Jeremy Olisar

Artist Lecturer in Music Education

Bio

Jeremy Olisar has been on staff at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) since 2021 and is an Artist Lecturer in Music Education in the school of music, teaching the Principles of Education, Secondary Guided Teaching, and Music in the Secondary School courses, and Director of the Kiltie Band, the university's premier marching and concert ensemble for non-music majors. He has also been at Waynesburg University (WU) since 2007 where he is a Part-Time Professor of Woodwinds in the music department, teaching woodwind lessons, assisting as the woodwind tech of the Symphonic Band, and directing the Woodwind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Kiltie Band (or pipes and drums).

 

Mr. Olisar is a graduate of CMU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in clarinet performance and minors in music education and conducting. While attending, he studied clarinet from Michael Rusinek, composition from Nancy Galbraith, conducting from Denis Colwell, and bagpipes from Alasdair Gillies. After earning his Pennsylvania Certification in Music Education, K-12 through CMU's certification program, Mr. Olisar taught full time in the public school system for six years before going on to earn a Master of Arts in band conducting from the American Band College in Ashland, Oregon.

 

Through his multitude of teaching experiences, Mr. Olisar has had the opportunity to work with students from kindergarten to college in a wide variety of music contexts, including concert band, jazz band, marching band, pep band, general music, life skills, chorus, chamber ensembles, and individual lessons. In 2021, he received the Lucas-Hathaway Award for Excellence in Teaching by Part-Time Faculty from WU. As a performer, he has played clarinet, saxophone, and bagpipes as a soloist and in a variety of chamber ensembles, bands, and orchestras.

 

Mr. Olisar serves and continues his own development in the field of music education as site host of the annual Pittsburgh High Notes Festival, attendee and exhibitor at the annual Midwest Clinic: International Band, Orchestra and Music Conference and Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Annual In-Service Conference, and most recently one of the organizers and teachers of the Bridging Cultures Through Music Initiative in Bogotá, Colombia. He is also a member of the American School Band Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.