Music, Dance, and Drama Workshops will be presented at Harrison High School.

Art Educators will meet for the opening reception at 8:30 am at New Rochelle High School, HOUSE 4.

For GPS, use Braemar Ave & North Ave (not 265 Clove Road, which is on the opposite side of the school).

Please park in House 4 Parking Lot.   

Band Instrument Repair

Paul Effman Music

Help save your budget and keep instruments in your students’ hands! Learn some tricks for basic band instrument repairs you can do on your own.

Band Reading Session

Patrick Murphy, Lakeland

Basic Breakdance Hip-Hop Steps

Daniela O’Connor, New Rochelle

Learn basic movements for a dance class.

Beginning Band Breakthroughs: Techniques & Management 

Tamara Caputo, Ossining

Stop stressing over first sounds and noisy rehearsals! This collaborative forum is your chance to share and collect peer-tested strategies for the elementary band room. We will spend half the time focusing on favorite teaching techniques for various band instruments (posture, embouchure, tone) and the other half on mastering efficient large-group rehearsal management. You won't just talk about it - you'll walk away with a ready-to-use checklist of tips to elevate your beginner program immediately.

Beyond Borders: Building Global Connections Through Music (Post Performance Discussion)

Amanda Gundling, Westchester Children’s Chorus

Join the Westchester Children’s Chorus and the Kyiv Lysenko Chamber Girls’ Choir for an inspiring, interactive session exploring the power of music to transcend borders, foster global citizenship, and build meaningful cultural partnerships. Through community singing, shared reflections, and an open dialogue about music education in Ukraine and the United States, participants will experience firsthand the universal language that connects us all. Educators will leave with practical ideas for collaborative programming, shared repertoire, and cross-cultural musical exchanges that can bring global connections into their own classrooms and ensembles. 

Beyond the Canon: A Resource Share for the Modern Theatre Classroom

Christina Baurle & Cyndi Feinman, Port Chester & Rye Neck 

Why reinvent the wheel when we can build a better one together? This session is a facilitated roundtable designed for theatre educators to swap "field-tested" resources in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. We will kick off the conversation by sharing a curated list of lesser-known plays and musicals that break away from the oversaturated "standard" repertoire. From there, we’ll open the floor to a structured exchange of best practices. Whether you have a warm-up that never fails, a clever grading rubric for performance, or a secret source for affordable tech, this is the place to share it. Participants are encouraged to bring their most successful lesson plans, production hacks, and "hidden gem" titles to contribute to our collective digital resource folder. Come ready to talk shop, solve common classroom challenges, and leave with new materials and inspiration for your school year.

Bringing Mariachi to Your Music Program: A Hands-On Workshop 

Jonathan Pereira and Melissa Neyer, Port Chester - Rye

Join in for an interactive workshop exploring the vibrant traditions of mariachi music and how to incorporate them into school music programs. The session will begin with a live performance by Port Chester High School mariachi students, followed by a hands-on reading session where participating educators will have the opportunity to play and sing through selected mariachi repertoire. Participants will leave with practical ideas and resources for bringing mariachi music into their own classrooms. Participants should bring their own instrument (violin, viola, trumpet, bass, or guitar). Vocalists are also encouraged to participate; no instrument is required for singers.

Centering Singing in the General Music Classroom

Amanda Keil, Ossining,

Complicated learning targets bringing down your classroom vibe? This workshop will bring us back to the most elemental musical skill: singing. Learn and share how to make your classroom a singing classroom, from sitting down to lining up, musical attention getters, and song-centered repertoire. Help your students find their voice, even the reluctant ones and, yes, even middle schoolers!

Changing Expectations of Sound and Vocal Production in Broadway and Popular Music

Marc G. Dalio, Iona University

Explore the changing expectations of sound and vocal production in the world of Broadway and popular music, and how we might best approach safe and technique-based vocal usage in high school. The homogenization of timbre and range in recent years has, often dangerously, stretched upper and chest ranges to areas that may not be ideal for an individual’s unique physiology. Discuss and learn techniques to help your students remain in healthy production.

