Erin Bustin, Executive Director
Erin Bustin is the founder and executive director of Grinnell School of Music.
Identifying a need for music education in her community, she opened the school and facilitated its transformation from her private home vocal studio to a robust nonprofit organization offering a wide selection of musical opportunities. Erin manages the day-to-day operations of Grinnell School of Music, as well as running its ambitious capital campaign and teaching voice lessons and other classes.
Erin has an extensive professional background in arts management, specializing in private- and public-sector fundraising, non-profit governance, strategic planning, event planning, and volunteer management. She served as executive administrator of Choral Canada, a national service and advocacy organization for choirs, conductors, and singers. In this role, she led the organization through a period of critical growth and an expansion of its mission. She was development associate at Soundstreams Canada, an internationally renowned organization that produces and presents groundbreaking contemporary music. Erin has held additional roles and consulted for diverse organizations including the Grinnell College Department of Alumni Relations, the Guelph Jazz Festival and the John Weinzweig Centenary Project.
Erin moved to Grinnell in 2014 and has been an active member of the community as a musician and educator ever since. She is the founding Director of the Grinnell Children’s Choir, established in 2017 when she and several other local musicians and parents saw a need for more extracurricular music education opportunities in Grinnell. The Choir is thriving with an annual roster of 35 singers from grades kindergarten through 5th. She is also a founding member of the women’s ensemble Vox Feminae. In 2019 Erin opened Studio E, the predecessor to the Grinnell School of Music. She has sung with the Grinnell Oratorio Society and participated in Grinnell Community Theater. In 2023, Erin received Special Recognition for Arts Service at the 2023 Iowa Arts Council Governor's Arts Awards for her contributions to the arts in her community.
Erin is an experienced singer, choir director, and music instructor. She received a Bachelor of Music in voice performance at the University of Prince Edward Island and Master of Arts in Musicology at the University of Toronto, and she continues to develop her skills as a musician and educator. As a soprano vocalist, Erin has been a professional member of numerous ensembles, including the International Bach Festival Singers, Toronto Choral Artists, Cantala Women’s Choir, and Cantabile Chamber Singers. She continues to teach private voice lessons for children and adults of all experience levels, in both Bel Canto and contemporary singing styles. In 2021, Erin became an accredited teacher and center director for Music Together® and leads classes for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers.
Erin has always been deeply passionate about music and community. In her teaching and practice, she emphasizes the ways in which singing can bring people together, build confidence, and serve as a vital form of self-expression. Erin’s belief that music helps to create stronger, healthier, and happier communities is what drives her work, from social entrepreneurialism to her own vocal practice.
Erin lives in Grinnell with her husband Mark, a music professor and jazz saxophonist, and their two daughters, Nora and Mary.