When Trevecca’s Jeff Cox talks about commercial music, he’s not speaking from theory—in essence, he’s speaking from the stage.
This summer, Cox, the University’s director of commercial music and bass instructor, spent July and August performing in “DOLLY: A True Original Musical,” a Broadway-bound production about the life of music legend Dolly Parton that had its first run at Belmont University’s Fisher Center.
“It was incredible,” Cox said, recalling the moment Dolly walked into the rehearsal hall. “She and her team were sitting there just a few feet in front of me. It felt like we were performing for the queen.”
For Cox, the project was a reminder of how far his career has come. Before joining Trevecca full-time 16 years ago, he toured and recorded for some of the biggest names in music—Trisha Yearwood, Lorrie Morgan, Ray Price, Christian artist Greg Long of Avalon and jazz legend Earl Klugh, to name a few.
“I’ve been at Trevecca 26 years now,” he said, counting his time as both adjunct and full-time faculty. “And I’ve seen a lot of success stories from our students that I’m so proud of.”
That combination—real-world experience and a heart for mentoring—is what defines Cox’s classroom. “I think it’s really important, especially on the commercial side of things, to have a faculty composed of working musicians so we can provide our students a praxial education,” he said. “We can actually show them what to do and how to do it well.”
That includes weekly seminars featuring guests like Jason Aldean drummer Rich Redmond and Dolly Parton’s longtime keyboardist, Paul Hollowell—both colleagues of Cox who visit campus to share their expertise.
His approach is grounded in Nashville’s unique opportunities. “As we like to say in the music department, Nashville is our classroom,” Cox said. “Our students have the opportunity to interface with working musicians in the industry who have been doing it for years and years and years.”
Some of Cox’s former students have taken these teachings and are thriving across the industry, including Philip Noel, bandleader and bassist for former CMA Vocalist of the Year Carly Pearce; Nick Huddleston, also in Pearce’s band as guitarist; and Mitch Schneider, who programmed for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Kacey Musgraves and the Jonas Brothers.
Seeing students like them succeed, Cox said, never gets old. “It’s incredibly rewarding. That is what we work for.”
For Cox, Trevecca’s mission runs deeper than performance—it’s about purpose. “Our mission statement says we’re trying to equip musicians to be servant leaders,” he said. “We try to instill in our students the ministry of Jesus Christ: go out into the world, become a servant leader and help be that bright spot, that point of light in a dark world.”
From the studio to the stage, Jeff Cox models exactly that—teaching what he lives out on stages like Dolly Parton’s, and showing students how faith, humility and excellence can share the same spotlight.