2023-2024 Georgia Music News | Winter Issue by Georgia Music Educators Association

WINTER ISSUE

Celebrate and Advocate for Music in Our Schools Melissa Sto uf fer

Music Teacher Story Project Roy Legette

Make AI Your Personal Music Teaching Assistant William I. Bauer

Colquitt County High School A Cappella Choir Celebrates 90 Years Cristy Caldwell

A S S O C I AT I O N N E W S

IN-SERVICE CONFERENCE

VOLUME 84 | NUMBER 2 | WINTER 2023

In This Issue

GMEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Neil Ruby

District Chairs 1 - Hank Carter 2 - Dominique Lane 3 - Kenneth Boykin, Jr. 4 - Monica L. Fogg 5 - Angela Reynolds 6 - Quinn Kearse 7 - Michael Elzey 8 - Christopher Duke 9 - Raymond Thomas 10 - Tayler Norwood 11 - Jeremy Williams 12 - Andy Esserwein 13 - David Metrio 14 - Nicholas Golding

Immediate Past President Dr. Matt Koperniak Vice-President for Performance Evaluation Events Sara Grimes Vice-President for All State Events Jay Davis Past Presidents’ Council Representative Dr. Richard Bell

Celebrate and Advocate for Music in Our Schools Melissa Stouffer

Executive Director D. Alan Fowler

Editor, Georgia Music News Victoria Enloe

Band Division Chair Chris Shumick

For the complete list of Board Members please visit:

Choral Division Chair Michelle Austin College Division Chair Dr. Josh Byrd Elementary Division Chair Letricia Henson

THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS

Orchestra Division Chair Krissi Davis

INDEX

Assistant

William I. Bauer

Colquitt County High School A Cappella Choir Celebrates 90 Years Cristy Caldwell

Advertising/Exhibitors Cindy Reed

ADVERTISER

Music Make AI Your Teacher Story Personal Music Teaching Project

14 Roy Legette

GMEA Staff Dr. Bernadette Scruggs Laura Webb Megan Williams Aleta Womack

ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PAGE 3 GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY INSIDE COVER UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA MUSIC DIVISION PAGE 13

TO ADVERTISE

APPLY TODAY WWW.GMEA.ORG/ADVERTISE

© Copyright 2023 by the Georgia Music Educators Association All pieces reproduced in this issue are under prior copyright of the creators and publisher by the contractual arrangements. Nothing shown may be reproduced in any form without obtaining the permission of the publisher and any other person or company who may have copyright ownership.

W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Association News The

President Speaks

Neil Ruby GMEA Members,

I am so excited about the 2024 In-Service Conference and our theme, Their Future is our Mission! At the heart of our mission is the belief that through music education, we have an incredible opportunity to shape the future of our students, colleagues, and society as a whole. The 2024 conference is packed with incredible opportunities, including: • 120+ sessions led by master educators. • 35+ inspiring concerts from talented ensembles from all over the state. • 100+ exhibitors and business partners. • Professional collaboration and networking with other music teachers and friends. Our Opening Session will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 25th and feature Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser as our Keynote Speaker, a special performance by Timothy Miller from Morehouse College and the Atlanta Opera, the recognition of several GMEA awards, including the Music Educators of the Year from all 14 of our GMEA Districts, the announcement of the GMEA State Music Educator of the Year, and a few other surprises! Music Technology teacher and the current Georgia Teacher of the Year, Christy Todd, and NAfME President-elect, Dr. Deborah Confredo, will both be in attendance as well. You don’t want to miss the opening session this year! The GMEA Leadership Symposium will take place on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, prior to the start of the conference. Teachers with 3-7 years of experience have been nominated by their district leadership to attend training sessions on leadership skills, advocacy, and GMEA governance and finance. The GMEA: High School Experience will once again be held on the Friday 2

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of the conference with 100 aspiring high school juniors and seniors. The GMEA: High School Experience allows these students to gain first-hand insight into rewarding careers in music education while also supporting our teacher pipeline initiative. We are thrilled to once again host the CNAfME Reception on Thursday evening for our college students and the HBCU Reception on Friday evening. Check the schedule for more details on both of these wonderful events! Are you looking for a music teaching position? Stop by the Job Fair, anytime between 2:00-4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon on the upper-level concourse outside the Parthenon and Olympia rooms. Representatives from various Georgia school systems will be available to meet with potential applicants. I encourage you to take time during the conference to visit the exhibit hall, where you will find over 100 business partners eager to share the latest resources, instruments, technology and so much more to support your teaching. A new addition to the exhibit hall this year is Tech Town which will feature the MusicFirst Technology Lab, the Soundtrap Podcasting Station, and the MEG Mobile Recording Studio. Visit Tech Town for a hands-on exploration of the latest technology resources available to enhance teaching and learning in your music classrooms! We are very blessed to have one of the largest and strongest MEA’s in the country. Our future is bright because of our members, the incredible work you do every day in the classrooms to inspire your students, and your unwavering support of each other. Whether you are a student, current teacher, or a retired member, GMEA is all of us, and together, we are GMEA. We look forward to welcoming you to the In-Service Conference and working together to shape the future through the power of music education because Their Future is our Mission! See you in Athens!

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program is one of the most successful diversity music programs in the United States. This year, thanks to decades of vision and commitment, we celebrate 30 years. The Talent Development Program provides gifted Black and Latinx musicians in grades 5-12 with the highest level of musical training. Alumni go on to attend top music schools, with professional careers as soloists, chamber musicians, orchestral performers, composers, teachers, and more.

aso.org/TDP

YEARS

Established in 1974, the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra celebrates its 50th season in 2023-24. The Orchestra, composed of the region's most talented student musicians, will share its craft during three public performances in Symphony Hall. This season the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra is under the musical direction of William R. Langley with support from ASO musicians and guest artists.

Upcoming Concert JAN 26 | 8:45pm GMEA In-Service Concert Classics Center Athens, GA

aso.org/asyo W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Association News From The

Executive Director D. Alan Fowler

Greetings again from GMEA HQ East. Back in early September, two GMEA staff members and I had a meeting planned. To coordinate, we contacted Miguel Guisasola, the Director of Bands at Flowery Branch High School. Given that Miguel had extended a previous invitation for me to visit his school, and I hadn't had the opportunity to do so, arranging to meet at Flowery Branch High School seemed like a great idea. Miguel graciously welcomed us, provided a space for our meeting, and even offered me the opportunity to address his students. The day turned out to be fantastic!

If you follow our GMEA social media accounts, you're likely aware that I haven't confined myself to my desk. While I remain dedicated to working diligently from my office on behalf of our members and the association, the experience of being out and about has been truly enriching. From the very beginning, it has been crucial to me to be approachable and available to our members, and this commitment continues to be enlightening.

During my visit, I got to meet Stacie Mavis, the longtime Chorus Director at FBHS. Upon our meeting, I said, “We have 3,400 members and I am working on meeting them one at a time.” Thinking about it now, that comment may have come across as a little tongue-in-cheek, but I meant it sincerely. Meeting our members has been my primary focus since the day I took on the role of Executive Director a year and a half ago.

Stepping onto the grounds of Cartersville High School on November 17th marked my 108th school visit in less than a year and a half in this role. Whether on campuses, in churches, or other venues I've been fortunate to visit, the opportunity to shake members' hands and engage in conversations has been a wonderful aspect of this journey. The purposes of these visits are varied and interesting. I have traveled to attend performances, take part in rehearsals, and deliver All-State or LGPE materials. Many encounters were a result of finding myself in a distant part of the state, prompting me to schedule stops at schools along the way, 4

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adhering to the notion of accomplishing multiple tasks in a single trip. Regardless of the specific reasons, every time I had the chance to visit with members—whether individuals I've known for years, those with whom I had only previously conversed over the phone, or teachers I was fortunate to meet for the first time—each encounter has been meaningful.

student members across different schools. Rest assured, we have now addressed this, and with the assistance of Georgia Collegiate NAfME Advisor Dr. Annalisa Chang, we are committed to better serving the collegiate segment of our membership going forward. I am optimistic about the bright future of CNAfME in Georgia, and this bodes well for the future of our association and music education.

