Lindsay Decoste & Allie Fardelos 

In this interactive session, you'll learn how to create your concert programs in Canva! We will cover physical and digital programs and their differences, as well as best techniques for making less work for yourself.

Nicky Manlove 

A reading session highlighting great pieces for when you need to put everybody onstage at once! 

Victor C. Johnson

Watch as the 2nd Annual Collegiate All-state choir rehearses prior to the lunchtime concert. 

Dr. Mirae Lee

This session is  an overview of the beloved Korean Folksong 'Arirang' such as brief history, meaning of the lyric, and pronunciation, and introducing/recommending arrangements using this tune for School and community settings.

Dr. Tim Westerhaus

A Latin American Repertoire Reading session, introducing composers and pieces that are likely not on our radar! With particular focus on Spanish rep for all voicings, focusing mostly on SATB with some elementary/middle school rep.

Jess Edelbrock

People learn best when they are interested in what they are learning, when they are having fun, when they are achieving something, and when they are in a positive environment. This hands-on session focuses on practical ways to consistently engage singers of all ages throughout the rehearsal, which results in quicker and deeper learning! Featuring a demo group from Tucson Girls Chorus.

Dr. M. Dee Wilkins

The idea that "Our perception creates our reality" is much more scientifically based than most musicians would have ever guessed. Understanding the inner workings of the brain and how students' thoughts effect their feelings create their choral experience; and similarly, how our thoughts regarding the perceived events in our choral rehearsals, play a much larger role that previously understood.

Victor C. Johnson

Looking for fun, yet effective ideas for making your rehearsals with young singers more efficient and engaging? This session will focus on resources and tools you can use to work on breath control, tone, behavior and much more in your choral classroom.

Victor C. Johnson

Diversity and Inclusion activities are simple and effective ways to get students talking and listening to one another. In this interactive workshop, Johnson will share energizers, icebreakers and other team building activities to help build community within the choral classroom.

Jordan Rakita 

A music birthed in African-American barbershops in the south, barbershop harmony has captivated the American soundscape for generations. We will discuss some of its origins, tools you can use in your rehearsal setting that apply to ANY music style, and how to start up a student-led quartet or chorus. You’ll also hear from members of the Phoenicians, a barbershop chorus here in Phoenix.

Erik Whitehill 

This session will share an exciting, inclusive alternate approach to presenting elementary musicals. The focus will be on increasing student buy-in, having more ways for students to participate, using sound and technology, coping with limited rehearsal time and limited budget. I put on many musicals every year with hundreds of students and want to share with you my process so you can too.

Jess Edelbrock & Nicky Manlove

This interactive session will offer strategies for programming unison melodies, working from lead sheets, and building collaborative arrangements with your students. Participants will leave with new repertoire sources, many of them free, and ideas for elevating simple charts to create expressive and student-led performances.

Dane Alexander Carten

Living Israeli composer Tzvi Sherf is known for his vibrant arrangements of folk songs from his native land. Infused with jazz elements, his compositions are characterized by their lively and enjoyable nature, making them suitable for community, high school and entry-level collegiate ensembles. This session will delve into Sherf's distinctive style and provide insights into his compositional approach, and attendees will have the opportunity to sight-read some of his arrangements.

Travis White 

Bring the energy, fun and weird into your youth and middle school choirs! This workshop will focus on "out of the box" warm ups, games, ideas and programs designed to help your students stay engaged, motivated and feel a sense of belonging in your elementary and middle school choir programs!

Jeff Vanderlee

This presentation seeks to shed light on the captivating, yet overlooked music of two exceptional female Italian Baroque composers, Isabella Leonarda and Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, who flourished during the 17th century within the confines of convent life. The lives of these talented women, whose musical contributions have been obscured by the passage of time, will be discussed, and I aim to explore the socio-cultural context that shaped their compositions and the unique challenges they faced as women in the male-dominated musical landscape of their era. This presentation will not only delve into the biographical details of Leonarda and Cozzolani but will also offer an opportunity to explore their music by analyzing and showcasing select pieces from each of their prolific oeuvres. By examining the intersection of gender, spirituality, and musical creativity, this presentation endeavors to celebrate the resilience and artistry of these remarkable Baroque composers, contributing to a broader understanding of the rich musical tapestry of 17th-century Italy.

Jason Mincy

In this session, teachers will explore multiple activities, strategies, and tools to use in the classroom to teach rhythm and challenge their students. Teachers will walk away from this session with multiple ways to engage students' minds daily thereby helping to build better musicianship skills.

