Teaching more than music

When RaNae Dalgleish was 4 years old, her mother placed a violin in her small hands — the last one her father had worked on before he died. 

“This is yours,” her mother told her. 

Dalgleish remembers looking at it and saying, “This is the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

In that moment, she knew music would always be part of her life.

Dalgleish’s father had been a violin maker, trained by German luthier Peter Prier, who first worked under her grandfather, a longtime band teacher in Provo who also opened Pearce Music Company.  

Music was part of her upbringing. Her mother would accompany Dalgleish on piano during her early violin recitals and her grandfather would play for her, symphonies and string quartets on his downstairs stereo system for hours.

“He introduced me to the world of classical music,” she said. “He was so knowledgeable and he had such a passion for it.”

Dalgleish’s introduction to music became a lifetime passion which she has shared with students for four decades. Recently, the National Federation of High Schools named Dalgleish as region seven’s Performing Arts Educator Award recipient of the year for her 40 years of dedication to music education.

 The nomination itself came as a surprise. Former Canyons School District performing arts specialist Sheree Jorgensen submitted her name in November 2025 and it was in early February that Dalgleish learned she won the award, which as of press deadline, was yet to be presented to her.

“I was excited, humbled, honored and surprised,” she said. “I appreciate Sheree for noticing my work through the years and thinking about nominating me for this award. It means a lot.”

After earning her degree in instrumental music education on full scholarship at the University of Utah, Dalgleish’s career began teaching elementary students string instruments. She then progressed to teach high school choir and eventually, nearly two decades at Hillcrest High directing orchestras and choirs. 

Dalgleish directs highly esteemed ensembles, mentors teachers and organizes districtwide events. She is the musical director for many of Hillcrest’s award-winning musicals and has served on the Utah Music Educators Association. She has performed with the Utah Tabernacle Choir, the Salt Lake Symphony, the Salt Lake Vocal Artists and Salt Lake Symphonic Choir.

For Dalgleish, the heart of teaching was shaped early in her career. During her first year teaching at her alma mater, Olympus High, her student choir president was killed when, as a pedestrian, he was struck by a car.

“I learned the lesson that I needed to love my kids more than I need to love music,” Dalgleish said. “They needed love and they needed music.”

That experience changed her priorities, which still guides her today. Festivals and ratings matter less than connection.

“I want them to understand music as a way to touch hearts that words can’t,” Dalgleish said. “Music is a service that you can help people to heal and to go through hard times. It helps to brighten spirits, to lift hearts that are heavy.”

She chooses repertoire with care, tailoring pieces to the students in her classes. Through COVID, through loss of family and through other circumstances, she chooses music with a message for her students to embrace and share.

“Every year, I need to know my students so I can make music meaningful for them,” Dalgleish said. 

One beloved tradition is ending concerts with “Peace be with You,” an arrangement passed down through Hillcrest High choir directors Leo Dean to Brian Bentley and to Dalgleish. Alumni return to sing it in the final concert of each year, filling the stage alongside current students, creating a community through music and love she has helped build.

Music has given Dalgleish many opportunities beyond the school stage. From her first school bus trip to Vancouver, B.C. as a high school senior to performances across Europe and Asia, she has seen how music connects people. She shares that experience with her students, giving them opportunities to tour across the country, including singing in Nashville this spring.

Through it all, Dalgleish still keeps that little girl’s sense of awe. The violin was her first love. Teaching became her life’s work. And whether conducting a choir or repairing a student’s bow, she continues to share the gift first placed in her hands, imparting music is an act of love.

“I love giving opportunity to my students and hearing them create music that speaks to the heart,” Dalgleish said.