Judy Bush

Judy Bush has recently retired as the Music Teacher Leader for Lincoln Public Schools in Nebraska after 30+ years in the elementary general music classroom. Before moving to Nebraska in 2000, she taught in Kentucky and Ohio. Judy earned her BME from Northern Kentucky University and her Orff Certification from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with graduate work from Xavier University, Miami of Ohio and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music.

She is a Past President of both the NAfME North Central Division and the Nebraska Music Education Association, was a member at large of the NAfME General Music Council and tri-chair of the Professional Development/Partnership Committee from 2021-2023, serving as the 2022 NAfME National Conference Chair. In 2016 and 2022, she received the Bryan R. Johnson Distinguished Service Award from NMEA and was inducted into the Nebraska Music Educators Hall of Fame in 2023. Judy has served as executive board liaison to both the NAfME Innovations and General Music Councils. In addition to her association work, she currently sits on the board of Nebraskans for the Arts and is a frequent guest teacher at Doane University working with undergraduate music ed students.

Judy creates professional development opportunities for teachers across the state of Nebraska and has presented on various topics to educators at numerous regional, national and international conferences including the ASCD International Conferences in 2014, 2015 and 2016 with the Whole Child Network of Schools. Her writing contributions to the field include articles for the Nebraska Music Educator magazine, the National Federation of State High School Associations Music Journal, the Orff Echo, Teaching Music Magazine and the SmartMusic Blog, and she has contributed a chapter to the recently published “The Music Teachers’s Guide to General Music” (GIA)