Curtis Gaesser, who has been teaching in the Folsom Cordova Unified School Disctrict since 1984, at Folsom High School since 1987 was named "District Teacher of the Year" in 1990 and 2011.
He was honored as 1995's "Most Outstanding Music Educator" by the California Association for Music Education and was "California State Jazz Educator of the Year" in 2003.
In 2008, he received DownBeat Magazine's "Annual Achievement Award in Jazz Education."
But the most important accolade at Folsom High School is the winning philosophy that musical participation presents students some of life's greatest lessons.
To quote Curtis Gaesser, "I don't think there is anything more rewarding than to see kids perform at their best after a lot of hard work. I don't care if we win or lose; I just want these kids to do their best."