The Neurodiverse Music Classroom: Using Strengths of Special Learners and All Students in Various Learning Environments

Clinician: Brian Wagner-Yeung

Neurodiversity is a fairly new trend focusing on incorporating strength-based learning in the classroom and celebrating students’ different brain levels. This session will focus on creating a neurodiverse classroom setting by incorporating positive niche construction in musical environments. Such examples include strength awareness, universal design for learning, and creating environmental modifications. This session will cover elementary to secondary settings, in addition to classroom music to performance ensembles.

Making Musical Connections: String Orchestra for Special Learners

Clinician: Brian Wagner-Yeung

String orchestra is a vital part of a solid music education experience. All students, including students with special needs, should have the opportunity to participate in a string orchestra. Nevertheless, special adaptations and modifications are needed to provide a structured and meaningful experience for students with special needs. In this session, you will see basic accommodations for students and instruments, adaptations to literacy using color- coding and visual manipulations, and how language development/social skills can be enhanced through music- making.

Composer Conversations

Clinicians: Joe Pondaco and Jake O’Connor

Composition council chair Joe Pondaco will lead an interview and question and answer session with local area composer Jake O'Connor: A recent graduate of the music composition programs at Ithaca college and Peabody. The discussion will focus on Jake's experiences as a young composer and composition major and ways to help prepare students to pursue undergraduate studies in music composition.

Ukulele Exploration

Clinicians: Miles Wilcox

The 'ukulele is a versatile instrument that is known for being "easy" for adults to play, but where should we start when teaching the 'ukulele to children? Upper elementary students may be able to learn the "four magic chords" but how can we use the 'ukulele to engage students in early elementary? This session will cover techniques and activities for using the 'ukulele as a teaching tool for diverse elementary students--if you have the instruments and are wondering about where to begin with the curriculum, this is the session for you! The 'ukulele can be used to teach concepts & standards you are already covering in a new and fun way, and can be a minimal learning curve for educators. Included in the session will be tips for engaging neurodiverse students.

Engaging Middle Schoolers-Best Practices for General Music

Clinician: Lovely Hoffman

Have you ever attended professional development and walked away questioning how you will incorporate what was presented in your classroom? Well, this PD is all about best practices in the Middle School General Music Classroom. Lovely Hoffman-Wine will provide you with the various ways she engages her middle school students and how she incorporates these practices, which focus on student representation in the curriculum, social-emotional learning, and ethnomusicology. You will walk away with resources, strategies, and tools you can incorporate into your classroom right away!

Creating Culturally Responsive Lessons

Clinicians: Maria Del Valle and Lauren De Lago

In this session, we will define explicit, implicit, and null curriculum and how to create a curriculum and lessons that are culturally responsive and build bridges.

Story Time in the Music Classroom

Clinician: Steve Damon

This session serves as an introduction (or review) of music-related books that music teachers can use in their classes. I read such books as Abiyoyo, Willie Was Different, and Moonlight Over Manhattan. For each book, there is a song or activity that correlates to the National Standards. For instance, after reading The Birth of Little Tune, we will sing the song and participate in an improvisation exercise. Many, many standards are covered.

As with all my sessions, Story Time in the Music Classroom is conducted in a light-hearted manner. After all, I target children between the ages of 4 and 9. Although the session is taught in a light-hearted manner, the participants will find many new books and activities that will help in the music education of their students. Education and fun - all in one clinic. An article I wrote based on the session was published in the Spring 2003 issue of MENC’s General Music Today.

Jazz Drum Set Tips for the Developing Jazz Drummer

Clinician: Kevin Fortuna

This session will address how to develop your middle school and high school jazz drummers. Topics covered will include basic jazz drumming patterns for Swing, Latin, Funk, Rock, and Brushwork. He will also address tips for fills, left/right hand independence, appropriate jazz drum kit set-up, making the transition from being a concert band drummer to a set player, and various resources. He will also address advanced and contemporary jazz drum set concepts.

Jazz Piano Comping Tips for the Developing Jazz Pianist

Clinician: Jamie Saltman

This session will address how to encourage and develop your middle school and high school jazz pianists. Topics covered will include: Basic jazz chord voicings, the art of comping over chord progressions, making the transition from a trained classical pianist into the jazz idiom, basic jazz improv and pedagogy, interpreting typical jazz band charts, and various resources.

Recruiting, Retention, and Rebuilding Band

Clinician: Rebecca Makara and Dave Daquil

This session will address best practices for recruiting new elementary and middle school band players and retaining the ones you currently have. They will also share tips on innovative teaching ideas during covid that have helped their program thrive.

Basic Woodwind and Brass Repair for the Music Educator

Clinician: Michael Leonard

This session will address everyday and emergency repairs for woodwind and brass instruments. It will guide educators in how to troubleshoot issues, perform basic pad replacement, spring adjustment, valve issues, what tools and supplies to have on hand, etc. It will also address "what not to do" so as to not worsen the issue.

A Pedagogy of Love. Transforming Teaching and Learning in Music Education

Clinicians: Dr. Ruth Debrot and Dr. Kinh Vu

The purpose of this Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project was to examine teaching and learning in the undergraduate music education program at Boston University. By working collaboratively, with students, we will seek to determine if the undergraduate curriculum meets the pedagogical, social, and emotional needs of pre service students. Our work will be guided by Freire’s (1998) dialogic conception of the teacher/mentor as co learner and we will use a humanizing, problem-posing approach grounded in love, action and understanding (Nhat Hanh, 2007). We intend that student researchers will be able to position themselves as educators, lifelong learners, and producers of knowledge.

MMEA Keynote

Clinicians: Dr. Heather Cote and Tony Beatrice