Herb Kost
Herb Kost retired from teaching music in 1997 only to return to teaching at Grant High School as a temporary teacher in the school year 2000-01 and again in 2002-03. His teaching career began in Eureka, Nevada, then to Fruitland, Idaho, Sparks, Nevada and finally to Oregon. His teaching career in Oregon began at Gresham High School in 1970 and ended at Beaumont Middle School in Portland, Oregon in 1997 when he retired from music education. Mr. Kost received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Montana, where he studied clarinet with J. Justin Gray and William Manning, conducting from Eugene Andre’ and Lloyd Oakland. In 1976 he received his Master of Music Education from the University of Portland. Herb was an Air Force Band musician serving in bands in California, Germany and France and is still a very active musician playing regularly with the Woody Hite Big Band, the Jazz Express Big Band, The Tualatin Valley Jazz Band, Black Magic Big Band, Swing Shift and occasionally subbing in the Art Abrams Swing Machine. In addition to Jazz Bands, he performs with the Portland Metro Band, the VFW Concert Band, and is also very active in his church where he participates in choir, both as a singer and as a co-director. In addition Mr. Kost is affiliated with the Musicians Local #99, a former member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a music fraternity, Music Educators National Conference, past president of the Northern Nevada Music Educators, a former member of the International Association of Jazz Educators, Oregon Band Directors, Oregon Music Educators and Past-President of the Northwest Bandmasters Association. Herb and his wife Carol are “snowbirds” and reside in Indio, CA for six months at an RV Resort called Rancho Casa Blanca. In California Herb directs the RCB Men’s Chorus and also the RCB Chapel Choir. Herb also plays regularly with the Ted Herman Big Band, the Cathedral City Jazz Band, The Best Yet, Sax Quartet and his own RCB ten piece band.