WORKSHOPS

The Problem With Music Literacy

with LeslieAnne Bird

When teaching music literacy in our general music classes, some children get it right away, some memorize F A C E & E G B D F but a ledger make their brain explode, and some seem completely confused from start to finish. Why is this so hard for them to understand? Let's explore some ways to develop understanding of the music staff before we name the notes.

Jump Into Joy

with Tiffany English and David Row

Unlock the joy of music education through Orff Schulwerk - a proven teaching approach that transforms ordinary classroom moments into extraordinary musical experiences. Discover how movement, rhythm, and play can revolutionize your teaching practice while fostering creativity and critical thinking.

Intention Building and Community

with LeslieAnne Bird and David Thaxton

One of our greatest intentions as music teachers is to build safe spaces of belonging and community in our music classrooms. Join LeslieAnne and Dave to create peaceful and supportive learning spaces for and with your music students.

Frosty Fundamentals

with Kate Bright

Join Kate Bright as she leads participants through two wintery tales to help students become more comfortable with mallet percussion technique and guidelines for improvisation. Kate will also give a quick demo of her processes for utilizing Canva to create visuals.

A Neuro-Spicy Winter Wonderland

with Jeaneau Julian and Stephanie Menefee

An engaging musical webinar that explores the intersection of winter music and the experiences of neurodivergent learners. We will focus on senses, successes, and what parents want you to know about their children.

An Autumn Walk in the Park

with Drue Bullington, Paige Seaton, and Lisa Sempsey

Experience the beauty of fall through music and movement. Explore creative ways to integrate rhythmic speech, body percussion, improvisation, and elemental instruments to evoke the sounds and sensations of an autumn park.

Illuminating the Path to Improvisation

with Judy Thompson-Barthwell and Lisa Sempsey

Improvisation for our students? Beyond exploration, Judy and Lisa will give you simple structures to shine light on improvisation using many musical elements through several media.

Illuminating the Path to Kindness and Justice

with LeslieAnne Bird, Lisa Sempsey, and David Thaxton

Join us for this online workshop on social justice through the lens of kindness. With entry points of children's literature, poetry, history, and science, teachers will get materials, plans, and approaches that allow their students to tackle these big ideas through music and movement.

Illuminating the Path: Autumnal Illuminations

with Drue Bullington, Liban Gómez, and Jeaneau Julian

Many of us enjoy the cool, crisp air of the fall and all the celebrations that come with it. Join Drue Bullington, Liban Gómez, and Jeaneau Julian for ideas that welcome all students to participate in the ever changing colors of our fall landscape!

Illuminating the Path to a Successful School Year

with Kate Bright and Crystal Pridmore

LeslieAnne will share strategies that have worked for her in a variety of situations to help you to design a quality start for your new year. Already started? It is not too late to make a few changes for a smooth year ahead. 

First Weeks of General Music

with LeslieAnne Bird

LeslieAnne will share strategies that have worked for her in a variety of situations to help you to design a quality start for your new year. Already started? It is not too late to make a few changes for a smooth year ahead. 

Over, Under, and Through

with Kate Bright, Jeaneau Julian, and Liban O. Gómez

Do you need a boost of energy infused with play? This webinar will lead you over and through activities to finish out the school year without going under.

Adventures With ACEMM

with Natasha Thurmon, David Thaxton, and Lisa Sempsey

This webinar will take participants on "adventure-based" musical and movement explorations based on stories and ideas that are not only artistically satisfying, but captivating in their content.

Elemental Ups and Downs

with Drue Bullington, Casey Goryeb, and Crystal Pridmore

A playful approach to melody and its many ups and downs, this workshop offers "next-day- ready" lessons to LEVEL UP your mid-winter teaching!

Carol of the Bells for Orff Instruments

with Cyndee Giebler

Learn how to process Cyndee's arrangement of "Carol of the Bells" for your students or Orff ensemble. We'll also discover ways that the arrangement can be modified for all levels of ensemble skill. Be sure to bring a barred instrument. All are welcome!

Classroom Lessons Through the Lens of the Schulwerk

Join Kate, Jeaneau, and Liban, as they share lessons that can be used by a general music teacher or a classroom teacher. Invite your classroom teachers to join us for this session to see how they can incorporate singing, saying, moving, and playing, and creating into their classrooms.

Performance Prep Takes So Much Time!

with LeslieAnne Bird 

We have little contact time with our tiny musicians. Taking months of lessons exclusively preparing for a short performance is not the best use of our precious instructional minutes. If you are over singing winter songs in September this webinar is for you!

Copy and Paste Activities

with Casey Goryeb, David Row, and Natasha Thurmon

Join Casey, David, and Natasha as they guide you through simple, fun activities for the end of the year. "Copy and Paste" these activities into your lesson plans and watch your students sing, say, dance, and play through the last day of the school year.

Workshop Series - 6 PD Hours

with The Inouye Family

In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, join the Inouye Family for a four-part practicum centered around teaching the stories of others in the classroom. They will share their postmemories of WWII Japanese internment camps and ideas for using music, movement, and stories to experience diversity, equity and inclusion in the classroom.

The Magic of Children's Literature

with Kate Bright, Jeaneau Julian, and Liban Gómez

Combine music, playful language, and movement to help students more deeply understand who they truly are. Attendees will receive four ready-to-use lesson plans that focus on rhythmic and melodic elements and also connect with social-emotional learning.

