“I love watching students grow as musicians, and the joy of working together to create something beautiful.”
Dallastown music teacher, Jennifer McCleary, discovered her passion for music when she was only two years old. This is where everything started.
Two years old? Yes, she was young when she first started singing along to songs playing on the radio. At the age of 8, she had started taking organ lessons, and her talent has grown from there.
McCleary taught for one year at Susquehannock High School in Southern York County and has spent the rest of 22 years in Dallastown. She continues to love her job by sharing her passion for music with her students.
She currently teaches Voice I and II, Keyboarding I and II, and Musical Theater.
Her department can be complicated with all of the extra events, concerts, and trips that they take part in. McCleary spends a lot of time working with logistical things such as transportation and set-ups for these events.
Even with these responsibilities, she remains an effective and engaging teacher.
Senior Julie Cioffi has worked with McCleary in the musical for three years and has found her helpful and caring to her students.
“She’s very motherly and always wants the best for you, she’s encouraging and helps you strive for excellence.”
This year, Cioffi played as Cinderella for “Into The Woods”.
“It was a little scary because McCleary played Cinderella in college, and she is such an amazing musician, it was hard to live up to that,” she said.
But with McCleary’s motherly support, she was able to gain confidence in herself.
McCleary loves many instruments, but she admits she’s partial to the voice. She loves that everyone’s voice is so unique.
“The voice is a complicated instrument to learn because so much of what you must do is not easily seen. Singers need to focus on so many things at once, such as breathing, placement, space, and other techniques,” McCleary said.
McCleary’s passion for music is evident not only in her teaching but also in her musical journey. Her early start with organ lessons paved the way for a lifelong dedication to music.
