RICHARD E. (Dick) WATT retired in 1996 after thirty-five years as a public school music educator, thirty one of those in the Mesa, Arizona Unified School District, which selected him Educator of the Year in 1984.  The last ten years in Mesa, he served as Supervisor of Mesa’s Elementary General Music Program.

Dick earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Masters degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.  After beginning his Orff studies with Grace Nash, he earned a Masters Level endorsement from the University of Memphis.  He studied movement and folk dance with Phyllis Weikart, High/Scope Foundation, Ypsilanti, Michigan and general music with Barbara Andress, Arizona State University, where he also earned his Supervisors Certificate.  He is a former co‑owner/teacher of a private music pre-school.  He has taught music education classes for classroom and preschool teachers for the Maricopa County Community College District, ASU and NAU.

Dick has presented numerous music workshops throughout the Southwest, particularly for early childhood educators.  National presentations have included ones for MENC, NAEYC and AOSA.  After his retirement from the Mesa Public Schools, Dick served for seven years as special music consultant for the Peoria Early Childhood program.

He was National Co-Chairperson with Karen Medley for the 1994 AOSA Conference in Philadelphia and with Del Bohlmeyer for the 1999 AOSA Conference in Phoenix.

Dick is always ready to offer assistance to educators, and is a strong advocate for a quality music program for elementary and pre-school children.  He is a master teacher, and he continues to receive requests to lead folk dancing workshops and present classes on a regular basis.  His presentation for us in August, 2006 was an attendance record breaker for our chapter.