Jonathan Glawe

Jonathan Glawe

Director of Orchestras
Pioneer High School, MI

  Biography

Jonathan Glawe (from Waterloo,Iowa) is currently the Director of Orchestras at GRAMMY award-winning Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Kansas and a Masters Degree in Music Education from the University of Oregon. Prior to his time in Oregon, Glawe taught in the Darien Public Schools in Darien, Connecticut.

Currently in his 15th year at Pioneer High School, Glawe has played an important role in the their return to the GRAMMY Signature School list, in which the Pioneer Music Department was honored as one of the top 3 music programs in the nation in 2010 and 2015, and earned the honor of being the National GRAMMY Signature School in 2011. Glawe performed with the Pioneer Symphony Orchestra at the Midwest Music Clinic in 2017, and took his conductorless chamber orchestra to the National Orchestra Festival in 2013, at which the group took home top honors. Glawe takes pride in offering ALL of his students unique enrichment opportunities, no matter what level of ensemble they are in. In his time at Pioneer, he has taken his students to perform in New York City Austria, Germany, San Francisco, Italy, New Orleans, Sweden, and London UK.  

Additionally, Glawe is the director and founder of the yearly Pioneer Orchestra Camp that takes place each August on the campus of the beautiful Interlochen Center for the Arts, at which he brings 130 students up for a week of musicianship and friendship activities.  In his time at Pioneer, Glawe has coached the Pioneer orchestras to a wide variety of successes in technique and performance in the classical setting while enhancing the orchestra curriculum with his knowledge of a variety of string styles. He has done this while aiming to maintain and further develop the high quality of classical musicianship that Pioneer has traditionally been known for.

Glawe is very passionate about mentoring young teachers, and regularly presents clinics around the country on teaching leadership to students, repertoire selection processes, citizenship through music, and the importance and role of human connection in the ensemble. He also has a 13 part series of presentations on bringing music history to life from a humanistic perspective. Additionally, Glawe has worked as a guest conductor on numerous occasions throughout the United States at both the district and state level. This includes a conducting appearance with the California High School All State String Orchestra in 2018 as presented by CASMEC.

Glawe was recognized as MSBOA District 12 Orchestra Director of the Year in 2011, 2013 and 2015.  He was a finalist for the Michigan Orchestra Director of the Year in 2012. He was selected as the Michigan String Teacher of the Year award from the American String Teachers Association in 2021.

Glawe is also a proud member, co- curriculum chair, and orchestra representative for the Servant Leadership Association For Music, an organization founded in the Fall of 2021. He currently resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife Rebecca Hunter, DMA, and their 3 spirited children.

  Session Titles

Building a Culture of Excellence in Your Orchestra Classroom

Teacher

The secondary orchestra director holds responsibilities well beyond the preparation and execution of an ensemble performance. The majority of the work to be a caretaker of a successful orchestra program is rarely seen, and is often unacknowledged. This clinic discusses the importance of maintaining the integrity of an orchestra program, while simultaneously pushing toward musical progress.


Effective use of Student Leadership in Your High School Ensemble

Teacher

This clinic discusses strategies and processes of building a student leadership team that ignites and invites all individuals in the music program to go as one.


Importance of Human Connection in the Music Classroom

Teacher

This clinic will focus on the power of connection in the music making process, and provide strategies to build bridges between your ensemble members to add to the totality of the human experience.


Invigorating Repertoire for your High School Orchestra Students

Teacher

Rinse and repeat of repertoire has its advantages, but it also hinders the ability of your students to learn skills that the 21st century string musician might want to know. Being intentional, thoughtful, and innovative in your repertoire plan will help everyone in the room grow. In this clinic, you will be provided with resources and processes to help you reimagine what is musically possible for your students.


The Power of Musical Citizenship for your High School Music Students

Teacher

What if each student and family in your program did ONE thing a year to give back to your community? If no deed was too small, and this was an unwavering expectation, and a pillar of your teaching philosophy, just how far could the spirit of citizenship reach? This session will discuss effective ways of implementing volunteerism from students and parents in your music program.