Thank you for all you continue to do for the students, schools, and communities throughout Georgia. Please continue to reach out in the event there is anything I or our other staff members can do to help you. I look forward to seeing you in Athens next month!

A new dimension to my travels this year involves the visits Megan Williams and I have been conducting at colleges and universities throughout Georgia. During these meetings, we've been engaging with music students, providing information about CNAfME and GMEA. Last spring, I discovered that although our CNAfME numbers are robust overall, GMEA hasn't historically engaged much with these students beyond their attendance at the conference. While we've consistently tracked the total Georgia collegiate membership from year to year, it became apparent that we had never monitored the distribution of

Division News Band

Chris Shumick I hope everyone is enjoying a fantastic end to the Fall Semester and looking forward to all that is to come in the new year ahead. The 2024 In-Service Conference in Athens is on the horizon, and the Band Division will offer 24 sessions in addition to the many performances that will take place at the Classic Center. Well over 120 session applications were received and those selected represent a wide range of topics that include: Chamber Music – Conducting - Student Leadership Development - Repertoire Selection Brass, Woodwind and Percussion Instrumental Techniques Diversity and Inclusion - Work/Life Balance Educational Psychology - Mentorship - Marching Band Show Design - Chamber Music Student Motivation - Jazz Improvisation, and more…

These sessions will offer a wealth of professional development opportunities for educators in all stages of their career, and I hope that you will be able to join us in Athens for the 2024 ISC to share, collaborate, and learn from expert clinicians in these respective fields.

For the session on Jazz Improvisation, the Band Division will welcome world-renown performing artist Harry Waters. A Jazz Trombonist and Jupiter Performing Artist, Harry has performed with a long list of distinguished artists, including Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, Peter Nero, Carl Fontana, and James Moody and has appeared as a featured soloist with bands and orchestras around the world.

Orchestra Krissi Davis

Greeting Colleagues! It’s hard to believe that we are almost at the halfway point of the school year! I hope your first semester was a productive one, and, more importantly, I wish you a restful winter break. As we close out our semester, I would like to congratulate David Metrio, Shawn Morton, and the North Gwinnett High School Chamber Orchestra on their upcoming performance at the Midwest Clinic. If you’re attending Midwest this year, be sure to support their performance. After winter break, please make plans to attend the GMEA In-Service Conference in January. We have an awesome lineup of performances and sessions that you do not want to miss. I would like to highlight Perry Holbrook’s session entitled, How to Ace Sight Reading at LGPE: Sight Reading Techniques for Orchestra. With sightreading now mandatory for middle school orchestras, this is a very timely session that you shouldn’t miss, especially if you will be sight-reading for the first time at LGPE this year. In my first year as orchestra division chair, one of the things that has blown me away is the monumental task of organizing All-State Orchestra. Behind the scenes, it truly is a year-long endeavor. As we gear up for All-State 2024, I would like to take moment to thank all the organizers who tirelessly work to make All-State a success in addition to running their own respective programs: Stephen Lawrence-Carroll, Amanda McClellan, Bo Na, Sam Lowder, Patricia Cleaton, Lori Buonamici, Rae Litowich, and David Metrio. And a very big thank you to Laura Webb who keeps me from hitting the wrong button in OPUS! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, I am an email away at orchestra@gmea.org. I look forward to seeing you at the In-Service conference!

Happy Holidays to all, and I look forward to seeing everyone in Athens in January!

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2023

Choral

Elementary Letricia Henson

Michelle Austin The end of a semester is a great opportunity to pause and reflect on our teaching practices. What are we and our singers doing successfully? What are our areas ffor growth? Attending In-Service Conference is a great way to gain more knowledge in our areas of growth and add new tools and tricks in our areas of strength. If you have not registered, it is not too late! Visit the GMEA website to register, book your hotel, and see the slate of sessions being offered. We also have some outstanding performance choirs for In-Service Conference. We had many high-quality submissions this year, which is a testament to the outstanding work our choral directors are doing all around the state. Below are the choirs that will be performing: Thursday Evening Northwestern Middle School 8th Grade Chorus Denmark High School Chamber Choir Allatoona High School Advanced Women’s Chorus Rainey McCullers School of the Arts Rainey Singers Orpheus Men’s Ensemble Friday Evening Georgia Spirit Barbershop Youth Chorus (3:15pm performance in the Classic Center atrium) Jones Middle School Tenor-Bass Choir McIntosh High School Bella Voce Dekalb School of the Arts HighLeit Sprayberry High School Bella Voce Georgia Southern Chorale Saturday Morning Academy for Classical Education Junior High Men’s Choir Buford High School Advanced Treble Ensemble The University of West Georgia Chamber Singers All-State Reading Chorus Concert

Greetings To all of the Dynamic Elementary General Music Teachers. We have entered our busy season of music making for the annual Veterans Day programs, Winter Concerts, and all things musical that keep us busy at the end of the semester. I hope you will take a moment for some self-care. Our self-care may look different and may include a range of activities including making time for quiet moments in your day, recharging with a surprise phone call from a loved one, or trying a new hobby. Please remember your health and well-being are important as we approach the end of the first semester. So, teachers, as we recharge and refuel in this school year, I hope to see many of you at the Annual In-Service Conference January 25th- January 27th in Athens, GA. We have a variety of fun-filled sessions with outstanding speakers from across the United States. Additionally, we are excited to have sessions led by our own elementary teachers from our great state. Let’s register and I would hope to see many of you at our Annual gathering of professional development. Also, the Elementary Pilot Festival was introduced this year across all districts. The proposal was submitted by Andrew Geocaris, a Professional Learning Coordinator in Cobb County. The pilot program is taking shape through several of the Elementary Council district chairs. We all look forward to this initiative increasing the visibility of our general music programs in the state of Georgia. Lastly, thank you for your response in registering your elementary singers for the Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus that will take place in Jonesboro, Georgia on February 9th-10th. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Annual In-Service Conference in Athens, GA and the Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus in Jonesboro, GA. Have a great remainder of your fall semester! Musically yours, Letricia Henson Elementary Division Chair

One thing I love about the GMEA choral community is how supportive we are of each other, both in our work and interpersonally. This work can take a lot out of us, but we do not have to do it alone. Check in on your choral colleagues before semester’s end. Ask them how things are going, both in their classroom and outside of their job. This is a small gesture that could mean a lot to a director who is struggling right now. Wishing you all the best on your upcoming winter concerts and Large Group Performance Evaluations! W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Division News College Josh Byrd

Happy December! I hope that your semester is going smoothly, and I also hope that this semester feels back to normal/”pre-COVID” for both you and your students. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the annual conference; it’s hard to believe that it is a little over a months away. There is a lot happening in the college division: Robert Ambrose, Daniel Bara, and Alison Mann have been hard at work preparing their instrumental and choral conducting workshops for the conference while Alan Fowler, Megan Williams, Neil Ruby, Annalisa Chang, and many others are making a concerted effort to visit and connect with our undergraduate CNAfME chapters. One point of interest: GMEA would like to encourage you to send in events hosted on your campus (https://www.gmea.org/ events) to let the membership in your area know about professional development and growth opportunities available at your institution. These can range from masterclasses to guest artist residencies to lectures; the primary requirement is that the person running/organizing the event be a GMEA member. Feel free to email me if you have any questions whatsoever. With that said, please encourage your colleagues to either join or renew! I am happy to listen to your ideas as to how we can better connect with our colleagues and “close the loop” when it comes to music education. The more collegiate members we have, the more conversations and positive changes we can spark. Best of luck as you wrap up your fall; see you in January!

