Chris Rust Bio

I am currently in my eighteenth year as a high school choir director at Sunset High School in Portland, OR. Prior to Sunset, I taught at Riverdale Grade School for five years. As an educator, my main focus and interests have been in learning healthy and appropriate vocal pedagogy, experimenting with a variety of music literature and understanding how to adequately and fairly assess students so I can meet them where they are at; and then support them in their growth as a musician and learner.

Personally, I have a great love for the outdoors, particularly anything involving water (kayaking, SUP, surfing, boogie boarding). I am an amateur composer with the hope of getting more of pieces out into the world someday. Lastly, I have a great appreciation for travel and feel very grateful for the enriching experiences I have had through the NEH Foundation (workshops in Georgia and Arkansas), the WWII Museum (workshops in New Orleans and Munich) and now the NEAF Global Learning Fellowship (workshops in Washington D.C and South Africa).