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closeTeacher becomes part of a elite class
After almost three decades of service, Kathy Gustafson is inducted into WMEA Hall of Fame
Chris Albert
This February, the Washington Music Educator’s Association gave its highest honor to Puyallup music teacher Kathy Gustafson by inducting her into the hall of fame.
“I am so honored to be included with my colleagues and my mentors,” Gustafson said. “There are just some awesome people who have been inducted into the hall of fame.”
Gustafson’s career spans 27 years as a choir director and district program developer in elementary, junior high, high school and district wide music education.
She joined retired Puyallup music teacher Peggy Burrough into the hall of fame.
Burrough was part of the inaugural hall of fame class almost 10 years ago.
“Puyallup should be very proud of the tradition they have continued and the excellence at which they select their music teachers,” she said.
Gustafson’s biggest asset as a teacher is that she is very caring, Burrough said.
Throughout Gustafon’s career she has had thousands of students come through her classrooms. Helping them find their voice is her greatest accomplishment, she said.
“That touches a lot of lives,” Gustafson said.
Currently, she is the choral director at Firgrove Elementary school.
“I’ve known I was going to be a music teacher since the sixth grade,” Gustafson said.
She didn’t start out wanting to be a coral teacher. Originally she went to college as a piano major and was looking into teaching band. But early on she auditioned for choir and the experience grabbed her interest.
“At that point I just became so enamored with choral music,” Gustafson said.
In 1970, Gustafson started her teaching career in Puyallup as the first choral director at Ballou Junior High.
She also spent several years in the downtown central offices as an administrator, guiding and developing music programs throughout the district.
As an administrator she was able to be part of the hiring process to staff music teachers with quality educators.
“Nothing surpasses good teaching,” she said.
Puyallup has some of the best and she counts her contribution as one of her greatest accomplishments.
She was instrumental in getting classroom based performance assessments established for courses like music, drama, visual arts and dance, said Brian Fox, director of Student Learning for the district.
“It was nice to have a Puyallup influence in the development of those statewide assessments,” he said.
The assessment will be required in the 2008-2009 school year, he added.
But beyond program development she is most appreciated for her accomplishments in the classroom, Fox said.
“What I am most interested in Kathy is that she has been a successful high school music director, taught adults, junior high students and now she’s a successful primary general music director,” he said. “She is clearly a teacher at all levels.”
In 1998, she had an experience that really epitomized her love of music and students thriving in the creative environment.
As the choir director at Puyallup High School she took a group of students to New York City. They were invited to sing in the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.
“It was just an astounding experience,” she said.
It was her last year at the high school and three students from the trip went on to become music teachers themselves.
“It was just a wonderful way to bring that part of my career to a close,” Gustafson said.
While that chapter closed, she started a new one as a primary choral director.
She’s found the most exciting thing is that the students are eager to try music out.
“These students love music at all levels,” Gustafson said.