Could it be magic? It was something like that for an amazing Jordan School District music teacher.

On this episode of the Superast, meet Riverton High’s Performing Arts Director Jason Weimer. Mr. Weimer recently received the prestigious Barry Manilow Music Teacher Award for the State of Utah. The award came with a once in a lifetime meet and greet with Barry Manilow, and with Mr. Weimer being recognized in the middle of the Manilow concert at the Maverik Center. Yes, it looks like this talented teacher has made it. Listen to hear his incredible story.

Audio Transcription

Jason Weimer:
He made me stand up in front of everybody at the Maverick Center and everybody was clapping.

Barry Manilow:
We have a winner here in West Valley City. Teaches at Riverton High School. Anybody?

Jason Weimer:
I was shaking in my shorts a little bit.

Barry Manilow:
Jason Weimer, Jason!

[cheering] [music]

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Could it be magic? It was something like that for an amazing Jordan School District music teacher. On this episode of the Supercast, meet Riverton High School's performing arts director, Jason Weimer. Mr. Weimer recently received the prestigious Barry Manilow Music Teacher Award for the state of Utah. The award came with a once-in-a-lifetime meet and greet with Barry Manilow himself and with Mr. Weimer being recognized in the middle of the Manilow concert at the Maverick Center. Yes, it looks like this talented teacher has made it. Listen to his incredible story

[music]

Anthony Godfrey:
We are here at Riverton High School out with the marching band talking with Jason Weimer, the director of instrumental music. Jason, introduce yourself.

Jason Weimer:
Hi, I'm Jason and I teach the sit-down bands and orchestras and AP Music Theory at Riverton High School along with Mr. Chris Jesse and Mr. Drew Holland.

Anthony Godfrey:
The sit-down bands. Tell me about how all this gets categorized.

Jason Weimer:
Well, marching band is what I like to call stand-up band. We do that outside and march around on the field and then sit-down band is the stereotypical more concert inside at night concert sort of ensemble.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stand-up, sit-down, fight, fight, fight. That's right.

Jason Weimer:
Yep, pretty much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Alright, so tell me, give us a comprehensive view of the music program, the instrumental music program overall. You mentioned some other faculty members. I think that folks who have not been in music in high school recently or haven't been involved may not realize just the scope and the range of opportunities that are available to students these days.

Jason Weimer:
So our biggest goal is to be able to meet students wherever they are in terms of what they need to get better at their instrument. So we're lucky to be able to offer three levels of orchestra and three levels of concert band and three levels of percussion ensemble and two levels of jazz band. The biggest thing that that lets us do is differentiate instruction and just sort of really cater to what the kids at each level need in order to get better. We found that that's been the best way for us to help grow the program and have happy kids playing music.

Anthony Godfrey:
You have kids entering the program, it sounds like, with varying degrees of experience with instrumental music. Some of them may be starting in middle school, some of them are starting fresh in high school, haven't picked up an instrument before, and others have played for a long time. Is that accurate?

Jason Weimer:
Oh yeah. You never know who's going to end up being your best senior or things like that, whether they start in high school as a sophomore or if they've been playing in middle school. I've had kids pick up an instrument in 10th grade for the first time and end up being some of the best players we have. Of course, kids who start learning when they're super young doing private lessons or things like that are going to generally tend to have an advantage, I guess, in terms of skill.

Anthony Godfrey:
But there's a place for everyone regardless of how well prepared you are.

Jason Weimer:
Absolutely. We'll take anybody at any skill level and do what we can to get them involved.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I love that so many options are available. We're here while everyone's setting up for marching band practice and this is, they're unloading a semi-truck. That's not an exaggeration. So tell me about what's involved every time you perform and every time you practice.

Jason Weimer:
So every time we practice, we're talking about getting 5 to 10 props in the right place, coordinating an ensemble that really in itself is three different ensembles performing together. So we have the Color Guard who does the dancing and the spinning of the flags and the rifles and stuff like that. So they have their own instructional team. We have the horn line. So that's going to be like band instruments, flutes, trumpets, things like that. They have their own instructional team. Then we have the percussion section, so drums and marimbas and things like that and they have their own instructional team. Then all of those have the visual component as well, which is the marching around the field and things like that. So you're coordinating a lot of different elements together. As you can tell from the trailer, even just stuff, we have a lot of stuff. But that's one of the best things about this activity is everybody has a responsibility that helps the team be successful, whether it's making sure the props are in the right spot or making sure the people are playing the right notes. Everyone has a thing that they need to contribute and be reliable on. Yeah, that type of responsibility is just what I've seen makes this activity so great and so appealing is everybody's starting, is on the starting team. Nobody's on the bench, so to speak. Everyone's on there the whole game.

