In our neck of the woods (Allegheny County in Western PA), we are thawing out from what was a pretty mild winter, and welcome the sounds of birds chirping and sights of flowers blooming and grass turning green! Spring is the time for re-birth and growth… including professional development of all kinds for music educators – everyone from pre-service (future music educators) to in-service teachers and even retirees!
Let’s get recharged, re-energized, and re-inspired! Sign-up for one or more of these conferences.
COVID-19 has placed restrictions on all of our PMEA and NAfME venues, and so far, 2021 conferences will be held in a “virtual” platform. This is both good and bad news. The disadvantage remains that we cannot “get close and personal,” shake hands, network, collaborate, and “catch-up” with our friends and colleagues, meet new people, and sight-see places like the Poconos, Erie, Reading, or Pittsburgh! However, the advantage of these online events is that all sessions are being offered “on-demand” for at least several months after each closing event. In the virtual setting, you can take the time and view every workshop at your leisure!
If you have never attended a music education conference, take a moment and review one of these articles:
Yours truly is privileged to present several sessions on some of his “favorite topics” previously posted on this site:
- Self-Care Cookbook – Reflections, Recipes, and Resources for Teachers (PMEA ANNUAL CONFERENCE)
- Countdown to Retirement – Preparations for “Living-the-Dream” (PMEA ANNUAL CONFERENCE)
- Hands-On Conducting (PMEA CRESCENDO FOR STUDENTS)
- Hop on the E-Train – Essential Ethics for the new Educator (NAfME EASTERN DIVISION)
Update on 5/27/21:
PMEA Summer Conference 2021 – Rejuvenate!
The 2021 PMEA Summer Conference will be held virtually beginning Wednesday, July 21 and concluding on Friday, July 23. Most sessions will be presented live and will be recorded for attendees to access at a later time.
For more information, go to https://www.pmea.net/pmea-summer-conference/.
PMEA Annual Conference 2021 – Renew!
The PMEA Annual Conference kicks-off on April 14, 2021 for three days and four nights of professional development activities.
PMEA will utilize the same online platform for this event as it did for its 2020 Summer Conference. The virtual annual conference will also include a virtual exhibit hall. With the theme of Renew, the 2021 Conference invites music educators to use this time together to Renew the way you think about music education, to Renew plans for the 2021-22 school year, to Renew connections with fellow music educators, to Renew our hope for a return to making music together, and to Renew our collective passion for the power of music education. All registrants will have access to the majority of the conference content for 90 days. Online registration is available.
Thursday evening will feature synchronous open forum discussions and an Invited Researcher session with Elizabeth Parker, Temple University, as well as a keynote presentation by Byron Stripling, Principal Pops Conductor, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The evening will end with college/university receptions, held in the virtual space this year.
Synchronous research sessions will also be available on Friday in the late afternoon/early evening. The Saturday schedule includes a performance by the woodwind quintet WindSync and a presentation by Julie Duty, Founder & Executive Director of United Sound, an organization which offers the solution for music educators who desire to include students with disabilities in their music programs but struggle with the “how” and the “when.”
This year’s event will also include opportunities to network with fellow attendees, as well as an online Music Education Marketplace (exhibit hall) – allowing participants to connect directly with exhibitors within the platform. While the exhibit hall will be “open” the duration of the event, there will be specific hours, beginning Wednesday evening and concluding Saturday afternoon, when the exhibitors will be available for live interaction.
- Tentative 2021 PMEA Virtual Conference Schedule
- 2021 PMEA Annual Conference Research Sessions
- 2021 Virtual Music Education Marketplace Exhibitors
CRESCENDO Virtual Conference for Students
Students in grades 8-12 are invited to participate in the first-of-its-kind PMEA CRESCENDO, an online event to be held on April 17, 2021. Designed for student musicians who are interested in learning about opportunities to make music or find a career in music, the one-day conference will bring together some of the best speakers and teachers from a variety of music worlds.
Keynoters will feature Dave Wish, founder/CEO of Little Kids Rock, and ChaRonDon, rapper/hip-hop artist.
Sessions will include:
- Careers in music (areas like music therapy, musical theatre, music education, military careers, music performance, music publishing, composition, retail and repair, and music production)
- Breakout sessions (learning about drum corps, conducting, meet a composer, music technology, song writing, yoga for musicians, rap/hip hop, vocal jazz, leadership, and more!)
- Masterclasses from experts on their instruments. Students will have the chance to spend some time learning more about their instrument or vocal performance area and get tips from the pros in unique online masterclass settings.
Proposed mini-workshops:
PA STUDENTS interested in participating in PMEA CRESCENDO should fill out this form.
PA MUSIC EDUCATORS recommending a student for this conference should fill out this form.
57th Biennial NAfME Eastern Division Conference
Finally, you won’t want to miss the following week’s frenzy of enriching and enlightening professional development, the 57th Biennial NAfME Eastern Division Virtual Conference!
In addition to the NAfME workshop sessions being only 30-minutes (colleagues sharing quick “tips, techniques, and solutions” and more opportunities to peruse additional sessions), there will be a designated Thursday evening “concert time” with 5 programs to play at 8:45 p.m. (Orchestra, Chorus, Band, Jazz, Modern Band) along with performances from the Division’s colleges and universities.
The master schedule is posted here. Registration can be completed here. Hope to “see” you there!
© 2021 Paul K. Fox
Coming Soon… Books to Put on Your Reading List
Pixabay spring picture: Crocus-Flower-Spring by MichaelGaida
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