Our fantastic music technology sessions include presentations by Georgia Public Broadcasting, Dr. Jason Freeman, Chair of the Music Dept. at Georgia Tech, Stefani Langol, from the Berklee College of Music, and Georgia’s State Teacher of the Year Christy Todd. This year’s conference will include a new area in the exhibit hall that you will not want to miss. GMEA Tech Town!! Tech Town will be a hands-on space that attendees can visit to explore and experiment with the latest tech tools to supplement and enhance teaching and learning. There will be 12 music tech workstations with Apple iMacs or MacBook Pros for you to checkout the latest software and MIDI tools, an iPad playbox, a Podcasting station where we will be live podcasting from the exhibit hall, and the “World’s Loudest Hummer” and mobile recording studio! Bring your trumpet, violin, or voice and get professional tips and tricks for recording in your classroom. The area will be staffed with people who are ready to answer any questions you may have about utilizing technology with your students in your classroom.

Tech Town would not be possible without the support of the GMEA Executive Board as well as some amazing sponsors, including: MusicFirst, Dolby Labs, Soundtrap, Romeo Music, the Music Educators Group, LLC, and Apple, Inc., who stepped up to provide the equipment.

Music Technology Heath Jones

As we near the end of the first semester, my excitement begins to build in anticipation of Thanksgiving Dinner, special holiday celebrations with family, and the annual GMEA In-Service Conference! This year my excitement level is spiking because of some amazing presenters and new additions that Music Technology will be bringing to the conference this year. 8

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Last but not least, 2024 will have the 5th Annual Music Technology Student Showcase. We have some amazing evaluators lined up to provide feedback for students. The event will be held on Friday, January 26 at 7:00PM in the Empire Room at the Foundry Building. If you can’t make the showcase, plan on coming by Tweed Studios later that evening for a mixer being held by our sponsors from 9PM-11PM. I can’t wait to see you in Athens!!

Guitar

Caryn Volk A Place to Belong Students are always searching for a place to belong, somewhere they feel included, valued, and safe. Music ensembles offer a harbor for personal growth in a family mindset, so it is no wonder many students join an ensemble and stay with it for years. We are all doing what we do because somewhere there was a music ensemble where we felt important. Non-traditional ensemble membership is no different, often bringing in students who did not feel like they belonged in a traditional ensemble. Two aspects of this safe harbor, however, are persistently insufficient: continuous ensemble opportunities and professional development for educators with non-traditional classes. Traditional ensembles may at times include expanded instrumentation, but that does not replace the dedicated coursework of a focus area. Knowing that an informed educator is an effective educator, we prioritize support for new and existing guitar programs in our annual in-service conference planning. Our goal is not only to provide sessions that reflect members’ interests and needs, but also to continue to cultivate a strong community of guitar educators within GMEA. No music ensemble should be treated as ‘other,’ no student should be made to feel expendable. All students want to heard, validated, and appreciated for the effort put into the performance no matter how small or simple. Such recognition relies on the strength, dedication, and skill of our network of music educators. The 2024 In-Service Conference sessions include opportunities to learn guitar-specific teaching techniques, rehearsal warmups, basic repair, and ensemble structure applicable to new and experienced directors. The presenters want to help you improve and inform the guitar class experience for students and teachers! Additionally, there will be featured guitar ensemble performances on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon. To support performance rigor, we are again hosting the Giocoso Guitar Festival for large-group, small-group, and solo performances. We also offer two- and four-hand piano adjudication. Please visit giocoso.weebly.com for more information. We continue to bring our musicians forward with all of the same quality of instruction and performance as we have in the past. We must give them a strong sense of support, training, and authentic practice to produce future music advocates!

Best wishes for your fall and winter performances. We look forward to seeing you at the 2024 In-Service Conference and your guitar ensembles at the Giocoso Festival! If you are starting a program, or need support with a current one, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Historian

Matt Koperniak

The first purpose of our Association, as stated in the GMEA Constitution, is “to promote professional growth among its members.” Our annual GMEA In-Service Conference serves that purpose. As our next conference approaches, memories from past conferences float to the surface. Each of us has our own personal history with the GMEA conference, from meaningful sessions to inspiring performances, and of course time with friends and colleagues, all of which serve to promote our professional growth. Perusing past conference programs, some sessions speak to timeless themes, such as advocacy sessions in the 1922 Georgia Educational Association music department conference: “The Value of School Music” and “Making Music a Required Study in the Curriculum of the Schools of Georgia.” Other sessions are a sign of the times, such as these from the 1985 GMEA Conference in Columbus, GA: “A Computer Software Program – Band Leaders Will See How a Microcomputer Can Help Plot a Band’s Shows During Football Games” and a performance of the youth musical “Pinocchio: Don’t Smoke that Cigarette.” Conferences also highlight exemplary teaching and music making. For example, during the 1972 National Convention of the Music Educators National Conference in Atlanta, Dr. Alfred D. Wyatt, Sr., served as a guest conductor for the Georgia High School Band, conducting Semper Fidelis in front of a national audience. Earlier this year, our Association marked the passing of Dr. Alfred D. Wyatt, Sr. (1928-2023), noting his many contributions and accomplishments to music education in Georgia. Over the years, GMEA conferences have been held in a variety of venues, including Columbus, Savannah, Milledgeville, Jekyll Island, and the “Royal Coach Motor Hotel” in Atlanta. Regardless of location, the purpose remains the same as so many years ago: to provide targeted professional learning opportunities for music educators to advance the cause of music education in Georgia. I’m looking forward to our upcoming conference as an opportunity for professional growth. See you in Athens!

W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Division News Research

Rebecca Atkins We had many submissions this year for research posters and presentations. Thank you to all who submitted their research! Submissions were sent to a committee for blind review and we extended invitations for 19 posters and 9 sessions. Thank you to GMEA for agreeing to host more than we have been able to host in the past! We are also very excited to have Deb Confredo, 2022-23 Nafme President-elect present a session!

Come read the posters at GMEA on Friday morning in the Atrium lobby and then come visit with the researchers between 11:15 am and 12:15 pm. Posters will remain up throughout the afternoon. The 25-minute presentations will be held throughout the day in Ligotti Hall 2 from 9:15 am to 5:30 pm and have been grouped by topic (band, choral, pre-service, technology, etc.). Research studies range from explorations of teaching strategies including gamification and technology use, recruiting/ retention and training of pre-service educators, performance injury, teacher identity, in depth analysis of musical works, exploration of music schools in other countries, and eye tracking studies, just to name a few. You will find a research topic that connects with your teaching situation! Come join us!

Standing Ovation Georgia Music Educators Association extends heartfelt congratulations to our recently retired members for their dedicated service in the field of Music Education. Sonia Squires is retiring from her position as the Orchestra Director at Whitewater Middle School in Fayette County. Sonia was one of three teachers who began the orchestra program in Fayette County in 1999, and she has been at Whitewater Middle School since that time. In retirement, she looks forward to expanding her private lesson studio, continuing to work with the violin shop she runs with her husband out of their home, and spending even more time riding her horse! Planning to retire this spring? Georgia Music News wants to recognize you! Submit your retirement announcement or new teaching position at https://www.gmea.org/magazine.

Transitions Sabrina Robertson is humbled and thrilled to join Mountain View High School (Lawrenceville) as the newly appointed choral director for the 2023-2024 school year. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the choral program with over 16 years of choral music teaching experience. Mrs. Robertson holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with an emphasis in vocal performance from Columbus State University Schwob School of Music in Columbus, GA (2006), where she studied voice with Earl Coleman. She holds a Master of Education in Accomplished Teaching from Georgia Southern University (2011). She is a proud alumna of the Grammy award-winning John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School of Augusta, GA where she grew as a budding singer under Dr. James "Jim" Dunaway. She is an accomplished pianist and songwriter with several copyrighted songs. Mrs. Robertson previously taught choral music at Alton C. Crews Middle School for nine years and was honored as the 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Robertson is appreciative of her predecessor, Mrs. Renée Wilson-Wicker, who retired from Mountain View High School. 10

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Retired Reflections Natalie Colbert It is a pleasure to highlight one of the great leaders in the development of orchestra programs in our state. Please enjoy reading about retired music educator Natalie Colbert. Where did you grow up and go to school? I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and attended Frederick Douglass High School. I received a bachelor’s degree in music performance and music education from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music. Additionally, I hold an Educational Leadership Tier 1 Certificate from the University of West Georgia. Tell us anything you would like for us to know about your interests beyond music (friends, family, hobbies…) I am married to Reginald Colbert, also a retired music educator in the Atlanta Public School system. We have two adult children, Alexandra Colbert, an HR Business Partner and Analyst and Jonathan Colbert, a professional double bassist. Being grandparents to Ella Simone Christensen Colbert, seven years old, and Axel Jay Christensen Colbert, 3 years old, brings so much love and many wonderful experiences to our family. Where did you work up until you retired from full time teaching? I was the full time Orchestra Teacher at Sutton Middle School in the Atlanta Public Schools for over 30 years. After retiring from Sutton, I created the orchestra program for grades 6-12 at Charles R. Drew Charter School. I held this position for four years and then retired from full time teaching. Since retiring from teaching full time what have you been doing? Being with my family, laughing, being outdoors and reading, watching good movies, and playing with my daughter’s dog Chippy are some of my favorite pastimes. I also enjoy meeting new families, children, and youth wherever I go!

