Currently in his 36th year of teaching vocal music, Tom Gerking spent the first 33 years teaching at Westwood Community School in Sloan, Iowa. He helped singers achieve honors at All-State Chorus, Opus Honor Choir, and Outstanding Performance at the IHSMA Solo / Ensemble Festival. Student participation averaged 60 - 70 percent of the entire high school student body. Many of the Westwood singers participated in several different honor choirs, performing the national anthem throughout the school year, madrigal dinners, musicals, and show choir. 

Gerking has choreographed show choirs from the elementary level to the collegiate level. He served as a staff member for summer show choir camps at Show Choir Omaha!, Buena Vista University, SNJ Studios, Butler Community College, and the University of Southern Mississippi. 

He continues to serve as a show choir and choral music adjudicator and clinician throughout the country. He also serves as conductor for several conference, district, and statewide choral festivals in Iowa and Nebraska. 

Currently, Gerking leads over 350 singers at Omaha's Westside Middle School vocal music department. More than 130 of those students are involved in its show choirs - Westside Connection and Treble Express. This year, 45 singers were selected to perform in the NMEA Mid-Level All-State Chorus. In 2025, Gerking started a unified music class which involves approximately 15 students along with their peer models. 

In 19xx, Gerking envisioned and created a show choir festival to be hosted annually at the Westwood Community School campus.  He founded Jubilation and a tradition at Westwood that continues to celebrate show choirs from across Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. 

Gerking has a Bachelor of Music Education from Morningside University and Master of Music from CollegeName.  He has received xxx award, xxx award, xxx award.