 Over the years, he has worked very closely with the award-winning Jazz Band Director Clarence Acox to create one of the best high school music programs in the world.In fact, the Garfield Symphony Orchestra won the "Best Orchestra" Award from the Down Beat Magazine in both 1999 and 2007.In 2016, Seattle mayor Ed Murray declared March 1 official Marcus Tsutukawa Day in Seattle, in recognition of Tsut's 31 years of dedication to the program.