BC Professor Receives Educator of the Year from Kern County Music Educators Association

Monday, February 3, 2025

Bakersfield College Performing Arts is proud to celebrate Dr. John Gerhold, who was recently honored with the Kern County Music Educators Association’s (KCMEA) College Music Educator of the Year award. Dr. Gerhold received the award during the 2025 Grand Night for Music on January 28 at Mechanics Bank Arena. A stalwart of music education in California for over 30 years, Dr. Gerhold has had a career in education that has been both successful and widely impactful.

Originally from Fullerton, Dr. Gerhold has been teaching music theory and ear training at BC since 1994 and served as department chair for more than 20 years. Many of Kern County’s music educators, including several BC faculty members, have benefited from Dr. Gerhold’s deep musical knowledge and unparalleled educational excellence, shaping the landscape of music education in Kern County and beyond.

Dr. Gerhold has led several organizations, including the Music Association of California Community Colleges, the KCCD Community College Association, and the Bakersfield College Academic Senate, leadership positions that led to him being appointed the principal author of the statewide model curriculum for the Music Associate Degree for Transfer; he currently chairs the committee responsible for maintaining and revising that curriculum. 

A respected tenor, Dr. Gerhold has frequently performed as a soloist with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra and the New Directions concert series, and for the last quarter century, he has sung the National Anthem for Bakersfield College’s commencement ceremony.

Please join us in celebrating Dr. John Gerhold, a true champion of music education locally and throughout Kern County. Thank you, Dr. Gerhold, for all the incredible work you have done, enriching the lives of young musicians. In our eyes, this award has been long overdue!