Gary Wolfman is the Director of orchestras for the Appleton North and West High Schools, and teaches music education classes for Lawrence University. Orchestras under his direction have performed nine times for MENC State and Divisional Conferences, and have been involved in six commissioning projects for new literature in the string orchestra and choral/orchestra areas. He is past president of the North Central Division of the National Association for the Music Education (MENC), and has served on the National Executive Board and Finance Committee for MENC. He has previously served as president of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association and was a founding member of the Wisconsin State Coalition for the Advancement of Music Education. Mr. Wolfman has also served as chair of the Wisconsin High School State Honors Music Project (CMP). He was the recipient of a Meritorious Service Award for his work in CMP.
Wolfman was a coordinating writer for MENC's publication Teaching Examples: Ideas for Music Educators, and was a contributing author in Strategies for Teaching Strings and Orchestra Scheduling Time for Music, and Performing with Understanding for Orchestra. He is a guest columnist for the magazine Teaching Music and has been published in magazines by the National Association of School Principals, the Wisconsin School Music Association and the Glazier String Company. He has appeared in two videos titled Block Scheduling and Performance with Understanding: the Wisconsin CMP Project.
Locally, he was the first recipient of the Cutting Edge Award, given for outstanding creativity and excellence in teaching, and was recognized as the Teacher of the Year for Appleton East High School. Wolfman is the conductor of the Fox Valley Youth Symphony and Music Director of the Youth Symphony Program. He has given presentations, keynote addresses, and guest conducted in 14 states and numerous school systems in the Midwest. This past year, he has given educational sessions at the Nebraska and Wisconsin State Music Conferences, the National MENC Conference and has been a guest clinician in Nevada, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Wolfman attended the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire for his undergraduate degree and the University of Wisconsin - Madison for his graduate degree. In Madison, he received the Richard C. Church Award as the outstanding student conductor.
Active in the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin, Wolfman is on the Board of Directors for the Mielke Family Foundation and serves as Chair of the Grants Committee. He also serves as the Religious Director for Congregation Bānai Israel in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Contact by e-mail: gary.wolfman@lawrence.edu