Valerie Gathright has been named as the EMTA Volunteer of the Month for February 2026! We are delighted to share your interview responses with our membership and to have this opportunity to thank you publicly for all that you do to benefit the membership of EMTA and the students of our members.

Please tell us how you have volunteered service to EMTA and to our students. 

I have served as past Communications Chair, past Vice President and current Jazz, Rags and Blues Co-chair.

How have you balanced your teaching load with all of the time that you have devoted to EMTA volunteer work?

Still working on that 🙂 I try to space out commitments so that times of heavy volunteer work and  big piano studio events don’t overlap. I have also found that volunteering with EMTA enhances my teaching. I always have my students in mind in my volunteer work and providing opportunities for them invigorates me which helps offset the time and energy costs of volunteering.

Is there a special memory about your volunteer activities that you would like to share?

Not a specific memory, but the friendships I’ve made through volunteering have been very rewarding. And, the support I was given from those friendships really helped sustain me while going through difficult times in my life.

Besides benefiting EMTA members, please tell our readers about any benefits or personal rewards that you feel that you get from doing volunteer work for EMTA?

Teaching can be isolating. Having social connections in doing volunteer work through EMTA has been a wonderful source of learning, growth and friendship. Each volunteer job has been beneficial. As communications chair, I loved always knowing what was going on and helping the board make decisions to benefit our members and students. As Vice President I enjoyed getting to connect with fabulous presenters and topics I was interested in. As Co-chair of the Jazz, Rags and Blues Festival, I enjoy connecting with talented guest artists and helping to provide a program that my students love. 

Is there anything else that you would like to say to our members about volunteering for EMTA?

It’s hard to make time for everything in our busy lives. I’ve started working three days a week in the schools as a speech-language pathologist  as well as teaching piano after school each day. Sometimes it seems overwhelming. But volunteering brings joy and enrichment to my life. I love being able to serve along with such kind and talented teachers in our organization. I feel fortunate to be part of such a wonderful group of people and so grateful for the volunteer service they do that enriches my life and the lives of my students.

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Thank you to EMTA member, Rick Asher, for coordinating the EMTA Volunteer of the Month.