Carla Scott

Parents are busy and tired of fighting with their kids, students can't remember everything to practice and as a teacher, you know you can't move on until technique is correct. Sometimes technique feels like an uphill battle and can be very discouraging to students and parents. There are so many teaching aids, common and uncommon, to use to help with this exact scenario and this session will focus on what can be used to help the many different technique pitfalls our students succumb to. These teaching aids help the student focus on what's really fun about learning music: The Music!

Looking to dive deeper into the content of the session? Check out these supporting materials:

• Session Presentation Slides

It takes careful nurturing of your viola "seeds" but the rewards of a thriving viola section in all of your ensembles is worth the watering, pruning and reseeding. This session will give directors and teachers strategies for growing a great viola garden, from beginners through high school.

This session is limited to 75 registered attendees, due to Health & Safety Protocols. Be sure to select "attending" (or click the + symbol) for this session to ensure your spot! Note: Additional seating will be made available on a first-come-first-serve basis after the start time of the session.

Come join us for the Orchestra New Music Reading Session and preview great new music for string orchestra, grades one-five, with diverse genres and styles represented. Attendees are invited to bring and instrument and join along with the orchestra, or sit and listen.

Orchestra is a performance-based class, so let’s perform well! Come experience specific strategies for transforming the sound of your orchestra in just one rehearsal! This clinic will be filled with reminders for experienced teachers and is a must-see for young string teachers who need rehearsal ideas ready for Monday!

Experience specific strategies for transforming middle school orchestra rehearsals. This clinic will be filled with reminders for experienced teachers and is a must-see for young string teachers. Walk away with effective ideas you can implement on Monday!

Completely revolutionize your orchestra in the first ten minutes of each rehearsal! Warm ups are easy to implement, fun, and save rehearsal time! A must-see session for middle school and high school orchestra directors.

Our conducting gestures are the most efficient tools we have to communicate musically with our students. Our gestures are the main influencers of the sound we receive on the podium.

Using the methods of dancer Rudolf Laban and his principles of body movement as a springboard, this session is designed to help educators of all levels think differently about their conducting. This will be a hands-on experiential session that will build upon the Laban method in order to arrive at more effective musical communication.

Looking to dive deeper into the content of the session? Check out these supporting materials:

• Handout

• Slide Deck

Many instrumental music programs turned to flexible/adaptable compositions as a tool to maintain programs while facing the many challenged of the past year associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, many composers responded to the needs of music organizations by composing works for flexible or adaptable instrumentation. While this music is well suited to meet the challenges of the past year’s hardships, there are many opportunities in flexible/adaptable music beyond the circumstances of the pandemic. This session will focus on how instrumental programs can use these works in a wide variety of teaching and performing situations. Dr.’s Townsend and Winter will offer an overview of the history and recent development in flexible music, a variety of applications, misconceptions about the genre, practical applications, and the genre as a tool to bridge gaps of access and equity.

Looking to dive deeper into the content of the session? Check out these supporting materials:

• Session Presentation Slides