Testing – Post Migration

We will go through the steps on how to create a wonderful experience for your programs through travel excursions. You do not need to spend thousands of dollars to create musical memories for your students! We will discuss several options, ideas, along with tried and true experiences that will benefit your students and your program.
The topics will include (but not limited to):
– What experience would you like for your students?
– What are the barriers? Cost, age group, Dates, etc.
– How do I find a company to help me? Or Do I Need One?
– Combining other school programs for enrichment
– Fundraising and other revenue sources
– Large stage events for your programs: Rose Parade, Macy's Parade, Essential Ellington, Carnegie Hall Concerts,National Choir Festival, Music For All, etc.

The musical demands on the best young trumpet players in many middle and high school programs often outpace the physical development of these players. In many cases, this causes a halting in their progress and a deterioration in their physical set up. This session will outline some tips and strategies for developing great tone production and upper register so that players of all levels can more healthily meet the demands that standard repertoire places on them.

In a world where ratings, trophies, and performances often define a program’s success, this clinic offers a different perspective: that music education should foster a lasting appreciation for music, empower students to be creators, and build leaders through meaningful experiences.

Attendees will leave with practical tools to create a culture where students engage deeply with music on multiple levels, from improvisation and composition to production and performance. Whether you're leading a jazz band, concert ensemble, or general music class, this session is a reminder that success is not measured in ratings, but in relevance, responsibility, and the lifelong musicians we help shape.

Music educators continuously work to improve the quality of their programs. Navigating how to ask for support and funding can be difficult. Attendees will learn how to formulate their Ask, create a rationale, and utilize local and state advocacy toolkits such as Title resources and music education information. The workshop will include how to contact legislators, sample language, a talking point template for use during the session, and resource links to experts.

How do we, as choral directors, provide a space that both honors the individual while also working to create a cohesive community? With concerts and performances on the horizon, it can be challenging to balance both the social and the musical engagement within the choral rehearsal, especially in the digital age where technology intentionally holds our singers’ attention. This session will focus on activities that build community and encourage individuals through engaging activities, careful repertoire selection, and collaborative rehearsal strategies.

Many programs are fortunate to have an extra teacher in the classroom to help the percussionists in the back. But what if you are the only teacher in the room teaching a full band? This session will discuss several methods that will allow you to develop the students that are the farthest away from the podium while not inhibiting the growth of the rest of the ensemble.

Do you wish your students were more excited, engaged, and focused during practice? You’re not alone, and we’ve got you covered! Ready to simplify your Rehearsals? This session offers all our tips, tricks, and inspiration to keep your students engaged and loving every minute of choir practice! Join us for game-changing tips and resources to make your choir’s music shine!

Commissioning a composer to write a new piece can be an exciting and rewarding venture, but it can also be quite daunting to initiate. You need to connect with a composer, find potential co-commissioners, prepare a budget, consult with the composer, promote the piece and event, and finally premiere the piece. Built on the experience of a recently completed commission and premiere, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide to take your initial thoughts from concept to realization.

In this clinic Darcy will cover how to use a basic set of exercises in a number of ways to address all the fundamentals your band needs to master.

Let’s face it: deep, meaningful score study takes time. But fret not! In this session, we'll explore ways to intentionally embrace the score study muddle and ultimately learn to love this sometimes-frustrating (often-frustrating?) process. With curiosity as a guide and reflexivity as an anchor, I’ll share my five-phase approach to score study that centers deep musical understanding while also highlighting the ways we can apply the fruits of our labor to challenge and empower our students’ musical growth and performance.

There are many creative and authentic ways to integrate children’s literature and music in the PK-elementary grades, beyond folk song picture books. Participants will be involved in singing, dramatizing, playing, listening, analyzing, improvising and composing activities inspired by a wide variety of children’s literature including books and stories with diverse topics and authors. Musical genres represented include folk, jazz, world, classical, popular. Many of these books are available for free from Archive.org. Handouts of activities and resources will be provided.

