Dr. Ken Shoemaker

Dulcimer Day Project Coordinator

Missouri Alliance for Arts Education

Dr. Ken Shoemaker is a teacher by profession, and he enjoys helping students of all ages to learn.  His academic background includes a B.A. in history and political science, two master’s degrees (MDiv, ThM), and a PhD jointly conferred by the University of California, Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union.

Ken has had many years of leadership experience in the non-profit sector, inspiring and mobilizing volunteers while helping organizations move forward to achieve their goals.  Since 2019 he has served as President of Prairie Dulcimer Club, a non-profit organization based in the Kansas City metro area with a membership of over 50 mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer enthusiasts.  He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of International Student Ministries Canada, a faith-based Canadian non-profit organization that helps international students who are studying in Canadian universities and colleges.

Ken is a multi-instrumentalist.  In addition to playing the trumpet, Ken plays the guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica.  Moreover, he took first place in the International Autoharp Championship in 2021. He has been a finalist twice in the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship in Winfield, Kansas. He has also won a number of awards in hammered dulcimer, including first place in the 2017 Deep South Hammered Dulcimer Championship, and second place in the 2025 Arkansas State Hammered Dulcimer Championship. 

Ken is the Project Coordinator for the upcoming Dulcimer Day at the Capitol, to be held on April 11, 2026. This one-day event is inviting all dulcimer players in the state of Missouri to converge on the Capitol Building for a great celebration of dulcimer performances, concluding with a united jam session with all musicians participating.

As part of the work of the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education, Ken will take part in a dulcimer demonstration to Jefferson City elementary school students on Thursday, April 9.  The next day, he will also be part of a team offering a dulcimer workshop to school teachers in the Jefferson City area.

Mrs. Ramona Crawford

Director, In-School Dulcimer Programs

Prairie Dulcimer Club

Ramona holds a BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) and has worked in the IT sector for most of her career.  She began as a programmer, became an Application Developer, and eventually worked for many years as an IT Project Manager on contract with the Federal government. She retired in 2015.

Ramona enjoys playing the mountain dulcimer and sharing our musical heritage with others. She directs the In-School Dulcimer Program conducted by Prairie Dulcimer Club in the Kansas City metro area.  She finds great enjoyment in watching students hold and play the mountain dulcimer for the first time, then quickly learning to play simple tunes on the instrument in just minutes.

Ramona is also a storyteller. Having earned both the oral and written storytelling certificates from the Mid-Continent Public Library’s Woodneath Story Center in Kansas City, Missouri, Ramona enjoys telling original stories as well as folktales and folk songs to young and old alike. She particularly loves combining storytelling with playing the mountain dulcimer.

Ramona especially loves working with children, and she has been involved for many years in her church’s children’s program.  As part of the work of the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education, Ramona will be demonstrating the mountain dulcimer to elementary school students in Jefferson City on Thursday, April 9.  The next day she will be working with Dr. Ken Shoemaker to present a hands-on dulcimer workshop to professional school teachers in the Jefferson City area.