Reconnecting students through welcome songs and instruments while using the Orff Schulwerk process. Participants will need a soprano recorder and their dancing shoes!

Frank LaGuardia has been an Elementary School chorus, band and general music teacher in the Conejo Valley for the past 24 years. Mr. LaGuardia is the Full Time Music Director for Meadows Arts and Technology Elementary School. At MATES he teachers general music, band and choir and musical theater. During the summer, Mr. Laguardia directs the Hillcrest Players Broadway Music Camp. He has been the camp director for the last 17 years. Mr. Laguardia is also the founding choir coordinator for the Conejo Unified School District elementary school choir programs through the Hillcrest Center for the Arts and also coordinates the Conejo Valley All District Chorus Festivals. He also teaches music education classes at California Lutheran University and has received a Level 3 certification in Orff Schulwerk through the San Francisco International Orff course. He is also the Vice President of the Los Angeles Chapter American Orff Schulwerk Association for the 2022-23 season. In 2008 and in 2018 Mr. LaGuardia received the City of Thousand Oaks Excellence in the Arts Award In recognition of a commitment and dedication to the enhancement of the arts in the community. Mr. LaGuardia received a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from California State University Northridge. Mr. LaGuardia is also a freelance trumpet player in the greater Los Angeles area. To his credit he has played with the San Fernando Symphony, lead trumpet with the West Coast Theater, Conejo Players pit orchestra, Lancaster Symphony, and countless others. Mr. LaGuardia is a founding member of the VALLEY BRASS Quintet.

One of the scariest yet most vital aspects of music education–especially in the Schulwerk lens–is creation. Creation is messy. It’s wild. But it gives agency to our students, allowing them to find their voice in the art we teach. In this session, we will explore different activities that focus on student improvisation and creation through movement, ukulele, Foley artistry, and beyond!

Jonathan Seligman is the current music director at Casillas Elementary in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. There, he has served the community for the past seven years, creating the program from the ground up. Seligman is constantly aiming to have students find their voice, expressing themselves through music and movement. He teaches general music to Pre-K to 6th, while leading multiple choirs and the school’s concert band. Academically, Seligman has received both his Bachelor of Music in Composition and M.A. in Teaching from Point Loma Nazarene University. Compounded, he is certifiably trained in all three levels of certification in Orff-Schulwerk and in both First Steps and Conversational Solfege in Feierabend. Seligman is also an active advocate of music education, serving as a co-host for the Chaotic Harmony Podcast, Vice President of the San Diego American Orff-Schulwerk Association, and Vice President of Instrumental Music for the California Music Educator Association Southern Border Section. He has been the recipient of the 2021 CMEA-Southern Border Section Elementary Music Specialist Fortissimo Award, 2022 Arts Empower Creative Leader Ovation Award, and nominated for 2022 Teacher of the Year in San Diego County.

Discover fun and innovative ways to engage students of all skill levels, across the music curriculum together in your music program. We will explore a wide range of songs, dances, and recorder lessons for kindergarten through 5th grade students.

Deb Navin teaches Elementary Music in the Greater Detroit Metro area. Deb holds a BM in Music Education from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY and a MS in Elementary Education from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She is certified in Orff-Schulwerk and has training in Music Learning Theory and World Music Drumming. Deb has taught a combined 14 years of Pre-K through 6th grade General, Vocal and Instrumental music in MA, PA, and MI. Deb plays the Piano, Harp, Flute, Guitar, and Handbells. She is a frequent national presenter for music teacher workshops and a board member of the Detroit Orff-Schulwerk Association. She lives with her husband and three children in Royal Oak, Michigan.