I also spend quite a bit of my time serving the community as a member of the Baha’i Faith. I am now serving as the Secretary for the Southeast Regional Training Institute. In this position, I serve with others throughout Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi in sharing materials from the Ruhi Training Institute. The Institute carries out action and research in the field to develop educational programs and materials that are concerned with the development of human resources for the spiritual, social, and cultural development of all of humanity, ages five to adult. The materials that children, junior youth, youth and adults learn throughout the globe has emerged from a consistent effort to apply Baha’i principles to the analysis of social conditions. I have also found that the process enhances individual capacities to not only serve humanity, transform themselves and their communities, but also to work together in unity and harmony. I enjoy the work and being involved in a process that has formulated its strategies in special framework and a philosophy of social change, development, and education that keeps me in a learning mode and continually has me thinking about making our lives better! What advice do you have for those who are considering becoming music teachers? When you become a music teacher, or a teacher of any subject, continually work to improve and become aware of your weaknesses. Join your professional organizations to be in the forefront of the current educational trends and pedagogies and to develop lifelong relationships with your peers. The relationships you form with your colleagues, staff and administration will be key to you creating a community that understands and can witness the importance of music education in all aspects of life. What advice do you have for those who are retired or are about to retire from teaching music? Stay involved in with your families, mentor other music teachers when you can, and keep your body and brain moving! Please feel free to add anything else you would like us to know. I appreciate this opportunity to share my humble thoughts. I really enjoyed my years as an orchestra teacher and still miss the students! W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

The Veteran 10 Tim Lautzenheiser Please tell us a bit about your musical background and teaching experience. As an only child, I grew-up in a home where my mother taught tap-dancing (for 72 years, no less!) and my father’s side of the family was very musically focused. Being from a small farm school, the musical journey was limited, but we had a remarkable choir director (Miss Sellers) who was a charismatic individual who had over 95% of the school in the choir. I attended Ball State University as a percussion major, went to graduate school following my undergrad degree, and then took my first job at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Marching band, percussion, beginning theory. From there to the University of Missouri as Associate Director of Bands and then to New Mexico State University as Director of Bands.

What first drew you to music education? Clearly, it was the influence of my high school choir teacher and my high school percussion teacher. Who has been the biggest influence on your teaching career? What lessons did you learn from them? My college band director, Earl Dunn…my college percussion instructor, Ed Metzenger…and a host of other wonderful professors. Through the years I have been fortunate to be around the most wonderful, talented, caring-sharing people in the profession. The family of leaders continue to be my heroes. I think the most important thing learned was: PERSISTENCE IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS. There are many talented musicians, many wonderful teachers, but the ones who make the greatest impact are those who “walk the talk.” They lead by example. What have been the biggest changes to music education in the course of your career? The fundamentals have remained the same; that’s WHY they are called fundamentals, smile. I think we have seen an emphasis in the complete growth package the arts add to the positive growth and development of the child. It is a robust profession and we are becoming cognizant of the countless benefits it brings to the music makers and music learners. Advocacy has availed us to some powerful research. Music for the sake of music. Music for the sake of tapping one’s unlimited potential! How has your teaching philosophy evolved through out your career? It’s a great question. I am now putting more emphasis on the CONTEXT…hopefully, without losing the focus on the CONTENT. Early on, it was much about the performance… the EXTREMES more than the MEANS. That has shifted over the years to embrace both goals. The realization of the first-class habits formed by the music journey is certainly worth a grand spotlight. Music can literally change a child’s life…and for the better.

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What has been the proudest moment of your teaching career? Far too many to identify one. All of them were when the spotlight was shining directly on the students…or a student…or the proud parents. Good fortune has always offered up students who were willing to go the extra mile. Shirt-tailing on their accomplishments, or cheering from backstage makes my heart explode with joy. What wisdom/experience/skills do you hope to have imparted on your students when they leave your program? To “give-up giving-up.” We all have fallbacks along the way, but it is those who get-up, dust themselves off and get back in the game that are the victors. Role modeling is so, so, so important. “Walk the talk.” Knowledge is of no value unless you turn it into wisdom…that’s when the knowledge is integrated into behavior. Is there a particular musical work or composer to which you feel all students should be exposed? How much time do you have? Beethoven, Mozart, Debussy, Mahler, Holtz, Sousa, Tower-of-Power, Oscar Peterson, Hindemith, Tchaikovsky, and on, and on…and on. What advice would you offer teachers beginning careers in music education? Find a mentor and short chain yourself to that individual. There’s a tendency to avoid ASKING, when ASKING is THE KEY. RELATIONSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS. Communicate with students, administrators, parents, colleagues, etc. Get out of the office, hang out in the hallways between classes, and send as many thank-you notes as possible. What still inspires you about teaching? Watching the students embrace the notion of HOW THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Not by just sharing information, but by explaining the unlimited treasure of personal value that comes from MUSIC LEARNING and MUSIC MAKING. Connecting students to the MOTHER LODE of self-expression. Making the world a better place.

Music

Accredited by the American Music Therapy Association, National Association for Schools of Music, and Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

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Music Teacher Story Project:

Inspiring Stories of Music Teachers Changing Lives By Roy Legette

One thing that I enjoy is listening to Story Corp on National Public Radio. In Athens it comes on at about 8:30 on Friday mornings so I listen on my way to work. Just in case you are not familiar with Story Corp or have not listened to it in a while, Story Corp asks pairs of individuals to interview each other on a wide range of topics (e.g. growing up in a single parent home, defeating drug addiction, or when and how you met your spouse or significant other). The relationships between interview participants cover a wide spectrum. For example, they could be mother-son, father-daughter, friend-friend. All interviews are recorded and archived in the Library of Congress. Listening to Story Corp made me think of some of my past teachers and how they helped to shape my life as a music educator and person in profound ways. There was Mr. Fuller who kindled my love for music by introducing me to the saxophone, the tenor saxophone to be exact, because that was all he had. My parents could not afford to buy me an instrument of my own at the time. There was Mr. Perkins, my high school band director, who nurtured me as a musician and person and inspired me to pursue music teaching as a career. And then there was Mr. Evans, my saxophone professor at Fayetteville State University, the small historically black university that I attended as an undergraduate in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Aside from being an excellent musician, teacher, and role model, Mr. Evans became my mentor and friend. That’s a little bit about my story. As I thought about the stories I heard on Story Corp, I also reflected on the numerous conversations I had with