Set your flutists up for success by providing them with solid fundamentals and addressing common concerns proactively from the start. Bring your flute: we will take volunteers from the audience to troubleshoot special issues.

Zoltán Kodály and his colleagues saw music education through a beautifully holistic lens. Exploration, discovery, and creativity weren’t separated from one another; rather, they were seen as deeply connected. This session will cover the cultivation of personal compositional practice on the part of the teacher. We will look at responsive arranging around folk tunes and simple melodies, the writing of canons for classroom and choral use, and the cultivation of these skills in the lives of students. We will sing together, of course, and all attendees will leave with a packet of new canons, including permission to use them in classrooms and choirs. It is easier to ask our students to create when we are creative, ourselves

Group singing has the power to provide students with a deep sense of connection to self and to the wider community if approached with mindfulness, flexibility, and humanity. During this session, Tullock will provide models for group singing experiences that will bring a vivid sense of community and belonging to the music classroom. Participants will sing together during this session and will leave with several original canons and songs to share in their classrooms.

This session will focus on how to plan a lesson based on the concepts included in the six elements of music. Session participants will experience lessons as students would experience them. An outline of sequenced concepts for each elementary grade level K-5 and a lesson plan format will be included.

This session offers practical methods and targeted exercises to enhance saxophone tone quality. Topics include reliable equipment selection, clear embouchure formation, optimal oral cavity and tongue positioning for improved articulation, and more. These accessible, proven techniques help students quickly achieve a blended, expressive saxophone sound, building musical confidence and artistry within the ensemble from day one.

Bring your batons and join us as we move beyond conducting time and explore possibilities for improved artistic communication and gestural availability. We'll examine techniques to remove tension that may be limiting your expressive capacity, pragmatic ways to practice gesture, look at ways to train your ensemble to be sensitive to your conducting, and apply those skills to band repertoire.

Many instrumental conductors are tasked with preparing large works that involve choir—whether programming masterworks, collaborating across departments, or leading community ensembles. Yet many have little formal training in vocal pedagogy. This session bridges that gap by providing instrumental conductors with practical tools for teaching healthy vocal production. Participants will explore how to apply vocal pedagogy in the context of choral-orchestral and choral-band literature, using sequenced skill development, experiential exercises, and familiar repertoire.

*Repertoire selections may change

Most subject area teachers are told what, when, and how to teach. As band directors WE get to make those crucial choices! It is an awesome responsibility! In this session we discuss the values underlying our programming choices as well as review the simple things were taught in school but forget. Finally, we'll discuss helpful tips for evaluating potential pieces in order to elevate your ensemble's performance through well-chosen repertoire.

Many instrumental conductors are tasked with preparing large works that involve choir—whether programming masterworks, collaborating across departments, or leading community ensembles. Yet many have little formal training in vocal pedagogy. This session bridges that gap by providing instrumental conductors with practical tools for teaching healthy vocal production. Participants will explore how to apply vocal pedagogy in the context of choral-orchestral and choral-band literature, using sequenced skill development, experiential exercises, and familiar repertoire. *Repertoire selections may change.

Give your students an unexpected edge! Dr. Sakowski reveals music's power to enhance focus and executive functions. Discover research-based, actionable music strategies to immediately improve working memory, attention, and impulse control for all learners, especially those with ADHD. Foster greater classroom engagement and success with these practical applications.

Simple ways to implement more technology into your k-12 music lessons. Easy ways to also use new AI in your planning and lessons. Use technology to work “smarter” not “harder” and see how much technology helps take the stress out of your planning.

Are you serving as a stage director at your school? This session will explore practical strategies and valuable resources to support you as you navigate the unique challenges of directing. Whether you’re managing your first show or looking to improve your process, we’ll cover topics such as staging fundamentals, time-saving rehearsal techniques, collaboration with staff and students, and low-cost production solutions. You’ll leave with actionable tools and ideas that you can implement right away, no matter your level of experience.