Choral Reading Session

Rachel Heyman, Andrew Richardson & Kim Dunkin, Mamaroneck & Hendrick Hudson

**Reading materials provided by JWPepper**

Composing to Art & Creating Art to Music: A Collaborative Art & Music Project

Michele Davila, White Plains

Explore the possibilities of creating a cross-curricular Garage Band composition with student-created artwork. Teachers should bring an iPad or computer with GarageBand and headphones.

Conflict and Resolution

Ben Acrish and Lauren Morabito, Hendrick Hudson

Conflict and resolution (or tension and equilibrium) exist all around us and are a fundamental part of artistic expression and aesthetics. We will explore how this universal theme specifically manifests itself in music, but we will also acknowledge how this concept connects to other disciplines.

Depends How You Ask: Prompting as an AI Literacy Life Skill

Christopher Santiago, Croton-Harmon

How we prompt an AI connects to how we think. Vague questions produce vague answers, and outputs not thoroughly assessed can lead to any number of obstacles, biases, and errors. The quality of an AI system's output can reveal the depth and quality of the thinking that has gone in. Students can sense when something is "so chatgpt." This workshop intends to explore ways for improving our outputs beyond any tool, mindfully prompting as a critical thinking discipline. Participants should bring a laptop.

Folk Dance Formations

Amanda Keil, Ossining

A sequential approach to bringing dance into any classroom. Moving from self to shared space, circles to lines and changing formations, you will learn how to safely scaffold your students' abilities, conduct assessments, adapt dances to your space, and most of all - HAVE FUN! Folk dance beginners welcome (and if you attended this workshop last year, come for new dances)!

forScore tips and tricks: How to utilize all the app has to offer.

Patricia Santos

More musicians have turned from physical sheet music to forScore to keep their libraries organized and make performances easier. Learn some tricks of the trade to using the app, which has become an industry standard for performing musicians.

From Classroom to Spotify - Releasing Student Compositions to All Streaming Platforms

Anthony G. Maceli, Valhalla

Learn how you can release student music to streaming platforms. See how Valhalla created its own record label and worked out the copyright/financial issues in releasing music while working in a school district (The XXIII Collective is the artist and label).

From Mic to Master: Recording and Building a Student-Led Album from Scratch

Tina Holmes, Rick Russo, Lakeland

Come get inspired to try recording and creating a digital or physical album with your general music, music technology, or modern band class, clubs, or ensembles.

Introduction to Dorico

Timothy Veeder, White Plains

A better understanding of the music software program Dorico (replacement for Finale). Participants should bring a laptop or iPad.

Jazz Band Reading Session

Matt Hilgenberg and Jim Mullen, Mamaroneck

Look through some jazz repertoire from level 1-6, and an introduction to composers and songs. This session is recommended for those who play (and bring) traditional jazz band instruments.

Jazz Improvisation For Everyone - Teaching Past the Blues Scale

Anthony G Maceli, Valhalla High School

Pick up some exercises for teaching your students to improvise.

Latin dance

Daniela O'Connor, New Rochelle

Learn basic movements to incorporate in the classroom

Mandatory Ensemble? Engaging All Middle School Musicians

Rachel Heyman, Mamaroneck

Participants will explore how to structure a mandatory ensemble classroom through clear expectations that remove participation bias. This framework integrates a focus on positive classroom culture to increase student engagement and curriculum access for all.

Music Learning Strategies for Students with Diverse Learning Needs

Lisa Sandagata, Music Conservatory of Westchester

This workshop will begin to explore characteristics of neurodivergent learners and consider ways that music experiences can support learning. The presenter will discuss ideas for appropriate expectations for different learning styles and consider ways to meet goal areas with a specific emphasis on social skills (turn-taking, sharing instruments) and communication (verbal and non-verbal). In addition, we’ll consider some of the best practices to employ to create a successful learning environment for all students.