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these wonderful teachers from my past. All of them have long passed away and how I wish I had captured and preserved some of the stories they told. I believe we all have had teachers that touched us in profound ways, and their words live forever in our hearts and minds. As I thought more about Story Corp, I began to think that teaching is very much a story telling profession, and that teachers have rich, exciting, interesting, and inspiring stories to tell. More and more teachers tell their stories and these stories go well beyond numerical data to capture the richness and complexity of the teaching experience - shedding light on how teachers might be better prepared to enter the teaching profession. In school hallways, classrooms, professional meetings, and casual encounters, teachers tell one another their stories on a regular basis, sharing day-to-day experiences and insights. Often these stories and the voices behind them reveal truths about teaching that seldom find public expression: stories about the joys, triumphs, rewards, and challenges of teaching; Stories of making a difference in the lives of students and the sense of fulfillment that comes from doing this important and impactful work; stories from caring and dedicated teachers willing to share their experiences so that others may learn, empathize, and be inspired. One of my responsibilities at the University of Georgia is teaching preservice teachers. My initial intent was not to embark upon a teacher story project per se but to capture a few stories from music teachers that I could save on my office computer. These stories would be used to enhance student understanding of teaching issues discussed in class. What was supposed to be just a few stories for class

has become a passion, resulting in dozens of stories and growing. The more teachers I speak with the stronger the passion becomes. I am fascinated by what the teachers have to say about their work on a variety of issues. Initially, I met with teachers in person to interview them and record their stories. I decided very early on that I wanted to experience the personal interaction and chemistry that comes with sitting down and talking with teachers in person, rather than interviewing them using some electronic platform such as Zoom or Skype. However, conditions created by the pandemic changed that and I now interview teachers in person and via Zoom. I have conducted in person interviews with teachers in classrooms, offices, conference rooms, at state and national conferences, and in their homes. I have interviewed first year teachers, veteran teachers, and retirees. I am always struck by how the issues discussed are so different in some respects yet so similar in others. I am careful to ensure that there is diversity among the teachers interviewed with respect to race, ethnicity, and gender. I also try to have representation from various school levels (elementary, middle, and high school) and areas of expertise (high school band, elementary/general music, middle school chorus, high school orchestra). I also draw from a variety of settings (suburban, urban, rural). Interviews typically last about 40 to 45 minutes although they can be longer or shorter, depending upon the richness of the conversation. During my interview with teachers, I ask a wide range of questions such as “Why did you become a music teacher?” “What are some of your funniest moments in teaching?” “How would you describe your teaching style?” “What have been some of your most rewarding and challenging moments in teaching?” As you might imagine, the responses are quite interesting. For example, when asked to describe funny moments in his classroom, Donald, a high school band director, recognized the importance of being able to laugh at himself from time to time. He shared some of his funny moments

such as when he forgot the music that his band was to play at festival or when he ripped the seat of his pants when bending over to pick up some chalk. Donald believes that these types of moments in the classroom are both enduring and meaningful. When asked how he would describe his teaching style, Donald described himself as bipolar. His style changes with season and occasion. He believes that regardless of the event or time of year, his primary mission is to promote musical understanding and enjoyment. The project has greatly expanded since I started some years ago and is ongoing, as I am always looking for another story from a public school music teacher. I had the good fortune of meeting the archivist of the Oral History Collection in the Richard B. Russell Special Collections Library at the University of Georgia. While he appreciated the fact that I wanted to create a resource for pre-service teachers, he thought that the project could have a broader focus. Not only could it be a resource for pre-service and in-service teachers, but it could also be a historical resource for those who would like to learn more about the work of public school music teachers. He stated that he was not interested in an interview of another politician, for the library has plenty of these, but was interested in music teachers, “unsung heroes,” whose stories needed to be told, recorded, and preserved. We both agreed that the library could preserve the stories much better than I could and provide greater access for teachers and the public long into the future. Consequently, an extensive archive entitled, Music Teacher Story Collection, is in the Richard B. Russell Special Collections Library at the University of Georgia and is accessible to persons anywhere in the world. In my session at the 2024 GMEA Inservice Conference, I will discuss my music teacher story project in more detail, the role and function of “story” in teaching practice and educational research, and share some of the stories from public school music teachers. Time permitting, an opportunity for members of the audience to share their own stories will be provided. I hope that you will attend.

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PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FROM THE GaDOE FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT Did you know that the Fine Arts Department at the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) offers a wide variety of opportunities for continued professional learning as a Fine Arts educator? Our goal is to provide content-specific professional development for Fine Arts educators across the state of Georgia geared toward a whole-child education for our students. We offer FREE, content-specific, statewide professional development opportunities through live and pre-recorded webinars, self-paced online courses for music teachers, and an informative infographic on Digital Teaching and Learning in the Arts. Check out our GaDOE Fine Arts Website to register for these webinars. Some topics discussed in these webinars include: • Differentiation in the Music Classroom • Behavior Basics: De-Escalation Strategies for the Music Educator • The Balancing Act: Rebalancing Technology vs. Traditional Music Teaching Methods • Making Music Magic: Engaging and Budget-Friendly Music Activities • Assessment in the Music Classroom • TKES in the Music Classroom • Ukulele 101 for the K-5 General Music Teacher • Instructional Planning for the Music Educator • Exceptional Children in the Music Classroom • Bravo Behavior! • It's A Mystery! Making Mysterious Lessons for the Elementary Music Classroom! In addition, we have several, self-paced online courses for teachers to take as professional development, as needed. These courses are housed in the Georgia Learns PD Hub, which can be found via your school district's Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) platform. The following courses for Music are currently available in the Georgia Learns PD Hub: • Introduction to Music for the K-5 General Education Teacher • Best Practices in the ES Music Classroom • Supporting Students with Disabilities in the ES Music Classroom • COMING SOON: Opportunities for MS + HS Students with Disabilities in Music If you have additional questions regarding our professional development opportunities, please contact Casey Hall.

FREE INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS FOR MUSIC TEACHERS In addition to the professional learning opportunities above, we also provide a multitude of FREE, supplemental Fine Arts Instructional Resources (over 5,000+!) for Fine Arts teachers to use as supportive tools in their teaching practice. These resources include curriculum maps, unit plans, lesson plans, lesson materials, presentations, and even some student manipulatives! In addition, we have also developed sample Arts Integration lessons and multiple instructional videos for teachers to use as needed. These resources are housed on the GaDOE Inspire platform which can be found via your school district's Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) platform. Please see this support document to find these resources, if you may need them. If you have additional questions regarding the GaDOE Inspire or our Fine Arts Instructional Resources, please contact Casey Hall.

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VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES ON GaDOE COMMUNITY Do you often feel lonely in your school building or district as a music educator? Do you find it hard to feel supported as a music teacher or have administrators who don't fully understand our specialized content areas? Do you wish there was a way to seek support, encouragement, and guidance from other music teachers and administrators across the state of Georgia? Do you crave collaboration and connection with other like-minded music teachers? Then we have the perfect place for you! In addition to all of these great opportunities, the Georgia Department of Education has launched a new, innovative platform called GaDOE Community! The goal of this platform is to provide content-specific, virtual professional learning communities (PLCs) for GMEA Fine Arts teachers, administrators, and GaDOE staff the opportunity to collaborate, connect, and share thoughts, strategies, resources, and encouragement all on a virtual platform. Georgia music teachers can join PLC groups such as Band, Chorus, General Music, Orchestra, and Music Technology. Be sure to check out our introductory video about this new, collaborative platform: GaDOE Community Commercial. Georgia music teachers can join today for FREE by creating an account using your school district email account. We can't wait to connect and collaborate with you in the future! If you have additional questions regarding GaDOE Community, please contact Casey Hall.

THE NEWLY UPDATED ARTS DATA DASHBOARD IS NOW LIVE! The GaDOE Fine Arts Department has partnered with the Arts Education Data Project to provide an in-depth look at access to Arts Education in the state of Georgia over the past several years. We are happy to announce that the Arts Data Dashboard has been updated with new data from the 2021-2022 AND 2022-2023 school years. The Arts Data Dashboard allows users to view arts access statewide, see arts courses taught by schools, and the number of art disciplines taught (dance, music, theatre, visual, and media arts). Through this partnership, important questions like the following have been asked: • Which schools provide access to arts education and in what disciplines (Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, Media Arts)? • How many students are participating? • How many arts teachers are providing instruction? • Who has access to arts instruction? • Most importantly, who does not? • How have the answers to these questions changed over time? This initiative is accomplished by taking data gathered by school districts and the GaDOE, standardizing the data, and then transforming it into a publicly available interactive dashboard, updated annually to reflect the true status of arts education in every school, at every grade level for every student. You can take a look newly published Arts Data Dashboard today! If you need support navigating the dashboard, there is a demo video that is about 8 minutes long that goes through how to use it on the Table of Contents page (TOC). If you have additional questions regarding the Arts Data Dashboard, please contact Jessica Booth.

