Riverton High School’s Director of Instrumental Music Jason Weimer shared the spotlight with Barry Manilow at the crooner’s concert at the Maverick Center July 14. Weimer, who teaches  band, orchestra, winter color guard, marching band and AP music theory classes at RHS, was selected from eight local nominees as the winner of a Barry Manilow Music Teacher Award and $10K.

The Barry Manilow Music Project recognized one music educator in each community where the award-winning musician performed during the month of July. Weimer met Manilow and they spoke briefly about classical music, education philosophies and musical instruments, discovering that they both played the clarinet.

“Chatting with Barry was really cool,” Weimer said. “He's really a kind person, or that was the kind of vibe I got.”

Riverton High School music teacher Jason Weimer receives $10K from Barry Manilow before the crooner’s July 14 concert. (Photo courtesy Jordan School District)

About halfway through his concert, Manilow asked the audience to applaud for Weimer, and many concert-goers approached Weimer after the show to congratulate him and to share personal stories of how much school music programs had mattered to them or their kids.

“That was super great, because public school teachers—it's easy to get sort of discouraged sometimes—but it was super awesome and encouraging to see that many people come up to me and go out of their way to say that it was important to them or made a big difference to them,” Weimer said.

RHS band parent Heather Ence was glad Weimer got the public recognition he deserves for being an excellent teacher.

“Weimer, as the students call him, did everything to make music fun and an enjoyable experience, and because of that, our son had a fantastic high school experience,” she said. 

Weimer himself was shaped by his experience as a music student at Riverton High School. It was the influence of two RHS music teachers, Heather Christensen and Kevin Fallon, which inspired him to pursue a career as a music teacher. Weimer never left RHS—he worked on the marching band staff while attending college to earn a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Michigan. Then, just as he was finishing his degree, the teaching position at RHS became available.

“It was a serendipitous happenstance,” Weimer said. “Plus, it's kind of every music teacher's dream to work where they went.”

This will be Weimer’s thirteenth year of teaching music to high school students.

“One of the best things is witnessing the ‘a-ha’ moments or seeing kids fall in love with music or figure out something that they've had trouble with and overcoming those difficulties,” Weimer said.

Weimer hopes students learn to enjoy making music and that they continue throughout their lives, whether as a music professional or just as a hobby.

“If all they get out of it is to get [school] credit, then I feel like I didn't do a good job,” he said.

As a music director, Jason Weimer spends his summers running marching band camps and walking in local parades with his students. (Photo courtesy Heather Ence)

Former student Abby Weseman, who is considering becoming a music teacher, said Weimer was a great role model as a kind and level-headed director.

“He really fosters an amazing culture in the music program and does a really amazing job of making sure that everyone feels welcome and happy in our music program at Riverton High,” Weseman said.

Band parent Amy Rushton said Weimer cultivates an environment of growth and inclusion that impacts students' musical and personal development. Her daughter, Mackenzie, began as a timid violinist in Weimer’s orchestra and, with his encouragement, she worked to achieve concert master and also joined the marching band.

“He helped build up her confidence—she is more of an introverted, quiet person—and he put a lot of responsibility for her to grow and to develop her talents in areas that I don't think she ever would have,” Rushton said. “As a mom, I just loved that he would find ways to connect with each student individually—because it wasn't just her. He did it to all of them. He found ways to relate to the students.”

Over the 15 years Melinda Van Komen served as RHS’s marching band booster mom, she watched Weimer cultivate an atmosphere of real kindness with an emphasis on fun rather than perfection.

“One thing I really admire about him is he will take a kid who struggles with the physicality of marching band, and he knows that having that kid in formation, who can't quite do it, is going to cost the band points in marching band [competitions],” Van Komen said. “But to Jason, winning is secondary—or not even secondary—it's way down the list. But having a safe space for kids growing as musicians, growing as humans, and so many of those kinds of soft skills, are way more important to him than ever winning a competition.”

RHS Principal Rochelle Waite said Weimer advocates for his program and his students. She likes that his music programs develop students into good musicians as well as good people.

Riverton High School’s music department teachers: Drew Holland, Chris Jessee and Jason Weimer. (Photo courtesy Heather Ence)

Waite is grateful to the Barry Manilow Music Project for recognizing music teachers, who she said don’t always get awards for the dedication and extra time they put into their jobs.

“I think sometimes we forget that, or we don't focus on that enough when it comes to how much skill it does take to be involved and what hard work it is to be successful in a music program,” Waite said.

Both Waite and Weimer agree the music program’s success is due to an incredibly supportive community.

“I am incredibly grateful to work where I do,” Weimer said. “The community of Riverton is incredible— the teachers, admin and students make my job wonderful. But even more than that, my fellow directors make my life easier and my job even more enjoyable. I wouldn't be successful without their efforts—Chris Jessee, Drew Holland, Taylor Ashcraft, Eric Perkins and Jillian Christensen.”

Half of Weimer’s award money will be spent to update the school’s band and orchestra instruments. The other $5,000, gifted directly to Weimer, will be used to take his wife to a nice dinner and then to make a large dent in his graduate school loans.