Debbie, who was better known as Dr. Debbie Montague, was the Director of Instrumental Music at North Creek High School in Bothell, and she was a beloved music teacher in the Northshore School District for nearly four decades. In 2014, she was inducted into the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) Hall of Fame.
Debbie graduated from Central Washington with a B.A. in Music Education, and she later earned a Masters degree from the University of Washington. She then went on to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Principal’s certification. She joined the Northshore School District first in the mid 70’s, and then later, for good, in 1990. For thirty-five years, Northshore’s students, staff, and families were the beneficiaries of her deep love for music education. She spent the majority of her career at Kenmore Junior High, teaching Band, World Music, Exploratory Music, and Drama. In 2017, she joined North Creek High School as the Director of Instrumental Music.
“Debbie was a legend,” her colleague at North Creek High School would later say, “She was passionate about music and equally passionate about helping kids learn to love music. She worked tirelessly to make her programs the best they could be and in just a few short years at North Creek, she established a Jazz Ensemble, Band, and Orchestra that were each outstanding. Debbie supported her colleagues both at North Creek and across the entire Northshore School District. She will be sorely missed.”
Dr. Debbie Montague passed away unexpectedly in her sleep on Friday, October 2, 2020. She was 67 years old.
