WASHINGTON STATE MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION affiliated with MUSIC TEACHERS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
WSMTA HALL OF FAME – Call for Nominations for 2026
Congratulations to our newest members of the 2025 Hall of Fame – Carol Cross and Jason Kuo.
Carol and Jason were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the WSMTA Annual Conference this past June. It was a real honor to present them both with their Certificate of membership into the Hall of Fame, along with having them both presented with their Medal of Honor. Thank you, Carol and Jason for being wonderful examples to all your friends and colleagues. Many congratulations!
Some more good news . . . I will continue to be the Hall of Fame chair for 2025-2026, and want to introduce Eva Sauvé, a member of the Bellingham Chapter, who will be shadowing me and training to take over the Hall of Fame chair position next year. Eva was very gracious to accept the position as Co-Chair, so she can learn and be trained up in the process and workings of the Hall of Fame. I am so glad she was willing and accepted the challenge. Thank you, Eva, it will be a real honor to be working with you and passing all I was taught by my Hall of Fame predecessor, on to you. I trust you will enjoy this WSMTA position as much as I have all these years.
Well, it is October, and we have just enjoyed a lovely summer with warm sunshine, trips, family and friends. And now it’s time to begin our new season of teaching again. But in all of this, I ask that you consider nominating a deserving person, who has inspired you to continue pressing into teaching with excellence and all that goes with this wonderful profession.
WSMTA members, please keep the flame alive as you go through this fall and think of dedicated teachers who have continually contributed to their students, churches, communities, and state through their music. Help keep your chapters alive and thriving, working with innovative leaders at the local or state level who share their enthusiasm and expertise, adjudicators who transformed your teaching, and clinicians who inspired you to strive for the next level. There are worthy people in every chapter for nomination into the WSMTA Hall of Fame. Don’t put it off, plan on doing it now!
The WSMTA website has all the information you need for getting started (click below). Please read all the criteria required to recommend a nominee for the Hall of Fame. Each year we can have up to (3) three new nominees inducted into the WSMTA Hall of Fame. There needs to be at least (3) three letters of recommendation, which can be from your chapter president, colleagues or friends, a parent and/or from a present or former student. Don’t forget to send an excellent color picture of your nominee as well. Again, look at the “Hall of Fame Application”, which needs to be filled out and sent with all the other criteria. The deadline for 2026 Hall of Fame nominee entries is December 10th, 2025 and can be mailed to me at my address below, or sent to me by email, at [email protected].
Let me know if you are planning to start working on your packet and may have any questions. I am very happy to help you in every way possible. Enjoy the coming of fall and getting back to teaching with all your music students.
With musical thoughts of you,
Please return the completed Hall of Fame Nominee Application Packet to WSMTA Hall of Fame Chair:
Chris VanBuskirk
2502 N Cedar St., Tacoma, WA. 98406
[email protected]
Entry DEADLINE for 2026 Nominees is December 10th, 2025