Poet Jenny Powell-Chalmers is the literacy support teacher at Bayfield High school where Mr Brusse was head of music, for 37 years, until last year. She wrote Conductor three years ago, after helping Mr Brusse with a junior music session.
"When I watch Aart conduct, he... reminds me of a bird about to take off in flight," she said.
The poem was published in the latest Part 2 School Journal, a magazine aimed at New Zealand schoolchildren aged 8 and 9. Ms Powell-Chalmers said she was surprised to see the cover illustration was such a good representation of Mr Brusse.
"It's a real joy to open up a journal and see how someone else sees the poem."
When she was at Bayfield, Ms Powell-Chalmers played the French horn and remembers Mr Brusse conducting the school orchestra.
"It's been a long and happy association."
Mr Brusse thought the poem was "just incredible".
"Jenny painted it very nicely. I get quite a buzz that it comes out of the work I've done."
Recently retired, Mr Brusse (65) still teaches cello at Bayfield and gives lessons to pupils as far away as Palmerston. He continues to help with Saturday morning music classes, which he helped to establish in 1968.
He organised the Otago Secondary Schools Music Festival for 39 years and directed the Dunedin Youth Orchestra for 20 years.
The Bayfield High production of West Side Story at the Westpac Mayfair theatre this week was the first time in almost four decades that he has not been involved.
