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Crane School of Music Alumni Board Honors Jane Morale '80 with Music Teaching Award

2025 Helen M. Hosmer Excellence in Music Teaching Award Presented to Crane School of Music Alumna Jane Morale '80 of Penfield, N.Y.

Potsdam, NY (07/16/2025) — The Julia E. Crane Alumni Association recently honored Jane Morale '80 of Penfield, N.Y., with the Helen M. Hosmer Excellence in Music Teaching Award during Reunion 2025 at SUNY Potsdam.

The Helen M. Hosmer Excellence in Music Teaching Award is presented each year to Crane School of Music alumni in public school music education who have demonstrated exemplary service in any of the areas of choral, instrumental or general music education. Morale was recognized for her decades-long commitment to music education and to her alma mater.

About the recipient:

Jane Morale '80 has dedicated her life to sharing the joy of music with generations of students. Over the course of 42 years in classrooms across Massachusetts and New York, Morale has inspired creativity, nurtured confidence, and made music education a deeply personal and meaningful experience for all who cross her path.

A proud Crane School of Music graduate, Morale studied violin under Professor John Jadlos and began her teaching career in Barnstable, Mass. After earning her Master of Science in Education degree from Nazareth College in 2001, she went on to teach strings and orchestra in Webster (NY) Central Schools until her retirement in 2023 -- leaving behind a chorus of students who adored and admired her. She has received numerous music teaching awards from both Nazareth and the greater Rochester community.

A gifted performer, Morale has played with the Penfield Symphony Orchestra, Greater Rochester Women's Philharmonic, Plymouth Philharmonic and Cape Cod Symphony -- and had the distinct honor of performing at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid as a Crane student.

Affectionately known as "Jane Crane" to her Agonian Sorority sisters, she is remembered for her "superpowers" as a teacher-fostering student growth through connection, curiosity and creativity. Whether founding a Fiddle Club, organizing festival performances or simply keeping her classroom door open for impromptu jam sessions, Morale always created space for musical exploration.

"Jane's infectious smile and deeply engaging manner gave me glimpses of what every student she taught must have experienced and carried with them far beyond the classroom," said Crane School of Music Dean Emeritus Michael Sitton (Hon. '20).

Morale's dedication to SUNY Potsdam is equally inspiring. She has never missed a Reunion since graduating, and she met her husband, Glen Zagorski '87, at Reunion in 1999. Together, they fund a Greek Life internship scholarship. Morale also serves in the Ago Alumnae Association and mentors students through the Women, Gender and Leadership program.

About The Crane School of Music:

Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution and was one of the first Yamaha Institutions of Excellence. For more information, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

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Jane Morale ’80 (left) of Penfield, N.Y., is the recipient of the 2025 Helen M. Hosmer Excellence in Music Teaching Award from the Julia E. Crane Alumni Association at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music. She is seen here after accepting the award from SUNY Potsdam President Dr. Suzanne Smith (right) at Reunion 2025.

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