Tammy Rutgers

Tammy Rutgers has been teaching piano and organ locally since 1996, as well as accompanying school and church choirs and serving as organist currently at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham. Her home studio averages between 25 and 30 students ranging in age from seven years old to 70+, several of whom have earned honors as LMTA chapter representatives/alternates to the Washington State Music Teachers Association annual convention recitals.  She enjoys additional local music opportunities singing alto in the Lynden Choral Society directed by her husband, Gerald, and in the Bellingham Festival of Music Chorus directed by Michael Palmer and Vance George.  She also accompanies high school musicals and is a certified Ultimate Music Theory instructor.  She and Gerald are the parents of four adult children. During her college years Tammy supplemented her choral and keyboard experience by assisting in classical music programming at the Dordt College (Sioux Center, Iowa) educational radio station KDCR while obtaining a B.A. in communications.  She also has 20 years' experience as a medical transcriptionist for St. Joseph Hospital and previously a rehabilitation medicine office, where she recognized the therapeutic value of recreational music making in patient care.  Finally, she is deeply grateful to LMTA for providing her with superb continuing education through monthly meetings, chapter recitals, access to workshops, publications, repertoire, musicianship and adjudication opportunities, and general networking for excellence in music education.

She is currently accepting students and can be reached at tdrutts@gmail.com or 360-325-5570.