Dr. Sarah Rushing, NCTM
Assistant Professor
Office: Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, Room 236
Email: srushing@wtamu.edu
Phone: 806-651-2852
Professional Profile
Dr. Sarah Rushing, NCTM is Assistant Professor of Piano at West Texas A&M University. Rushing’s commitment to teaching is evidenced through her years of experience teaching private and group piano classes in both the community and university settings in Louisiana, New York, Colorado, Virginia, and Texas. In 2023, Rushing received the award for Outstanding Contributions in Teaching Excellence for the WT School of Music. Rushing has been an active member of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) since 2009, serving as a faculty advisor, local competitions coordinator, and adjudicator for various regional and state competitions. She served on the editorial committee of the MTNA e-Journal for two years before assuming the position of chair in 2025. Rushing has performed and presented original research at dozens of state, regional, and national conferences, including various MTNA National Conferences and College Music Society conferences of various scope. With her trios, Triptych and TRIOSARACHOPS, she has performed at the International Music by Women Festival and the SHE: Festival of Women in Music, in addition to performances at numerous colleges and universities throughout the US. In 2025, she received the award for Outstanding Performance in Intellectual Contributions in the WT School of Music.
Teaching and Related Service
Dr. Rushing teaches applied piano, piano pedagogy, and class piano. She co-directs the Grace Hamilton Piano Festival and WT Music Academy. She is also the advisor for the WT Collegiate Chapter of Music Teachers National Association.
Research and Creative Activity
As a performer, Rushing enjoys playing music off the beaten path and has appeared in competitions and recitals throughout the US. In 2013, she was featured on American Public Media’s “Performance Today.” Other radio appearances include a live broadcast on KGNU in Boulder, CO. Rushing enjoys collaborating with colleagues and has recently been engaged with the North American Saxophone Alliance, the International Double Reed Society, the National Flute Association, and the Flute New Music Consortium. Before moving to Texas in 2020, Rushing was an Instructor of Piano at Virginia Tech. She completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Colorado Boulder in the studio of David Korevaar, where her research focused on the music of Johannes Brahms and Claude Debussy. She received the Masters of Music in Piano Performance degree from Ithaca College, where she studied with Jennifer Hayghe, and the Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance degree from Louisiana State University, where her teachers included Willis Delony and Gregory Sioles.
Personal Sketch
When not teaching and performing, Rushing enjoys hiking, running, and enjoying the great outdoors, which has taken her to numerous summits in the US and abroad, including over 20 mountains above 14,000 feet in Colorado and Mount Kilimanjaro. She also plays ice hockey.