Get to know Wiff Rudd, one of Baylor’s newest Master Teachers

Earning recognition as a Master Teacher at Baylor is a rare honor — the highest a BU professor can receive for his/her teaching. In January, President Linda Livingstone announced the lifetime designation for four Baylor professors, increasing the roll of Master Teachers to 33 since the honor was first bestowed more than 40 years ago.

Among the newest honorees is Wiff Rudd (BME ’77), a Baylor graduate and distinguished member of Baylor’s School of Music since 2002. As Professor of Trumpet and Brass Area Coordinator, Rudd’s students have achieved notable success — especially the Baylor Trumpet Studio, which has won six first-place titles at the National Trumpet Competition since 2009.

“My true calling is focusing on teaching,” Rudd told Baylor Connections earlier this year. “I hope to be remembered as a musician and a teacher that just happened to play the trumpet. … [My students] love music. They’re here for a reason. They got hooked like I did. I understand the journey. Their journey will be different, but I want to help them find how music is so important in the context of everyday living.”

This isn’t the first time Rudd has been recognized for his teaching. In 2010, he was honored with Baylor’s Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching and named Baylor’s Centennial Professor. In 2021, Rudd received Baylor’s Elizabeth Vardaman Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduates, and the following year, the International Trumpet Guild honored him with its prestigious Award of Merit, celebrating his profound impact on the art of trumpet playing through performance, teaching, publishing and research.

Rudd is also a highly sought-after performer and educator, performing and teaching on five continents while participating in over 3,000 concerts. He has presented clinics and performances at more than 300 universities and conservatories and has appeared at leading music events, including the National Trumpet Competition, International Trumpet Guild Conferences, the Midwest Clinic, the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, Music Educators National Conference, and Music for All.

He joins such Baylor legends as Robert Reid, Ann Miller, Ray Wilson, Tom Hanks and Bob Darden among the university’s 33 Master Teachers. Honorees are nominated by their former students and BU faculty/staff, and selected for their profound impact in the classroom and on students’ lives.

Sic ’em, Professor Rudd!