The session materials are geared towards working with older beginners, students in grades 6-12, but will work with developing all of our emerging young musicians.

Troy Meeker, Justin Jenkins, & Jordan Rakita

Join us as we discuss approaches for recruiting boys with changing voices and learn rehearsal techniques for supporting their vocal development through this transitional period. Discover how to select (and possibly arrange) choral music that celebrates and supports their evolving voices.

Dr. Elizabeth Schauer

Dr. Schauer will share information about historical Mexican choral composers and lead participants in a reading/listening session of their works.

Gideon Burrows

Musician health has become a growing area of concern in education and performance. Where do public choral music educators stand as standards adjust to address related issues? In this session, we will discuss current educational trends concerning musician health, suggestions and implications from recent research on teacher awareness and ability, and classroom applications for building health-promoting behaviors in music practice and ensemble rehearsal.

Hannah Kimball

A brief outline of different tools and ways to utilize AI such as ChatGPT to make your job as a choir director easier!

W. Aaron Rice, DMA 

Many of us have listened back to a concert recording and thought "That's not what it sounded like from the podium!" Fear not! You needn't doubt your ears or resign yourself to sub-par recordings. With the information in this session, we can take your recordings from drab to designer with a touch of affordable equipment, a dash of free software, and just a pinch of know-how.

This session will include an introduction to the basic science of sound and extend into principles of audio engineering that are useful in our rehearsals, giving us the opportunity to learn how our technique can be improved with the added knowledge that has been brought to us from outside our field. By learning something about the work of Audio Engineers, we can learn to articulate what we would like from our recordings and make improvements to ones we are not happy with.

Basic wave-form analysis, equalization, high-, low-, and band-pass filters, the principles of reverberation, and the risks of compression can all help us understand sound better, which will improve our craft and our recordings.

Mandy Clegg, Jeff Evans, & Andrea Squires

Festival Chairs: Benny Dominguez & Janel Huyett

Get a first-look at the repertoire and audition information for the 2024 Cantaremos Festival! 

Benny Dominguez

This session aims to examine voice building techniques we use in studio and choral settings and show why techniques work the way that they do. We will examine some commonplace language in the field that may need to be revisited as the science has updated, and with that explore some newer discoveries that can help us be more efficient as we take our students through their journey of a lifetime of singing.

Dr. M. Nicole Davis

Come participate in a reading session curated by Dr. M. Nicole Davis, Associate Director of Choral Activities at The University of Arizona. Participants will delve into music and stories from underrecognized communities and Dr. Davis will share insight on inclusive rehearsal and programming. 

Katherine Rosenfeld

Resources, repertoire, assessment activities, and solutions for choosing music your first year teaching or your first year at a new school. Focus on junior high and high school repertoire.

Taylor Day

First-year music educators share their experiences, insights, and strategies for success. Engage in discussions about advocation strategies, the hurdles of the first year, and how to inspire future music educators. Gain valuable perspectives on transforming programs and making an impact. This session is your opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired by the stories of those who have been in your "1st year teaching" shoes. Don't miss out on this supportive and informative discussion that will resonate with both new and aspiring music educators alike!

Katie Gerrich

Emerging professionals will participate in an interactive session to discuss the many, many elements of student teaching! Participants will leave with extended knowledge on what it takes to be a GREAT student teacher - from organization to socialization and everything in between. A follow-up social event will also be planned for these folks during the session.

Sha'meka Sampler

Relational Capacity is defined as the connection among individuals that develops over time when interactions are built on respect, trust, and authenticity. I think this is an important foundation to teaching. Building peer relationships will not only make day to day learning easier but build a community within the classroom that feels supportive. I would like to introduce how to build student to student relationship and student to teacher relationships.

Dr. Ryan Holder & Dr. Josh Palkki

A chance for our NEP attendees to ask questions and debrief with two of our respected AZ university directors who work directly with undergrad students. Submit your questions during the conference to the Google form, or ask in person!

Katie Gerrich & Ted Gibson

Katie Gerrich and Ted Gibson will moderate a panel of District Arts Directors and Choral/Music Specialists to answer questions/give advice re: hiring, interview tips, observation tools/successes and more. Panelists at this time include Danae Marinelli (Dysart District Arts Coordinator), Courtney Darby (Tempe Elementary School District Fine Arts Coordinator) and Sarah James (Tempe Union High School Disctrict School Board Vice-President.