Anthony Godfrey:
They're all very involved. You're here talking with me for the podcast after school, and everyone is just doing their thing. Everyone knows what to do. It's a well-oiled machine and everyone has a role to play. And if anyone aspires to be a roadie, I think they have some really good experience. They're ready to go.

Jason Weimer:
Yeah, for sure. They get plenty of practice at it. Everything you see the kids doing, we've practiced at some point earlier in the year, even putting repurposed cafeteria tables onto the field.

Anthony Godfrey:
I did notice that. They did seem familiar.

Jason Weimer:
They were surplus, I promise.

Anthony Godfrey:
No, I'm sure you didn't go to some elementary school and steal them. You received an award over the summer that got a lot of attention and, as you said, was pretty overwhelming. Tell folks about that.

Jason Weimer:
So it was the Barry Manilow Music Teacher Award, which, I'll be honest, I didn't even know was an award until they contacted me with the nomination.

Anthony Godfrey:
Had someone nominated you, or was it with a form that allowed you to?

Jason Weimer:
You know, it was somebody nominated me. I guess that with the venues they do concerts at, they meet with people who work at that venue and brainstorm. I'm not sure exactly how my name came up, and I haven't been able to figure out who put my name in the hat. But somebody somewhere nominated me, and I'm super grateful for that. But, I mean, the biggest thing for me is when the whole thing was happening, I hate being annoying on Facebook and social media and asking people to do things for me. So I was trying really hard not to be, you know, "Hey, make sure you vote for me today." Because the type of competition it was was one where you could vote every day once, each person could vote every day once. Then the window was so wide open that I was like, "I really don't want to be annoying." But I was super, super humbled by how much the community sort of took the reins and did that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell us about this award. What did it involve? I know it's money for you and for the school.

Jason Weimer:
Yeah, so normally when they did this award, they used to focus on just donations to the school. I guess this year, the past couple years, they decided to make it about the teacher and the school program. So they did a matching $5,000 donation to the school and then $5,000 for me as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now did they... Let me back up. So $5,000 for the school, $5,000 for you. How did you spend that money for the school? Have you spent it?

Jason Weimer:
I did spend it and we're still waiting on the equipment. So they partnered with a great company called Sweetwater. They were able to give us like at pricing basically on a lot of stuff. So a lot cheaper than we would have gotten that stuff had we just bought it by ourselves.

Anthony Godfrey:
And the $5,000 for you personally?

Jason Weimer:
Yeah, I spent that really, really fast as well. You know, I took my wife out to a nice dinner and then the rest, I shoveled into paying down my graduate loans. So...

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So hey, that's... That feels great. That feels great and it's a related cost. That makes a lot of sense. Well, that's pretty fun. That's cool. So tell me about the concert and the experience. You also got to attend the concert and you got to meet Barry Manilow. Talk to me about that experience.

Jason Weimer:
Yeah. They were great seats, first of all, like right up in the front. Before we went out for the concert, they took us backstage for the meet and greet. I mean, it was really fast. But it's like meeting a movie star, right? Like, I mean, it's probably the most famous person I've ever met in my life. Maybe will ever meet. But I mean, he was really kind and I mean, he was really busy, so we didn't chat that much. You know, we found out we played the same instrument, which was pretty cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
You played the same instrument. Tell me about that.

Jason Weimer:
Yeah. So I played clarinet growing up. And I guess that's the instrument that he played growing up as well. So, you know, we have a little bit of shared trauma.

Anthony Godfrey:
Clarinet trauma. Clarinet people. The clarinet brings people together.

Jason Weimer:
The clarinet players know about the clarinet trauma.

Anthony Godfrey:
So that's cool. That's exciting. And when he handed you the check, did he say, “This one's for you?”

Jason Weimer:
I you know, I think he dropped the ball on that one. He should have he should have done that. Right.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jason Weimer:
But, but yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
No musical references?

