Joseph Brennan
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Conductor of String Ensembles
Joseph Brennan received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education from Temple University majoring in violin and studying trumpet. In June of 2022 Joe retired after 37 years as a music teacher. For 36 of those years, Joe was the director of the orchestra program at Haverford Middle and High Schools, located in suburban Philadelphia. In addition to his teaching duties, Joe was the Music Department Co-Chair for the School District of Haverford Township for the last 8 years at Haverford. While at Haverford, Joe brought many orchestras and string ensembles to perform at Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) annual state. The Haverford High School Symphony Orchestra participated in a “Side-by-Side” rehearsal and performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as having represented the State of Pennsylvania by performing in America’s 400th Anniversary, a national event, with President George W. Bush in attendance. In 2006, Joe was recognized by PMEA with the Citation of Excellence Award. Joe is currently an adjunct faculty in the College of Music, and College of Education Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Until its recent closure in June, Joe was an adjunct faculty in the School of Music at the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia. He is also the string ensemble/orchestra director at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Moorestown, New Jersey. He is a former President of the Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and in 2018 was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for an Individual by the chapter. Joe has presented sessions at ASTA national conferences, MidWest Clinics, National Assoc. for Music Education (NAfME) conferences, Texas Music Educators Association state conferences as well as other state conferences. Joe has twice been chosen to attend the Juilliard School’s “Conductors Workshop for Music Educators”. He continues to be a guest conductor who focuses on the development of ensemble skills while offering a unique teaching perspective as a string and wind player. Joe serves on the board of the Association of Church Musicians in Philadelphia (ACMP). Joe is a former competing quartet singer and Music Specialist with the Wilmington chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS). Joe is an active freelance violinist and trumpeter in the Philadelphia area. Joe lives in Hainesport, New Jersey with his wife and children and enjoys sports and doing DIY homeowner projects. Since being a kidney donor in 1997, Joe, has been an advocate for organ donor awareness. Joe is a cancer survivor and supports the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS) Email: [email protected] |