Katy Van Note

Katy taught Instrumental Music for nineteen years, primarily Elementary and Junior High bands, in the West Des Moines School District, West Des Moines, Iowa before retiring in 2009. Katy also spent fifteen years teaching all levels of concert and jazz band in Parker, Arizona; Lake Mills, Northwood, Renwick and Humboldt, Iowa.

A native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Katy graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Music education with emphasis on Clarinet from the University of Northern Colorado in 1975. She has done graduate work at UNC, Drake University, the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. She played clarinet with the Greeley (Colorado) Philharmonic, North Iowa Community Orchestra in Mason City and the Fort Dodge Community Orchestra. She was a member of a woodwind quintet based in Humboldt and was a member of the Arcadia Wind Quintet in Des Moines. She has played with the Mason City Community Band and the West Des Moines Community Band. She helped organize, co-directed and played clarinet in the Humboldt Community Band.

She also played with the Bella Vista Community Band from Bella Vista, Arkansas and the Arkansas Winds located in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Katy was co-director of the West Des Moines Northside Sixth Grade Band that was chosen to perform at the 1998 Iowa Bandmaster’s Convention and was co-director of the West Des Moines Southside Sixth Grade Band, also chosen to perform at the 2005 IBA Convention.

Katy is a P.E.O., a past member of SCIBA and IBA and has been President of the Questers Chapter Trail of Tears #904 in Arkansas for the past 4 years. Katy and her husband Chris have two married children and four grandchildren. When not practicing, Katy enjoys teaching privately, traveling and enjoying grandkids and decorating cakes.