Jason Weimer:
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's really sad for me. I was out of town. I wanted to be there, first of all, to see you get honored like this. But I'm also a Fanilow, a big Barry Manilow fan. I've had his stuff. I bought it when I was 13. I bought Manilow Magic, the K-Tel collection. So I've been a fan for a long time and I wanted to tell him that. But it sounds like he would have been pretty busy and pretty fast in and out of the room anyway. But I was living through you because I really would have loved to meet Barry Manilow. That sounds like a really cool experience. How did it feel for you to be recognized that way?

Jason Weimer:
It was really overwhelming. I don't like public attention generally. But you know, there was a part where he made me stand up in front of everybody at the Maverick Center and everybody was clapping. And, you know, I was shaking in my shorts a little bit. But afterwards, it was pretty cool. As I was leaving, a lot of people came up and they're like, “Hey, I just want you to know, like, I had a really great music teacher. I appreciate what you're doing.” I even ran into parents of two students that I had 10 years ago when I started that just happened to be at the Barry Manilow concert, too. They came and found me afterwards to just — you know, and I got to catch up with them for a little bit. So that was that was awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's so awesome. I love that. That must have been a great feeling. What was fun for me is that I received a few texts from people who were at the concert who filmed it.

Jason Weimer:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Then would text it to me and say, did you know this about your teacher who won this award? And they were all really cheering for you. So I got to see that footage of what happened, of him having you stand up and the spotlight and everything.

Barry Manilow:
We're going to celebrate the music teacher, so we created a contest. Each city that we go to, the students vote for their favorite music teacher and we have a winner here in West Valley City.

[cheering]

Barry Manilow:
Let me tell you a little bit about him. He teaches at Riverton High School. Anybody?

[cheering]

Barry Manilow:
He’s been teaching for twelve years, and he teaches intermediate and advanced bands, three levels of string orchestra, marching band, full symphony and music theory. He’s a busy boy, eh?

[cheering]

Barry Manilow:
And I love his quote. The quote is “I love seeing my students' passion and watching them fall in love with making music.” Go Jason, go!

[cheering]

Barry Manilow:
All right. Stop. Our winner here in West Valley City is Jason Weimer! Jason!

[music]

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back. Hear what band students have to say about Mr. Weimer and his unofficial induction into the International Barry Manilow Fan Club.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Female Voice:
Are you looking for a job right now, looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part-time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers. In Jordan School District, we like to say people come for the job and enjoy the adventure. Apply today at employment.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
So just tell me, I always like to ask this, what would you say to parents of students who are maybe thinking about whether they ought to be involved in color guard or marching band or any instrumental music, whether here at Riverton or elsewhere. What are the benefits? Why should they consider that?

Jason Weimer:
You know, and I've said this a lot, is most of these kids won't major in music, but most of the benefits to being in a music ensemble are not musical benefits. So cooperation, how to work with other people towards a common goal, how to compromise, how to support your friends and your peers or invest in somebody else's success. Like those are in my mind are things we need a lot of now. And, you know, this activity just is full of that sort of stuff. I could I could go on and on and on and on and on about the positives of just those sort of ‘A. musical things.’ But honestly, like just hang out, hang out with some band kids, hang out with some orchestra kids at some point. Those are the kids who are like cleaning up after themselves and other people at school. Those are the kids who are like helping each other and, you know, and really watching out for each other. I think that that's not necessarily, you know, I think that that's because of their involvement in that activity.

Anthony Godfrey:
I agree. There are a ton of benefits and I like how you deem them to be ‘A. musical benefits.’ Like it goes well beyond music and their lessons that last forever. I also love that we have a soundtrack to our interview. We've got the marimbas going in the background and many other instruments as well. Sounds fantastic. And I went to the state competition couple years in a row. It's not just the students, but the parents. It's a very social for parents. It's a great connect. You become part of a community. Well, thank you so much for everything that you're doing for these kids. It's such an important experience for them. And I know your program is huge because of the great environment that you provide for students and the wonderful experiences they have when they're part of your program. So thanks to you and the other teachers involved here at Riverton and keep up the great work.

Jason Weimer:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
And good luck at state. We're talking now with two students who are in the program. Tell me your name, grade and what you play.

Elizabeth Fisher:
I'm Elizabeth Fisher. I'm a junior in high school and I'm the drum major.

