Dr. Sarah Rushing, NCTM

Sarah Rushing, DMA, NCTM is Associate Professor of Piano at West Texas A&M University, where she has taught applied piano, class piano, and piano pedagogy since 2020. In addition to her teaching duties at WT, Rushing is actively involved in training up the next generation of piano teachers, serving as co-director of the WT Music Academy, co-advisor for the WT Collegiate Chapter of MTNA, and co-director of the Grace Hamilton Piano Festival. In 2023, she was recognized for Outstanding Contributions in Teaching Excellence in the School of Music.

 

Since 2018, she has maintained the Nationally Certified Teacher of Music designation from Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), of which she has been a member since the 2010s. Passionate about continuing education opportunities for all teachers, Rushing is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences, having appeared at the MTNA national conference, Colorado State Music Teachers Association State Conference, Virginia Music Teachers Association State Conference, Group Piano/Piano Pedagogy Forum, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, and College Music Society regional & national conferences.

 

In her service to MTNA, she is the current chair of the editorial committee of the MTNA eJournal and has previously served as the MTNA South Central Certification Commissioner. She also writes CD and book reviews for American Music Teacher, Piano Magazine, and the Association for Recorded Sound Collections Journal.

 

Rushing is an active solo and chamber musician, performing often in the Texas Panhandle and beyond with colleagues and guest artists. With her trios, Triptych and TRIOSARACHOPS, she has performed at the International Music by Women Festival, the SHE: Festival of Women in Music, regional and national College Music Society conferences, as well as at numerous colleges and universities throughout the US. This fall, she will present a program inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s works and Palo Duro Canyon with WT colleagues at the One World One Music festival in Austin, TX. In the spring of 2025, she appeared as a soloist with the WT Symphony as well as with members of the Harrington String Quartet. She appears frequently with Chamber Music Amarillo. In 2022, she was engaged as guest artist for the Louisiana Music Teachers Association State Conference, returning to her home state to present a solo recital and workshops for many of the teachers who were critical in her own pianistic development. In 2013, she was featured on American Public Media’s “Performance Today.” Other radio appearances include a live broadcast on KGNU in Boulder, CO. In 2025, she received the award for Outstanding Performance in Intellectual Contributions in the WT School of Music.

 

She earned a D.M.A. in Piano Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder (2018), a M.M in Piano Performance from Ithaca College (2015), and a B.M. in Piano Performance from Louisiana State University (2013). Her primary teachers include David Korevaar, Jennifer Hayghe, and Willis Delony. Prior to joining the faculty at WT, she taught for two years at Virginia Tech. Rushing also maintains a robust studio of local pre-college students in Canyon, TX. 

 

When not teaching and performing, Rushing enjoys hiking and running with her dog, Blaze. She has climbed mountains in the US and abroad, including 20 summits above 14,000 feet in Colorado, 11 state high points, and Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania). She has trekked on four continents, including the Tour du Mont Blanc (Europe) and Huayhuash circuit (Peru). She also plays ice hockey and is an active member of the Panhandle Bird Club.