What are your favorite things about teaching?

“The students I get to work with. We have kids that are just very passionate about music here. We have a very strong fine arts program. The kids that come here to sing with me really inspire me. They’re very talented, they’re very hard working and everyday I learn something from them as well. Then we have many students involved in MSHSAA events and MCDA, which is Missouri Choral Director Association events. In October we’ve got students trying out for all district choir and all state choir. We will also do large group contests in the spring and that is with our concert choir, our chamber choir, we do a men’s choir and a select women’s choir. Almost all of our students in our audition choirs are involved in solo and ensemble contest in the spring in some capacity and for several years we’ve had the most entries that have gone on to state more than any other school or department in the state.”

What is your favorite kind of music?

“I love all kinds of music because I grew up helping with show choirs. I also worked my way through college as a professional pianist and singer. I had a club job where I was paid actually very well, a lot of my friends were waiting tables for two dollars and fifty cents an hour and this was back in the 1980’s, I was getting paid 25 dollars an hour just to play background music at a restaurant and then I did a couple of sets of singing and playing the piano. So I love pop music for that reason. Like most of you guys, I listen to rock bands and stuff like that. In our program we really try to do a wide range of music from Bach to the Pentatonix.”

What are your accomplishments?

“I’ve been teaching music for a really long time. I started my undergraduate degree in 1980 and I was already teaching piano and voice lessons through our college program at that time. My first teaching job, I started in 1984 so I’ve been teaching for 30 years. Just knowing I was part of their journey and seeing where they were able to take their passion and knowing that they’re going to touch other lives through their music. It’s just a beautiful web of growth, just knowing that I was a small part of that is very rewarding.”

Kailyn Peterson thoughts on Dr. Heruth:

“She is so sweet. She is just so caring and sometimes she’ll get down to the niddy gritty when it’s time to get ready for our concerts, but all in all she is just a wonderful person and I love her.”