Josh Sieverts:
I'm Josh Sieverts. I am a senior. I play clarinet.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about playing the clarinet. Your teacher also played the clarinet when he was in high school. He talked about the shared trauma of clarinet players. Talk to me about playing the clarinet.

Josh Sieverts:
Well, clarinet is definitely the best instrument. Up for debate, but not if you're right. There's so many squeaks, especially when you're learning. There's like these high pitch screams and they are so annoying. It's like learning the recorder in elementary school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Josh Sieverts:
One of those instruments your parents want you to play outside or in the basement. But then you start getting really good and it sounds really good.

Anthony Godfrey:
It sounds really cool. And does it come apart? Does it have like these, is it in three pieces or two?

Josh Sieverts:
Yeah. So you have your bell, you have your lower joint, which has the bottom hand of keys. The upper joint, which has the top hand of keys, your barrel, your mouthpiece, your ligature, which holds on your reed and then your reed, which is what makes the noise.

Anthony Godfrey:
I was going to say ligature. I'm glad that you stepped in with that. So now what do you like about playing the clarinet?

Josh Sieverts:
So I started playing it just because none of my family did, because I have a musical family. But then when I started playing it, it's like the perfect instrument for me because I love playing melody because I love being the most important.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Josh Sieverts:
Well, then I also love harmonies because I love how they blend and clarinet is right in the middle. So you get to do both.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow.

Josh Sieverts:
So it's my favorite.

Anthony Godfrey:
That’s great. Do you plan on continuing to play after high school?

Josh Sieverts:
Yeah. So I plan on going to college for music education, actually.

Anthony Godfrey:
Outstanding. So you can come back and work in Jordan District.

Josh Sieverts:
Oh, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. All right. Now tell me about your instrument. You are a drum major. So does that start out with being a major or with playing the drums?

Elizabeth Fisher:
Well, that just means I conduct the band. So I don't play the drums, but I play other instruments. Basically, I just keep time and hope that everybody stays with me and my co-partner, the other drum major.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so there are two drum majors.

Elizabeth Fisher:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
They're not the drum minor.

Elizabeth Fisher:
No, no. I'm technically the junior drum major, but we're both kind of equal, I guess.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Would she say that too? Or would she say that you're not even?

Elizabeth Fisher:
I'm not completely sure, but  . . .

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm not trying to create drum major drama here. I'm just trying to understand.

Elizabeth Fisher:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So as a drum major who does not play the drums, what do you do? You have to stand up on that precipice, up on that platform.

Elizabeth Fisher:
Yes. Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what is it like to be in Mr. Weimer's program? So he won an award. It seems like he's pretty awesome.

Josh Sieverts:
Yes. So I'd say he's the best band teacher because lots of band teachers are super strict and it's all about being perfect. And it's never talking. It's always just quiet and you're listening and attentive. He does that, but he makes it fun. So like, we can have a great time. Like sometimes we'll just get a pizza because we can. We'll just have a party during class.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about for you?

Elizabeth Fisher:
Yeah, basically the same thing. He has a really good balance of finding fun and being productive together. He's just a really cool guy in my opinion. I've had different situations where he's just like super friendly, super caring. He's inspired me to want to become a band teacher when I'm older. So I feel like that's like the best compliment someone can receive is just like — he's just so inspiring to me and I want to be like him when I grow up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, there's not a better compliment than that. That's fantastic. So you both want to be music teachers. What is, if you had to name one thing, what's the best thing you've learned from Mr. Weiner?

Josh Sieverts:
Honestly, how to play clarinet because I played for three years before I came here and I thought I was better than I was. I could hardly play it and then within like two months of having him as a teacher, I had excelled dramatically.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. How about for you?

Elizabeth Fisher:
I feel like just teaching me how to be like a really good person. He's an awesome person and he makes sure that we know how to treat people correctly. You know, we're teenagers. We're still trying to figure out our lives and who we are and just making sure that everybody around us is okay with us being around them and making sure that we're always grateful and just ready to be good people. I think that's something I've learned from him.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. What an incredible combination! The technical skills and learning just to be a better all-around person. What more could you ask for? So thanks for being such an important part of the band and I'm excited to see your performances coming up. So keep up the great work. Thank you for joining us on another episode of the supercast. Remember, “Education is the most important thing you will do today!” We'll see you out there.

(upbeat music)