Planning for an Entire Year

with LeslieAnne Bird

Do you have to post an entire year of music lessons for all of your students? Do you want to get ahead with your planning to lighten the load during the school year? In this webinar we will create a plan to craft a year's worth of lessons, without losing your mind in the process.

Melding Mind and Music

with David Thaxton, Manny Boga, and Warkenda Williams-Casey

Come to a calm place and a serene space. We all know too well the chaos and frenetic pace of the world and the effects it has on our students and classrooms. How can we transform our classrooms into a refuge from the frenzy? How do we create a healthy space for body and mind? 

Elemental Iluminations

with Drue Bullington and Crystal Pridmore

Explore phases of the moon through elemental music and movement. Be curious about how the phases of the moon affect you, your students, and your classroom. Wonder about the world through the characters of “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse,” by Charlie Mackesy.

Transformative SEL for Your General Music Room

with Darlene Machacon

Without guidance, it can be a challenge to teach with a lens beyond surface-level multiculturalism. In this webinar, teachers will develop an understanding of transformative SEL and what that can look like in the music room. 

Self-Contained Classroom 

with Dr. Patrick Ware

Dr. Ware will discuss all aspects of working with students with special needs from decoding an IEP through working with (and without) teacher assistants. Participants will be able to better plan for, support, and instruct students with special needs.

Burnout Resistant Music Teacher

with Crystal Pridmore 

The most important part of having a great school year is having a successful start. Join Kate Bright and Crystal Pridmore as they share their strategies for creating a positive learning environment through story, song, and movement.

The Efficient Music Classroom

with LeslieAnne Bird

We will learn ways to manage and organize our learning spaces to minimize opportunities for disruption and streamline routine tasks freeing up your time to focus on your musicians in class and your life outside of work.

Drum Circle Facilitation

with Jeshima Lewis

Jeshima will provide support for you to successfully facilitate a community drum circle in your classroom. Experience using nature as inspiration to create rhythmic building blocks. Includes scaffolded activities and peer-reviewed research.

Teaching By the Book

with Chaotic Harmony

Join the Chaotic Harmony podcast team members as they share lessons developed from their favorite children’s books. Participants will walk away with three ready-to-use lesson plans and tools for selecting appropriate books for the music room.

Ritmo, Tierra, y Cajón

with Sebastian Guerrero

Sebastian will share his knowledge of the zapateo (tap dance) tradition and delve into how the cajón is an extension of that form of movement. He will offer practical applications and inspiring ideas to get your students excited about the magical box drum from Perú!

I Can Be What I Want to Be

with Franklin Willis

Teachers will learn how to embed social and emotional learning into their instruction through musical activities that affirm the brilliance of our students. Teachers will come away with a new dance, songs, book recommendations, and a rhythm stick routine. 

Spring Into Books!

with Shoshanah Drake

Inspired by children's literature, Shoshanah will share ideas you can use by taking elemental music ideas such as using rhythmic building bricks, elemental forms, improvisation, rhythmic movement, and more to enhance stories and engage students. 

¡Wepa!

with Juan Carlos Tavarez and Liban Gomez

This session seeks to provide music teachers with brief, engaging activities you can adapt in your music classroom. Bring your WEPA and get caught up in the rhythms, melodies, and flavor of the rich and diverse island of the Dominican Republic.

APPs for Elemental Music Making

with Kate Bright and Manju Durairaj

Kate and Manju demonstrate a few applications for engaging music making for teaching, be it remote, in- person or hybrid. They showcase various lessons and activities that they are using in their programs to continue process teaching.

Dancing on Dimes

with Brent Geyer and BethAnn Hepburn

Explore engaging lessons for elemental music-making with a new virtual blues scale xylophone created by Brent Geyer. We will keep the rhythm swinging with improvisation with the book, Rap a Tap Tap, by Leo and Diane Dillon.

Student Voices

with Christa Jones 

Christa shares her experience with conducting a school-wide folk song collection and creating a school songbook. Learn how to conduct a song collection, explore issues of cultural responsiveness, and how to respectfully integrate music of student cultures into the music classroom.

Sing, Say, Dance, and Play in a Culturally Responsive Way

with Manju Durairaj

Students can collaborate and create together, using protocols defined for culturally responsive classrooms. Manju models best practice through movement, body percussion, songs and games from India.

I Hear Music in the Air: Black History Month

with Franklin Willis

Drawing on African American music, art, poetry, and culture, Franklin shares an enlightened perspective on how to plan, produce, and perform a Black History Month Program. Includes classroom activities and ideas to encourage you to teach the rich cultural heritage of African Americans.

Finnegan Begin Again

with Kanisha Howard, Roger Sams, Gerard Stokes, and David Thaxton

Right-now lessons for supporting teachers and students in musical co-creation within a diversity of settings. Presenters use the folk song Michael Finnegan as a springboard for music and movement learning activities.

Hip Hop & Identity

with LeslieAnne Bird and Kenrick Wagner

Educators will learn how to use Rap and Hip-Hop techniques to facilitate a positive classroom culture and empower youth to express themselves through Hip-Hop in a respectful and culturally appropriate way.

Begin With a Book

with Roger Sams

Roger shares picture books that enhance music and movement learning and create a playful classroom environment. Lessons include singing, chanting, movement accompanied by piano, rhythmic activities, and basic music literacy.