Jennifer Oncken
Jennifer Oncken is a vocal music director at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, Missouri. Travel is a huge part of her choir program, and she makes sure her students have incredible opportunities to perform in amazing places. Every year, she organizes a choir trip—every other year, she takes them to Walt Disney World to perform, and in between, she offers an incredible experience in New York City, where they get to sing at Carnegie Hall. She especially loves the Carnegie Hall event because of its grand, once-in-a-lifetime feel, plus it gives her students the chance to meet and sing with other young musicians from all over the country in a mass choir setting.
Why are you passionate about student travel?
My passion for student travel stems from the transformative opportunities it provides for young people. Travel has a unique way of expanding students’ perspectives by helping them to see beyond the boundaries of their everyday lives while encouraging them to break through these limitations. Travel opens their eyes to a world full of possibility and connection, and often inspires them to broaden their dreams for the future. These experiences also often spark personal growth in ways that extend far beyond the classroom. As music educators, we not only teach our craft—we strive to help cultivate essential soft skills that stay with our students for a lifetime. Student travel plays a powerful role in that journey.
What is a major highlight from any of your student travel experiences?
It’s difficult to narrow it down to a single highlight, as there have been so many meaningful experiences that have touched my heart over the years. I’ve had students make life-changing decisions about their futures and careers as a result of their travel experiences. I’ve seen them overcome significant personal milestones and watched their passion for music and the arts come alive in new and inspiring ways. I’ve also witnessed ensembles transform from groups of individuals into united, collaborative teams—brought together through the shared moments and challenges that come with these journeys.
What is the greatest lesson you or your students have learned from your trips?
I believe one of the greatest lessons that both my students and I have learned through our travel experiences is the importance of embracing the unknown and staying flexible. Student travel inevitably comes with unexpected challenges, and learning to adapt—sometimes on the fly—has had a lasting impact on how I personally navigate daily life. Also: if you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath, drink some water, and eat something! It’s a simple reset, but it often helps us reframe the moment and continue moving forward with a clear head and open heart.
How do you try to tie your travel experiences back into the classroom?
At North, travel experiences are deeply woven into our daily classroom operations through the consistent reinforcement of essential soft skills such as teamwork, communication, self-advocacy, responsibility, and accountability. These skills, developed and strengthened through travel, naturally carry over into our rehearsal process and program culture. Additionally, the preparation of our ensembles for unique musical experiences while traveling—whether a concert performance or a competition—serves as a constant source of motivation. It fuels our commitment to musical excellence, both as individual musicians and as a unified ensemble.
From the nominator:
What qualities make this nominee, both as an educator and travel leader, deserving of this award?
If there’s one word to describe Jennifer, it’s resilient. Over the years, she’s faced some serious travel challenges but never let them stop her. In 2019, during her choir’s trip to New York, multiple passengers got sick with the flu. The next year, her group was in Orlando when COVID-19 started shutting everything down. Even with those setbacks, she never lost her passion for student travel. As soon as it was possible, she rallied her students and got them back to Carnegie Hall for an unforgettable experience.
She also has a big heart for including as many students as possible. She once organized a trip to New York and invited two other schools to join, making sure more students got the chance to experience it. She’s even partnered with other schools, to bring along kids who wouldn’t normally get to travel.
Her commitment to student success isn’t just about travel—her choir performed at the Missouri All-State Festival Choir at the Missouri Choral Directors Association Convention last year, and her students earned 37 state medals at the Missouri State Festival Competition. She’s the kind of teacher who doesn’t just dream big—she makes things happen. And that’s exactly why she deserves to be named Traveling Teacher of the Year.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Oncken.
