Jayson Gerth

Middle School/Second Band Clinician

Jayson Gerth is the 9th-grade band director at Southeast Polk Junior High School in Pleasant Hill, IA. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Drake University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Wyoming.

Now in his 31st year in education, Mr. Gerth has had a distinguished career leading bands in both Iowa and Wyoming. He is the former principal tubist of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, and his early career earned him the 2000 Casper (WY) Star-Tribune “Star Teacher” Award and recognition as an “Outstanding Educator” by the Natrona County School District in 2002 and 2004. He was a nominee for the Grammy Music Educator of the Year Award in 2013 and was named a “Favorite Teacher” by the Iowa Governor’s Scholar Recognition Program in 2019. In 2021, the Iowa Bandmasters Association presented him with its highest honor, the Karl King Distinguished Service Award.

A prominent leader in Iowa music education, Mr. Gerth served as President of the Iowa Bandmasters Association during the 2019-20 school year. Currently, he serves as the Executive Board Chair for the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education and as the State Chair of the IBA Mentorship Committee. He is also a Past President of both the South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association and the Northeast Wyoming Music Educators Association.