Individual, line and partner dances appropriate for elementary ( grades 2-6) will be presented. Participants may request the google slides presentations with directions and playlist.

How does visual art inspire music? And how does music inspire visual art? In this creative, interactive session, you’ll explore the dynamic relationship between sight and sound. Learn how to guide students in analyzing visual art and then transforming that analysis into an original musical composition. You’ll leave with adaptable strategies for all age groups, along with fresh ideas for integrating music and visual art in meaningful, imaginative ways.

This clinic covers a number of ways to create a successful band program through individual accountability.

This choral reading session will feature new and tried-and-true selections from Endeavor and Walton Music, focusing on beginning and intermediate voices, children through high school, and including many different voicings and styles. Ryan Main and Susan LaBarr will team up with some fantastic Missouri conductors to facilitate a wonderful time of singing together!

Looking for new ideas to engage your students in active listening? Join us for a hands-on session where we will delve into innovative methods for fostering critical thinking using diverse musical genres. You will leave this session with tools you can immediately implement in your classroom.

A wise person once told me that you eat gooseberry pie by candlelight because it can be an ugly and messy pie to eat. Music composition can be just as messy and embarrassing! In this session we will jump into how to integrate theme & variation, expanded musical forms, and common chord progression compositions into your classroom. By the end of this session you will be confident leading more complex musical forms in your classroom.

“Meaningful music can be made, but it is created from the very souls of those who produce it.” -James Jordan

Students are human beings first; musicians second. As ensemble directors, we sometimes forget that music fuels humanity. The nucleus of our role is to make meaningful connections with students, and teach them how to be people of great character through the vehicle of music.

A complete, well-rounded music education may seem comprehensive if your ensembles receive Superior or Outstanding ratings, but our students come to us yearning to learn a great deal more than music. How does one create a balanced culture while promoting lifelong learners and lovers of music? How do directors facilitate ownership and sense of belonging in our classroom? How do you enable students to have self-efficacy where they truly believe in their potential?

When students (and people) feel valued, they stick around to find out – even when hard work is part of the equation. Confidence inherently stems from preparation, leading to success and proof in the pudding – our performances! Building a culture of trust allows us to push our most talented students further and lift up those who struggle for maximum musical achievement in any band, choir, orchestra, or general ensemble.

In this presentation, we will unravel frameworks to discover your music program's family values and how to start the school year with a relationships-first foundation. Bullseye topics for every ensemble will cover talent (nature vs. nurture), empowering character education practices, and fixed vs. growth mindset. Supporting topics will include a look at music in the brain, voice and choice, creating meaningful moments, summative practices, rehearsal techniques, and more.

When the dust of life (and teaching) gets in the way of our joyride in the DeLorean, reviewing one’s approach might be just the ticket to the open road!

Vibrato is such a fundamental skill to some instruments, but how can you make time to teach it, especially if you have all instruments combined in the same room? This clinic will give you practical ideas to add/elevate vibrato instruction and exercises into your teaching, no matter your situation or grade level. Best of all – many tips can be incorporated into warm ups or exercises you are already using!

Post Covid, many music educators are looking for more resources and techniques to make classroom management and teaching more enjoyable for teachers and students. Rene' and Vicky will lead participants through lesson planning tips and activities for music students in grades 3-5. (Part one is for grades K-2.) Wear your dancing shoes!

Discover solid concert, contest, and pop repertoire designed to bring out the very best in your mixed choral ensembles. But it's not just about the literature—we’ll also explore new choral resources designed to build musicianship and spark joy. Join fellow directors in an atmosphere of collaboration and inspiration. A complimentary music packet will be given to each director in attendance.