Orchestra Reading workshop

TJ Bastone, Harrison

Learn about newly published string orchestra repertoire

Pre-Service Teacher Session

WCALA

Recorder Roundtable

Rebecca Mancuso, Eastchester

This session will be an interactive conversation on the current status of the ecorder as a cornerstone of the elementary General Music curriculum. Teachers will have a space to discuss what they love (and hate) about teaching recorder, share best practices, and hopefully gain new ideas to re-energize their school's recorder program!

Repertoire as (Strings) Curriculum

Dr. Jill Schultz

As string teachers, we are charged with helping our elementary players learn technique, master music reading, and be concert-ready in just a few months! Come explore some wonderful repertoire that helps you achieve all these objectives while being fantastic performance pieces. You will leave with a structured sequence for the first year and beyond. Bring your instruments!

Stretch and Meditation In and Out of the Classroom

Deborah Toteda, Harrison

Join a nice, relaxing stretch and meditation you can use for mindfulness for yourselves and your students

Tap Dance for the Middle and High School Musical

Deborah Toteda, Harrison

Learn choreography ideas you can use for middle and high school musicals!

Theatre Games for Teachers

Scott Harris, New Rochelle

A sense of fun, ideas for ice breakers for their classes, ways to loosen up and be creative in the classroom

Vocal Health for Teachers

Dana Celestino, Byram Hills

Learn some vocal exercises that could help you when your voice is feeling tired, and some tips and tricks for saving your voice during the school day!

Westchester STAR Theatre Awards Information Session and Adjudicator Training

WCALA

Learn about the new STAR Awards (Student Theatre Arts Recognition), which will recognize excellence in public high school musical theater through adjudication, written feedback, and awards for student achievement. Developed through a partnership between the Westchester County Arts Leadership Association (WCALA) and the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents (LHCSS), STAR supports the work of student performers, musicians, designers, directors, and technical theater teams across the Lower Hudson Valley. Participants will also receive adjudicator training.

Widening the bench in HS Theater

Pete Kramer, Pete Kramer Media

How can teachers and school theatre directors work to create positions that mirror Broadway – Producers, Marketing Directors, Dramaturg, etc – to develop students’ skills and introduce them to the wide range of career opportunities in the theatre industry.

Your Arms Already Know: Score Study Techniques for More Musical Conducting

Scott Byers, New Rochelle

Take away new score study skills (band, orchestra, or chorus) to help your conducting be more musical and informed to the music. The facilitator will share what he learned from Dr. Thomas McCauley while earning his MM in conducting at Monclair State University. Ditch “pre-planned choreography” for more musical conducting practices.

Weaving for Everyone

Amy Menasche (Byram Hills)

Weaving for Everyone: Weaving engages students with color, texture, and accessibility. It can be easy to learn for elementary students and students with disabilities or scaled to the complex and conceptual for AP students. Small weavings are easy to store and budget-friendly as they can be implemented with found materials, scrap paper, or leftover yarn. This workshop will share simple weaving projects and techniques you can try out with your whole class or as an extension project or station.

Japanese Clay Making Technique: Kurinuki Yunomi

Ellen Salov (New Rochelle)

Discover new clay making and decorative techniques to use with all grade levels, and personal work

Creative Expression in the Art Room. Supporting Student Voice, Exploration, Self-Regulation, and Inclusive Artmaking

Lynn Cukaj (Creative Expressions Consulting, LLC)

This interactive professional development workshop provides K–12 art educators with practical strategies for creating art-room environments that support student voice, exploration, emotional awareness, creative risk-taking, self-regulation, and meaningful engagement. Participants will experience hands-on, process-oriented activities and leave with adaptable strategies that can be implemented across elementary, middle, and high school art classrooms.

