Ther American conductor and music pedagogue, John Clinton, studied at Ada High School (May 1962-1965) and at Norman High School. He graduated from East Central Oklahoma State University. He earned his Master of Music Education (MME) degree from the University of Oklahoma. In 1991, he completed his Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of North Texas, with emphases in orchestral conducting, string pedagogy, and sociology.
John Clinton recently retired as Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Central Oklahoma. In 2014, he retired as conductor of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra (OYO), a position he held since 1992. He was Director of Fine Arts for the Norman (Oklahoma) Public Schools for thirty years. He has also served as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Center for Arts Education and the Oklahoma A+ Schools.
John Clinton has conducted state and regional orchestras in Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington. He has presented papers and in-service workshops at the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) in New Orleans and Kansas City, Texas Music Educators Association, The Midwest International Band & Orchestra Clinic, the University of Oklahoma “Symposium ’95: The Sociology of Music Education: Theoretical Underpinnings and Practical Applications,” as well as presentations in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, and Vancouver, British Columbia, on a variety of arts topics. He has conducted All-State and All- District orchestras in Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. He has also conducted the OYO on several tours including performances in Australia, Austria, Czech Republic England, France, Germany, Italy, Monaco, New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland and the Zoltán Kodály Memorial Festival in Budapest, Hungary.
John Clinton has received numerous professional honors, including the University of Oklahoma School of Music Distinguished Alumni Fellow, Oklahoma String Teacher of the Year, Governor’s Arts Award for Arts and Education, National Federation of State High School Associations Outstanding Music Educator, Oklahoma Music Educators Association “Administrator of the Year,” and the Distinguished Service Award from the Art Therapy Association of Oklahoma.
sINCE 2001, John Clinton serves on the board of directors for The Midwest International Band & Orchestra Clinic, Oklahoma Arts Institute, and Children’s Arts Network, He has also conducted the OYO on several tours including performances in Australia, Austria, Czech Republic England, France, Germany, Italy, Monaco, New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland and the Zoltán Kodály Memorial Festival in Budapest, Hungary. In 2013, he founded the Edmond Chamber Orchestra. He currently lives in Norman, Oklahoma. |