Looking for choral music that will engage your middle school singers and is also pedagogically appropriate? Join Robert T. Gibson in reading through a complimentary packet of new music designed specifically for developing voices. Music in this session will address your big concerns, like choosing music for changing voices, balancing fun selections with educational repertoire, motivating students, and more.

Approaches and strategies to help students comprehend both the meaning and method behind what they observe in our conducting.

This clinic explores use of jazz pedagogy through improvisation, stylistic awareness, emulation of masters, and creative repetition within traditional band and orchestra rehearsals. Participants will engage with modes, key signatures, and scales as tools for expression, not just theory. By blending listening, analysis, and hands-on performance, participants develop fluency in musical language and personal voice. Strategies emphasize exploration, risk-taking, and deepening musical intuition in both individual and ensemble contexts. The goal is to cultivate versatile, expressive musicians through the dynamic, experiential practices of jazz.

This session helps band directors address common saxophone
issues in concert band such as intonation, tone, and technique
through practical strategies and resources. Topics include
embouchure, air support, posture, voicing, scales, fingerings,
equipment, and compositional modalities. Includes visual aids, audio,
and live demonstrations. Directors are encouraged to bring
instruments to play along.

Growing up, I had the marching band, drumline, and drum corps “bug.” My activity in those areas shaped my view of music performance and teaching. Later, however, music field study trips to Ghana, West Africa, and Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, fundamentally changed my perspectives not only on music performance, but also what it means to provide a meaningful music education for all students. This address includes a discussion of increasing engagement through developing participatory music experiences, original research on belonging in music education, and how going outside of one’s own musical “bubble” can provide a fresh perspective on foundational aesthetics in music and norms in the classroom.

Learn how to utilize Apple MainStage in both marching band and pit orchestra settings. This session will walk you through setting up the software for the first time, creating patches, and demonstrate its ease of use in live performance. Whether you're enhancing your front ensemble or supporting a musical, you'll leave with practical tools to integrate MainStage into your program with confidence.

Do you ever find yourself needing an accompanist and consider playing yourself but then think, “I can’t do that!”? This session is designed for music educators, choir directors, and instrumental instructors who aren't trained pianists but still find themselves needing to accompany students, choirs, or soloists. We’ll explore creative, practical strategies for simplifying accompaniments, using chord symbols, and making the most of your current skills—without needing virtuosic technique. Come away with confidence, tools, and tricks to support your musicians, even when the score looks intimidating.

This clinic will address methods of developing, sustaining, and enhancing the visual program for marching band and winter guard programs. Discussions will include visual techniques, judging standards, and practical advice to improve outcomes of competitive design. This session is designed to address all levels of performance. Presenter Keith Baker is an adjudicator for Drum Corps International, Winter Guard International, and Bands of America. Mr. Baker also serves as the Chief Judge for the Mid-East Performance Association in Dayton, OH. He has over 30 years of experience designing and teaching marching bands, winter guards, and indoor drumlines. A portion of the presentation will explain the process and give advice for becoming a pageantry arts adjudicator.

What if choral rehearsals embraced the mindset of great athletic coaches—fostering focus, resilience, and a growth mindset? Transform your rehearsals into spaces where singers thrive under pressure, recover from setbacks, and build confidence alongside musicianship. Learn to lead with clarity, empathy, and purpose while creating a culture that celebrates effort and sees mistakes as part of learning. Drawing on strategies from sports and education, you’ll gain tools to empower singers to meet challenges with grit and grace.

Discover the non-negotiables that every band director can’t afford not to do. This session offers practical strategies to help you run a thriving, student-centered band program—without losing your health or sanity. From teaching fundamentals with intention to programming inclusive repertoire, building staff communication, and managing your physical space, you’ll walk away with tools you can implement immediately.

This clinic is designed to help directors clarify their goals of evaluative events. Advice, hints and help will be given from the perspective of the adjudicator to help both directors and students attain success in these assessments. While designed with the small school band program in mind, the information presented will be applicable to all levels.

