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As an educator...
As an educator...
Katherine Findlay Hagstrom (aka Mrs. Findlay) is so lucky that she gets to teach multiple music subjects!
She is a 4th-6th grade strings educator at Westpark and Woodbury AND a general music educator at Meadow Park Elementary and the Irvine Adult Transition Program.
Mrs. Findlay has been teaching in IUSD for a long time! She started as an instructional assistant for IUSD in 2012 and was hired as a music educator in 2014.
Across her 13 years of teaching, Mrs. Findlay was awarded the SCSBOA Rising Star Award, the Orange County Arts Educator Award, the Orange County Music and Arts Outstanding Arts Educator: Special Education Arts Educator award, and IUSD's Excellence in Teaching award. In 2026, she was a semifinalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award!
While teaching for Irvine Unified, Mrs. Findlay contributed to starting and continuing the Long Beach Harmony Project, a Saturday program that provided music education to populations that otherwise would not have had access to it.
Where did her musical journey start?
Where did her musical journey start?
While growing up in Pennsylvania, her family introduced her to music. She started on piano, but in the 4th grade, she fell in love with the double bass. Throughout her entire grade school education, Mrs. Findlay participated in the choirs, musicals, and orchestra programs. She auditioned and performed with the local youth orchestras, and made it into the All-State Orchestra.
In college, Mrs. Findlay double majored in bass performance and music education at CSULB. She was principal bassist in the orchestra and was honored with solo positions. While in college, Mrs. Findlay was lucky to have a bass teacher who invited her to act as assistant orchestra manager for the American Ballet Company and Bolshoi Ballet when they performed in Los Angeles.
Mrs. Findlay still enjoys making music outside of the classroom. She performed with an orchestra to a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall.
Mrs. Findlay also loves to learn! In 2020, Mrs. Findlay went back to school to learn how to better meet the needs of students through music, and is now a Board-Certified Music Therapist!
Mrs. Findlay loves to mentor, too! She has presented at the American String Teacher's Association national conference and the California Music Educators state conference. Mrs. Findlay has also enjoyed running bass clinics, string sectionals, and adjudicating auditions for various organizations. Mrs. Findlay is a proud member of the following organizations: NAfME, CMEA, CTA, NEA, SCSBOA, ASTA, and AMTA.
Some fun facts about Mrs. Findlay...
Some fun facts about Mrs. Findlay...
She is happily married to a fantastic musician. Her husband is a professional drummer who plays with bands that tour the country. They have a cuddly cat named Charlie and a young pup named Chewy. Mrs. Findlay loves to paddleboard… which usually results in just floating. :) You will likely find her wearing festive outfits during the holidays. She enjoys riding electric scooters around town, finding hikes with waterfalls, and doing yoga!
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