Butler music educator selected for PMEA Hall of Fame
A longtime music educator and band director at Butler Area School District has been selected to join the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Hall of Fame.
Jeff Kroner, the district’s music department chair and head director of the Golden Tornado Marching Band, has been working in education since 1991 and joined the district in 1993. He plans to retire at the end of this school year.
“Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to serving the students of our district, and his impact reaches far beyond the music they perform,” said Brian White, superintendent of the school district. “Mr. Kroner has shaped lives, built confidence and taught lessons that students will carry with them long after they leave our schools.
“His recognition by PMEA reflects not only his musical excellence, but the lasting, positive influence he has had on generations of students.”
In his time at the district, Kroner taught in three elementary schools and at the intermediate and senior high schools. He was the assistant marching band director from 1998 to 2012 before becoming head director, according to a news release from Butler Area School District.
He was also the music department chair between 2002 and 2016, and again between 2020 and 2026.
Outside of the district, Kroner served as PMEA District 5’s secretary/treasurer for 18 years and as state scoring chairman from 2009 to 2017. He helped host numerous district and regional festivals and was honored with the PMEA Citation of Excellence award in 2014.
“For my career, my focus was on two things: providing memorable experiences for my students and bringing great music to our community,” Kroner said. “Only when I paused to look back do I see the full scope of what we had built — a legacy far greater than I had imagined. Anchored by the steadfast support of my family, I learned that the true work was not teaching music, but teaching life lessons through music."
Kroner will be officially inducted into the PMEA Hall of Fame at the 2026 PMEA Annual Conference Saturday, April 25, at the Kalahari Convention Center in Pocono Summit.