This clinic will guide you in how to use big genius fun to make skill acquisition feel like play! I will discuss why you should promote big genius fun, I will share examples of games etc. that work, discuss skills that your students will acquire, and give tools you can use to unlock your own creativity and design your own big genius fun.

In this session participants will explore strategies to pair beloved children’s books with rhythm, melody, and movement activities that enhance literacy and musical skills. Learn creative approaches for composing simple melodies, rhythms, and chants that make reading an immersive experience. These adaptable ideas will engage students, foster creativity, and seamlessly integrate music into language arts at a variety of different age levels. Participants will leave with ready-to-use lesson plans that turn storytelling into a musical experience.

Gain the confidence to embrace improvisational singing in your classroom! This session explores practical strategies to overcome hesitation, foster creativity, and integrate spontaneous vocal activities into lesson plans. Discover fun, low-pressure exercises that build your students' musical confidence. Whether through call-and-response, rhythmic games, melodic exploration, or puppets, learn how improvisation can enhance engagement, musicality, and joy in learning. Leave empowered to take risks and inspire fearless musical expression.

We often hear the advice to “speak less” in rehearsals—but what if you didn’t speak at all? In this interactive session, Dr. Jay Dougherty leads a silent choral rehearsal using only gesture and nonverbal cues. Participants will experience how silence can sharpen focus, deepen listening, and foster ensemble independence. A follow-up discussion will explore what worked, what didn’t, and how these techniques can enhance daily rehearsals for a more efficient, immersive musical experience.

Roughly one-third of students identify as introverted, yet many ensemble teaching strategies favor extroverts. Introverted students may be musically gifted but avoid solos, hesitate to speak up, or find spontaneous interaction draining. This session offers insights into how unconscious bias can affect classroom dynamics and presents practical strategies to create a more inclusive rehearsal environment. Learn how to support introverted students through thoughtful adjustments in structure, expectations, and leadership opportunities—helping all students thrive musically.

Were you ever taught how to practice? At some point we all figured it out, but more often than not musicians have to learn through trial and error. Why not give them the cheat code? Teach them HOW to practice. How to diagnose problems, what to do to fix them, and STOP playing straight through a piece full of errors! Learn why I started assessing practicing instead of playing tests and the tremendous effect it had on my program.

Did you know that music students experience higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization levels than students in other majors? The music education culture often glorifies relentless work habits, leading to burnout and negatively impacting educators and students. Burnout affects educators’ well-being and mental health. Attendees will gain techniques to reduce burnout, enhance emotional regulation, improve mental health, and overall wellness. Prioritizing well-being now helps music students create a supportive learning environment for future students, setting a positive example for the next generation.

I would like to provide band directors with helpful materials and strategies to assist them in teaching their intermediate bands. “Make It Happen!” band method is a full-year, method for 2nd/3rd year young band musicians. It is engaging and based on constant repetition, allowing your musicians to achieve the next level of playing successfully while still being enjoyable and engaging. Finally, a Book II that works for kids, using constant repetition… how kids truly learn!

This session will explore strategies for ensemble success based on Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why. We will cover:
-What separates successful ensembles from unsuccessful ones.
-Why inspiration is a better way to build your ensemble than manipulation.
-How to build trust in your ensemble.
-And MORE…

Walking into your student teaching experience can feel daunting and overwhelming! In this session we will look over and discuss strategies to prepare you and your “music teacher toolbox” in order to have a successful and fulfilling student teaching experience.

The focus of this clinic is to show everyone that they can take their music ensemble, big or small, on the road! I will discuss pros and cons of planning a trip by yourself, how to shop around for the best bang for your buck, and I will discuss everything that went into planning the performance trip that St. James Band took in the Spring of 2024 to Universal Studios.

Using children's literature and the Orff approach, come read, play, and sing with us as we create a multifaceted and engaging performance that will change the way you present programs to your school.

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