Art for the Child: Experimental Drawing

Nicole Peragine (Byram Hills)

Participants can learn about and incorporate more process-based mark making in the classroom. 

Animation: Digital Flipbooks using Stop Motion Studio

Brian Wintersteen (White Plains)

Participants will be introduced to the 12 principles of animation and create a short animation using traditional animation methods: drawing and photographing frames. Animations will be digitally generated using the Stop Motion Studio app, which participants will have to download to their phone from the app store prior to the workshop (it's free). They will also be exposed to different methods of doing animation with students. Participants will also learn about the Syracuse University Project Advance program, a dual enrollment program available to high schools, that has an introduction to animation course. 

Screen Printing for Clay: Explore the intersection of printmaking and ceramics in this hands-on workshop

Sarah Rowe (Harrison)

Participants will experiment with transferring silk screen designs onto clay surfaces.

Cardboard Sculpture Technique: 2 Project Ideas

Johanna Schomber (New Rochelle)

Explore the use of a material usually thrown away to create an abstract sculpture or a trompe l'œil sculpture.

Music-Inspired Art: Cross-Curricular Collaboration

Natalie Thornton (White Plains)

Explore how art and music reinforce one another through a successful middle school project where student artwork and original compositions mutually inspired each other. Designed with flexibility in mind, this workshop provides a practical, co-planning roadmap, fresh ideas, and simple digital tools that can be easily modified for other grades. Optional: bring a device for time-lapse recording.

Camera Lucida: Analog Drawing Aid

Kevin Klein (Mamaroneck)

Explore the history and principles behind the camera lucida, an analog device designed to assist with drawing. Participants will gain an understanding of how the device works and have the opportunity to develop practical skills through hands-on experimentation.

Watercolor Techniques - Enjoy Experimenting with Fun Watercolor Techniques to Inspire Your Students!

Christine Vitarello (Harrison)

Teachers can enjoy learning crafty techniques that could spark students' creative juices. Use string, bubbles, salt, sponges and other tools to engage students with a playful approach to watercolor. These techniques can be a foundation for realism, or as an introduction into abstraction.

Victorian Puzzle Purses

Catherine Ibanez (Ossining)

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to make a Victorian Puzzle Purse. They are intricately folded notes that contain hidden messages and illustrations. Making them incorporates complex design thinking, proportional math concepts, language arts and history. This workshop is most appropriate for Middle and High School Teachers but would also be interesting for others.

Game Design with Pixicade

Alysha Horstman (Mamaroneck)

Have your students ever wanted to create their own video game? Learn how to create playable video games with your own hand drawn art using the Pixicade App-no coding needed! In this workshop you will work with the creators of Pixicade to draw your own avatars, hazards, goals, levels, and physics objects, then simply snap a photo to upload and play your game. Then, level up your creations by uploading full color hand drawn assets, Movement and Power-ups!

To make the most of our time together, please bring your own device to the workshop and download the Pixicade App prior to your workshop time. Logins for trial accounts will be provided at the workshop. 

PreK-2nd mixed media

Julia Bertussi (One River School)

Explore unique mixed media materials and how to include them in your PreK-2nd grade art classroom space. In this session, we will explore collage materials, plaster strips, and paint markers, as well as the best ways to introduce these materials to your young artists.

Sketchbook Art

Julia Bertussi (One River School)

Teach your students how to unleash their creativity in their sketchbooks! Give your students the tools to dive into mixed media and bold techniques to transform the traditional sketchbook into a multi-dimensional art experience. Through collaging, painting, drawing, cutting, and creative manipulation, students push past the flat page to craft a sketchbook that’s as dynamic as their imagination.

Teen Portfolio Development

Julia Bertussi (One River School)

This session will review a targeted goals checklist for how to assist your students with preparing college portfolios. From building the portfolio to submitting it, we will review the best tips and tricks for keeping your students on track.