Judy Colson, the Associate Director at Olathe Northwest High School, is in her twenty-ninth year of teaching Band in Kansas. The past twenty-seven years have been in the Olathe Schools. Prior to coming to Olathe, she taught for two years at Wellsville, Kansas.
Judy began her career in Olathe as director of bands at Santa Fe Trail Jr. High. When Pioneer Trail Junior High opened, she was named director of bands. In Olathe, the elementary band position is an itinerant position. She accepted the position of full time elementary band director in 1989. She has been assigned to many Olathe elementary schools including West view, Central, Fairview, Rolling Ridge, Prairie Center, Countryside, Washington, Indian Creek, North view, and Pleasant Ridge in addition to her current assignment, Cedar Creek and Meadow Lane. She has had as many as five elementary Schools per year to serve. In 2001, Judy again became a secondary band director, accepting the position of assistant band director at Olathe North. She came to Olathe Northwest when the school opened in 2003.
Judy is a 1974 Graduate of Baker University. She earned her Master’s Degree from that same institution in 1988. Judy served as KMEA District 1 Secretary from 1980 to 1983. In September of 2002 she was awarded the Olathe Public Schools Foundation Educator Excellence Award. Judy received the 2003 Outstanding Elementary Educator Award for the Northeast District, presented by the Kansas Music Educators Association. Judy was a guest conductor At the Inaugural Kansas John Philip Sousa Junior Honor Band, Performance in January of 2003. She conducted a composition written expressly for her and her students in 1996, by friend, colleague and notable composer, James Ployhar. Judy is listed in the 2004-2005 and 2006-2007 editions of Who’s Who of American Women and the 2004-2005 edition of Who’s Who in America. She is on the Board of Directors for the new Johnson County Wind Symphony, slated to begin in 2007.
In addition to her work at Olathe Northwest, she is a clarinetist with the Olathe Civic Band.