FOLLOW GaDOE FINE ARTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Do you follow GaDOE Fine Arts on Social Media? Stay up to date on all things happening with the Fine Arts from all across the state of Georgia by following and using the tag #ArtsEdGA. Be sure to follow GaDOE Fine Arts on all major platforms: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Colquitt County High School A Cappella Choir Celebrates 90 Years By Cristy Caldwell

The city of Moultrie, Ga. recently witnessed a concert of "epic proportions," as the renowned Moultrie/Colquitt County High School celebrated the 90th anniversary of its A Cappella Choir. With a rich history of choral music excellence dating back to its founding in 1933 by Mrs. W. R. Latham, the choir has been a formidable force under the direction of icons such as Nat Frazer, Bucky Carlton, Bill Caldwell, Kathy Wright, Travis Kern, and the current director, Jimbo Jarvis. In mid-October of 2023, the choir marked its milestone with a Friday night banquet, Saturday morning and afternoon rehearsals, culminating in a Saturday evening concert. More than 250 alumni from across the U.S. gathered with current high school members, forming a choir of over 300 voices. Alumni dating back to 1948 attended, with the oldest member at the age of 92. Under the direction of the four living conductors, Bill Caldwell, Kathy Wright, Travis Kern, and Jimbo Jarvis, the choir rehearsed and performed pieces by William Byrd, Moses Hogan, Mac Huff, Elaine Hagenberg, and Shaw/Parker. As choral educators, we not only strive to instill in our singers a love for great literature, old and new, and

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choral excellence but also a lifelong love of singing. This reunion showcased dedication to these values and traditions set in Colquitt County by past and present directors, members, and the community at large. At the core of this remarkably successful reunion was a dedicated team comprising members of the reunion committee and sponsors, all driven by their deep affection for choral music.

The level of musicianship achieved over the short rehearsal time was remarkable, reflecting the outstanding leadership of the choral program. While everyone present was undoubtedly there to enjoy themselves, reconnect with old friends, forge new connections, and reminisce, the overarching objective was to craft beautiful music through their cherished A Cappella Choir. Despite years of separation for many attendees, the rehearsals reflected an intensity and focus that could rival even experienced choirs, showcasing the deep love poured into every note. This stands as a testament to the exceptional leadership of the choral program, as alumni, carrying their profound choral music influences with them across the country and into various professions, still harbor the desire to reunite and create music together once more. The performance in Withers Auditorium, on the newly named "Bill Caldwell Stage" in honor of his 25 years of service to Colquitt County High School, was a concert filled with contagious energy and passion. Many expressed the desire to "do it all over again."

Dr. Caldwell, reflecting on the choral legacy, remarked, "This is not something found just anywhere. I've looked." A sentiment echoed by three reunion choir members who graduated in 1958: "A Cappella Forever!" For an in-depth history of The CCHS A Cappella Choir, visit www.acappella90.com.

Cristy Caldwell is a retired choral music educator. Mrs. Caldwell taught Middle/High School Choral Music for 30 years in Fulton County, Georgia. She currently serves Georgia Music Educators as a new teacher mentor for Fulton County Schools, LGPE Adjudicator, Clinician, and Honor Choir Director throughout Georgia.

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Celebrate and Advocate for Music in Our Schools Month By Melissa Stouffer Reprinted with permission from the author. The original article may be found at https://mrsstouffersmusicroom.com/celebrate-and-advocate-for-music-in-our-schools-month/ March is Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM), so it’s a great time to have some fun, showcase some fun music, and advocate for music in our schools. Here are some ideas to help you celebrate and advocate for Music in Our Schools Month.

Celebrate • Bulletin Boards: - Questionaires – feature student or teacher questionnaires - All school collage – everyone fills out a small item like a note and create a collage of everyone’s answers - Celebrities and sports stars who were in music in high school • Home activities - Have students bring home a questionnaire and ask questions of an adult about music they’ve made, or their favorites. - Have students bring home an activity. Teach a game, sing a song, or try their favorite activity at home. • In Class - Have students share their favorite music from home, music they listen to/sing at home, or music from their culture - Design an instrument of the future – have them get some inspiration from something like Animusic - Celebrate by listening to music you might not have had a chance to yet - CREATE – creating is an important part of music, so spend time CREATING! Bust out composition sheets, Incredibox, Mario Paint Composer, Chrome Music Lab, or any of your favorite composition tools. • All School - Take over announcements! Do a music fun fact, music of the day, or mystery song that students need to ‘guess’ – put a drop box in the cafeteria for them to write their guesses and announce winners the next morning. 20

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- Dress like a musician day! - Fun music history of the day! - Create a “Ways Music Affects Me” list – have students submit to create a huge list or bulletin board in the front hallway. - March Madness Brackets – what a fun way to incorporate both a current cultural event as well as incorporate lots of different music listening.

Advocate • Create MIOSM buttons for everyone to wear! • Help teachers advocate music education in their classrooms – provide a calendar for listening, include songs in their classes, or talk about how they participated in music when they were young (or still do!) • Have students create a Why Music poster • Have an informance! Invite parents to participate in their child’s music experience. Host an evening music class for them to come to and participate in music class. • Have a family folk dance night! • Perform for your local PTA, School Board, or community.

Resources • More ideas from NAfME • Music Advocacy Worksheets – This set includes 10 different worksheets and activities that you can hand out to allow for variation between grade levels. Includes quarter notes with questions to create an all-school bulletin board. Get it here.

Learn more at nafme.org/MIOSM #MIOSM | #MusicIsMe

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Make AI Your Personal M 4 Ideas You Can Use Now! By William I. Bauer, School of Music, University of Florida This article was first published on the University of Florida, Online Master of Music in Music Education blog and is sponsored by the University of Florida, Online Master of Music in Music Education. It is reprinted with permission from the author.

Today, there is a lot of buzz about artificial intelligence (AI), with both excitement and concern about how it will impact our lives. In particular, the widespread availability of AI built on large language models that are capable of understanding and generating human-like text has resulted in new AI tools that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone. What impact will this have on music education? Only time will tell, but there are some ways that music teachers can harness this technology now to help with instructional tasks that may be time-consuming or tedious. Teachers can also use AI to brainstorm new ideas and approaches to engaging students in music learning activities. AI has the potential to become your personal music teaching assistant. In this blog post, I provide four examples of ways music teachers might integrate AI into their workflow by using two free online tools, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Bing Image Creator. ChatGPT and Bing Image Creator are generative AI (GAI) applications. GAI tools can generate content such as text, images, videos, audio, and other forms of data that resemble human-created content. A word of caution is in order when examining the content created by a GAI; it is prone to hallucinations. A hallucination in this context is when an AI makes up a plausible but inaccurate response as the truth. This happens because GAI tools generate responses based on patterns in the data they have been provided, without the ability to apply logic or detect factual inconsistencies. Consequently, they might output information that is incorrect or illogical, without realizing the error. Researchers are working to make GAI more reliable.

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It’s All about the Prompt! For an AI to provide assistance, it must receive an inquiry or prompt from the user. Prompts are usually typed into a designated location in the AI, however, recently it was announced that verbal and picture prompts can now be used with the paid version of ChatGPT. This will undoubtedly become a common way to interact with an AI. Importantly, the quality of prompts provided to an AI will impact the type of results received. In general, you should communicate with an AI in a manner similar to how you might talk to a young child. Be very exact and explicit. AI is literal; don’t assume that it will correctly fill in any gaps you have left. Good prompts are clear and specific, provide essential contextual information, and include relevant keywords. Don’t be afraid to iterate a prompt to get better results: you may need to experiment to receive a suitable response. You are encouraged to try out the prompts below, varying them as appropriate to fit your situation. Also, try your own prompts. The best way to learn how these tools work is to experiment with them. Brainstorming Lesson Plans Lesson plans are important, but they can be time-consuming to write. Teachers may also want to seek inspiration for new approaches and ideas to use. ChatGPT can help. Here is a prompt I gave it to brainstorm ideas for a lesson plan: Create two student learning outcomes for a secondgrade general music class based on the following national music standard: Improvise rhythmic and melodic patterns and musical ideas for

Music Teaching Assistant a specific purpose. What are some examples of learning activities and formative assessment strategies that align with these learning outcomes?

