A Conversation With Glenn McClure – Composer, Performer, Arts Integration Consultant

Glenn McClure is a composer and Arts Integration Consultant. His compositions have enjoyed a wide audience in the US (St. Olaf College, Florida State University, Auburn University, San Diego State University, the American Choral Directors Association Conventions in San Antonio, Texas and Orlando, Florida, and the Nat’l Kodaly Conference in San Antonio).  Some of America’s finest conductors have championed his music (including Dr. Andre Thomas, Dr. Anton Armstrong, Dr. Paul Smith, Dr. Anthony Leach, Dr. Brady Allred, and Dr. Janet Galvan).  Mr. McClure’s acclaimed “Kyrie” from St. Francis in the Americas: A Caribbean Mass has enjoyed multiple performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City.  His work has also gained audiences in Mexico, Italy, Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.  Mr. McClure’s work was featured by the St. Olaf Choir at the culminating concert of the 2002 World Symposium of Choral Music. For three years, Mr. McClure was the Composer-in-Residence at Mt. Ireneaus Franciscan Retreat Center (affiliated with St. Bonaventure University).  Mr. McClure’s work is published by Earthsongs and Lorenz/Roger Dean Publishers.

Mr. McClure’s main compositional interest lies in the mixing of classical music with ethnic music traditions. Many of his compositions have been born out of community initiatives and collaborations.  He often works with a variety of community organizations to mold and shape his music into genuine expressions of the goals, interests and hopes of the communities from which they emerge. He was chosen for the prestigious “Continental Harmony” project.  This NEA project (administered by the American Composers Forum) placed composers around the country in an effort to celebrate diverse cultures in small American communities.

Mr. McClure is a passionate advocate for the integration of the Arts into the education of children. He offers 500-600 concerts and workshops annually that animate a variety of areas of learning with hands-on musical activities.  His award winning work in designing and implementing these programs in both mainstream and special education environments has gained the attention of numerous grants and foundations.  He has presented his work at educational conferences at both the state and national level.  He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Alliance for the Arts.

Mr. McClure works extensively in professional development project for teachers and artists, including a long-term consultant position with the Bronx Arts Council (supported by the Ford Foundation).  Mr. McClure helped design a groundbreaking Distance Learning Consortium that is bringing the Federal “Teaching American History” grant to rural school districts in New York, California, and Alaska.  This project represents a new model for national expansion in teacher professional development, curriculum design, and in-school/after school distance learning programming. He has worked closely with “Project View,” and curriculum initiative for video conferencing spearheaded by the New York Institute of Technology. Mr.  McClure is a design consultant for the new Online Memorial to American Slaves.  This digital museum will share cutting edge scholarship on American Slavery through interactive, arts-based activities.  His current arts integration projects include “Lewis and Clark” (a middle school residency with the Sioux Falls, SD school district) and “Galileo’s Universe.”  The Galileo project will connect three US schools, two European schools, three US universities, and bestselling author, Dava Sobel (Galileo’s Daughter) through web-based applications and video conferencing.

Mr. McClure’s academic interests include American popular music.  He worked closely in field research with ethnomusicologist, James Kimball of SUNY Geneseo in researching the influence of African music styles on rural music making in 19th century America.  Mr. McClure is working closely with the Online Memorial Museum of American Slavery in its design and development.

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