Our conversation continued, covering a variety of topics. For instance, I asked “Mr. Sousa” what his primary instrument was. “He” responded:

Within seconds, ChatGPT responded:

Creating an Image as a Response to Music Ask students to create a list of the observations, thoughts, and emotions they experience while listening to a musical composition. Then, enter that list of descriptors into a text-toimage generator to create a visual representation of each student’s response to the musical selection. The class could then share their images with each other and discuss what they heard in the music, as represented in their image.

If I wasn’t satisfied with this response, I could refine my prompt and try again, or I could take this output and manually adapt it as I saw fit.

While listening to Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun by Claude Debussy, I generated a list of words that came to mind (dreamy, awakening, floating, flute, pentatonic, calm, exploring, meadow, impressionism) and used Bing Image Creator to generate this image:

Conversing with a Historical Figure Imagine being able to talk directly to a historical figure in music to learn more about them and their accomplishments. This can be simulated with ChatGPT. Here is a prompt: I want to know more about John Philip Sousa by role-playing a conversation with him. You will play the role of John Philip Sousa and I will play myself. You should answer questions I pose to Sousa. You should also ask me questions that help to extend our dialog and allow you to learn about me and why I’m interested in you. Use my name when talking to me. We will begin when I introduce myself. ChatGPT’s response:

Assessment ChatGPT can create various types of assessments (e.g., essay, multiple choice, rubrics). Here is an example of a multiple-choice quiz about the 1960s British Invasion in pop and rock music. First, I created two student learning outcomes, which can be seen in the prompt below. ChatGPT could help create these, if desired. Next, I used ChatGPT W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

to generate an article about the British Invasion for students to read. After having students read the article, I would facilitate a class discussion, which might include watching relevant YouTube videos and listening to music from the era. Finally, I would check students’ understanding of the topic by having them take a brief multiple-choice quiz, generated by ChatGPT using the following prompt: Generate five multiple-choice questions that cover the main topics of the British Invasion in popular music, including prominent musicians and how the music connected with the culture of the era. These questions should align with the following student learning outcomes: “(1) Students will analyze the cultural impact of the British Invasion on society. (2) Students will critically assess the musical innovation of key British Invasion bands.” This is the quiz, created by ChatGPT:

Final Thoughts Artificial intelligence, in many forms, will undoubtedly affect our personal and professional lives. As music teachers, we and our students can benefit from the possibilities AI offers. However, it is important that we be part of the wider professional conversation and actively take part in discourse related to appropriate uses, ethical considerations, and pedagogical practices related to AI. Get started by experimenting with tools such as ChatGPT, Bing Image Creator, and AIVA, an AI music composition platform.

About the author: William I. Bauer is Professor and Director of the Online Master of Music in Music Education program in the School of Music of the University of Florida. At UF Dr. Bauer teaches undergraduate and graduate-level classes in music education that include technology for music learning, creative thinking in music, psychology of music, music in secondary schools, and music education research and measurement. He has published his research and other writings in leading journals, book chapters, and other publications. Bauer’s book, Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing, and Responding to Music (2nd ed.), published by Oxford University Press, is used in collegiate music education courses across the U.S. and internationally. Professor Bauer has presented both research and pedagogical sessions in numerous prominent venues throughout the U.S. and abroad and has served on the editorial boards of leading journals such as the Journal of Research in Music Education, Music Educators Journal, and Journal of Music Teacher Education, among others. Currently, he is the editor of the journal Research Perspectives in Music Education and the Research Informed Music Learning (RIML) book series. Dr. Bauer was named an Apple Distinguished Educator by Apple in 2003 and a Google Certified Teacher by Google in 2008. To learn more, visit billbauer.net.

If I didn’t like this set of questions, I could click ChatGPTs “regenerate” button as much as I desired, prompting it to create five more questions each time. In the end, I could pick and choose which questions to use among the options provided by ChatGPT.

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PRESENTERS

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PRESENTERS Melanie Alexander

• Actively Interactive: Approaches to Technology Integration in Elementary Music Melanie Woods Alexander is currently the Education Technology Marketing Coordinator for Hal Leonard, where she helps teachers navigate the ever-changing world of technology and provide authentic technology-enhanced experiences in their music classrooms. Before her tenure at Hal Leonard, Melanie spent 16 ½ years as an elementary music specialist in the Zachary Community School District in Zachary, LA. She holds both a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University. Melanie is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early/Middle Childhood Music and a Seesaw Ambassador with Seesaw Learning, a digital learning and portfolio creation platform for students. She is also a teaching fellow with Louisiana A+ Schools, an organization that promotes arts integration in its member schools throughout Louisiana.

Andrew J. Allen

• Stuff You Missed in Woodwind Class: A Fundamentals Refresher for Flute, Clarinet, and Saxophone Andrew J. Allen is “a master of all sizes of saxophone.” (The Instrumentalist, April 2018) Allen has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, and Croatia. As a concerto soloist, he has appeared with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma State University Chamber Orchestra, the University of Arkansas Wind Symphony, and the Midwestern State University Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. More than two dozen works have been dedicated to him from such composers as François Rossé, Robert Lemay, Fang Man, Jesse Jones, Greg Simon, and Jay Batzner. His recordings can be heard on the Equilibrium and Ravello labels. Allen is one of the most active researchers and public pedagogues of the saxophone today. His articles have appeared in The Instrumentalist, Teaching Music, The Saxophone Symposium, Saxophone Today, The NACWPI Journal, JazzEd, and School Band and Orchestra, among many other publications. Allen has lectured throughout the United States and abroad, and has presented clinics across the country, including at the state music education conventions of Georgia, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas. Andrew J. Allen is associate professor of saxophone at Georgia College & State University, where he also serves as coordinator of woodwinds, brass, & percussion, and as coordinator of the Bachelor of Arts in Music. Allen is a Conn-Selmer Artist-Clinician, a Vandoren Performing Artist, and a Key Leaves Endorsing Artist, and he performs exclusively on Selmer Paris saxophones and Vandoren mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures. Andrew J. Allen is president-elect of the North American Saxophone Alliance.

Dr. Robert Ambrose

• Don’t Call It a Conducting Workshop: An Open Rehearsal and Interactive Conducting Lab for Instrumental Music Educators Conductor Robert J. Ambrose enjoys a highly successful and diverse career as a dynamic and engaging musician. His musical interests cross many genres and can be seen in the wide range of professional activities he pursues. Dr. Ambrose studied formally at Boston College, Boston University and Northwestern University, where he received the Doctor of Music degree in conducting. Dr. Ambrose currently serves as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Georgia State University a research institution of over 53,000 students located in Atlanta. Dr. Ambrose is in constant demand as a guest conductor and has performed on four continents. In 2016, Dr. Ambrose was invited to spend ten days on tour as a guest conductor with the United States Army Field Band. This engagement led to the formation of the National Chamber Winds, a professional wind dectet based in Washington, D.C. for which he is Founder and Music Director. Ambrose is also the Founder and Music Director of the Atlanta Chamber Winds and Ensemble ATL, ensembles comprising musicians from the Atlanta Symphony, Atlanta Opera, and Atlanta Ballet Orchestras. Dr. Ambrose has strong ties to the Finnish music community. He is frequently engaged in that country as a guest conductor, teacher, master clinician, and lecturer. Ambrose is a prolific arranger with nearly two dozen publications to his credit. His transcriptions and editions are published by Presser Music, Murphy Music Press, C. Alan Publications, Fennica Gehrman (Finland), and Edition Tilli (Finland). His transcriptions appear on several state lists and have been performed around the world.

Alan Armstrong

• Programming and Design for Marching Bands and Budgets Large and Small: “The Secret Sauce” A graduate of Jacksonville State University, Alan Armstrong is in his 36h year of teaching and 28th year at Northgate High School. His bands have consistently received superior ratings and championship honors in marching, concert and jazz events. The Northgate program was one of the first three recipients of the GMEA “Exemplary Performance Award” for high school bands. He has served as a designer for over 50 different bands. His 42 year career in the Drum and Bugle Corps activity includes more than a decade as an Educational and Program Coordinator with two different drum corps. “Court of Honor” rose to 4th in the world in their division in their second year of existence and Atlanta CV claimed 4 medalists placements in his last 4 years as Program Coordinator. He has served as an adjudicator for bands in 13 states as well as for DCI for six years. He has presented clinics on multiple occasions at the GMEA Convention and has served as a clinician and consultant for bands and drum corps in Japan and the United States. He is active as an arranger and composer for all levels of ensembles. He has been named the Northgate HS Teacher of the Year, was honored as both Northgate HS and Coweta County’s “Star Teacher” on two different occasions and was honored by the State Legislature of Georgia with a resolution recognizing his accomplishments in his time at Northgate. He is a member of GMEA, National Association for Music Education, Phi Mu Alpha and Phi Beta Mu.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Dr. Rebecca L. Atkins

• Choral Rehearsals Gone Bad . . . or Good! Rebecca L. Atkins is an Associate Professor of Music Education (Vocal/Choral) at UGA. Previously she was the Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Music Education at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (2013-2016) where she supervised student teachers, conducted Women’s Chorale, and taught Choral Methods, Design, Instruction, and Evaluation for Music Education, and Ear-training. She also taught graduate courses in Psychology of Music, Research Methods in Music Education, and supervised projects and thesis. She received her Ph.D. in Music and Human Learning at The University of Texas at Austin (2013), an M.M. in Choral Conducting at Missouri State University (2008), and a B.M. in Music Studies at The University of Texas at Austin (1994). Dr. Atkins is an active clinician, adjudicator, performer, and music education researcher. Her current research focuses on the effects of attention on vocal tone quality. She is also drawn to research questions that pertain to the development of performance skills and the refinement of pedagogy. Before her collegiate career, Atkins successfully directed middle school and high school choir programs for 14 years in the public school systems of Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee, earning superior and excellent ratings consistently at competitions.

Emily Backus

• Can You FEEL the Rhythm? Books and Beats to Build SEL in Elementary General Music Emily Backus is the general music specialist and choral director at Mary Lin Elementary in Atlanta Public Schools, where she was voted teacher of the year for 2021-22. An in-demand folk and rock performer, Backus synthesizes her love of popular music and songwriting into her pedagogy. She is Orff-Schulwerk certified and an active member of the Atlanta Area Orff Chapter. Backus is a proud former percussion student of Professor Timothy, K. Adams, Jr. at the University of Georgia.

Anthony Baglio

• How to Teach Guitar - A Curriculum in a Box! Anthony Baglio is a graduate of the University of Georgia and holds a bachelor’s degree in music education. During his time at UGA, he studied classical guitar performance and education under Daniel Bolshoy and Philip Snyder. Since then, he served as the orchestra and guitar director in the Central Gwinnett cluster at Jordan middle school from 2018-2021. Anthony Baglio has taken over the guitar program at Duluth middle school in 2021 which currently has over 280 students enrolled. He is continuously seeking ways to grow his and others’ programs and spread they joy of learning to play the guitar.

Justin Baker

• “Ballin’ on a Budget” - Creating the Best Sounds in Your Concert Percussion Section Justin Baker joined East Hall High School as the director of percussion Assistant Director in July of 2021. In addition to his roles at East Hall, Mr. Baker also serves as the director of Bands for Lakeview Academy. Ensembles under Baker’s instruction consistently receive superior ratings at state sanctioned events in both concert and marching settings. Mr. Baker also serves many of the surrounding middle and high school programs as a percussion clinician. Mr. Baker has spent most of his performing and teaching career in the North Georgia area beginning his percussion teaching career in 2009. He received his undergraduate degree in percussion performance from The University of North Georgia (Dahlonega, Ga). From there, Baker attended Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro, TN,) where he received his master’s in percussion performance. He maintains a strong relationship with both university and percussion programs. Mr. Baker is an active clinician, adjudicator, and educator in the North Georgia area. His professional affiliations include the Georgia Music Educators Association, Percussive Arts Society, and the National Association for Music Education.

S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Daniel Bara

• Rehearsal Techniques and Conducting Gestures for the Emerging Choral Music Conductor Daniel Bara is the John D. Boyd UGA Foundation Professor of Choral Music and the Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia where he oversees seven university choral ensembles as well as the graduate choral conducting program. His university choirs have performed by juried invitation for state, regional, and national conventions of ACDA, MENC, and IMC. The UGA Hodgson Singers under Bara’s direction won the Grand Prix at the International Choral Competition Ave Verum in Baden, Austria in 2014 and has performed at Southern Division ACDA Conventions in 2014 and 2018 with an invitation to perform in the 2024 conference in Louisville, KY. In May of 2023 the UGA Hodgson Singers won 2nd prize at the prestigious Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition in Germany, where their performances were categorized as “Excellent on an International Level.” Their 2017 Gothic Records professional recording, Grace Immaculate, is distributed internationally by Naxos. Recent professional collaborations between Bara and the UGA Hodgson Singers include performances with Kathleen Battle, Andrew Bocelli, The Knights Chamber Orchestra, internationally acclaimed vocal sextet The King’s Singers with whom they premiered a jointly commissioned piece by Nico Muhly in 2018, the acclaimed British professional choir. Tenebrae, and the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra. Prior to his appointment at UGA, Dr. Bara was the Director of Choral Activities at East Carolina University, where he received the UNC Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Award and the Robert L. Jones Award for Outstanding Teaching, and released two internationally distributed choral recordings, Greater Love (2007) and Eternal Light (2010) with Gothic Records. In 2001 he won the Walter Hagen Conducting Prize given at the Eastman School of Music, and the ACDA National Student Conducting Competition (Graduate Division) awarded at the National Convention in San Antonio, TX. Dr. Bara is in regular demand as a guest conductor and clinician, having conducted all-state and honor choirs in 20 states and Carnegie Hall, and has served as clinician for conferences sponsored by NAfME, ACDA, AGO, and other school and church musical organizations. He is a past-president of NC-ACDA, has held the Artistic Directorship of the New York State Summer School of the Arts – School of Choral Studies (2007-2009), and has served as conductor of the World Youth Honor Choir at Interlochen Arts Camp (2004-2006). Dr. Bara holds the DMA degree in conducting from the Eastman School of Music, organ and conducting degrees from the University of Michigan, and is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy. At UGA, Dr. Bara conducts the UGA Hodgson Singers, and oversees the graduate conducting student recital choir, The Repertory Singers. He and his wife, Dr. Deanna Joseph, also serve as co-directors of the Chancel Choir and Orchestra at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta.

Andy Beck

• Just for Kids • The Power of a Song: Reading Session • I Am Song: New 2-Part Rep for Kids! Andy Beck received a bachelor’s degree in music education from Ithaca College and a master’s degree in music education from Northwest Missouri State University. Andy currently is the Director of Choral Publications at Alfred Music. A prolific composer and arranger, he has over 450 popular choral works, vocal resources, and children’s musicals currently in print, including the highly regarded method books Sing at First Sight, Foundations in Choral Sight Singing and Vocalize! 45 Vocal WarmUps That Teach Technique. Andy is in demand as a guest conductor, choreographer, adjudicator, and clinician for educators and students throughout the United States and beyond.

Dr. Zandra Bell-McRoy

• Empowering Your Girls To Lead Through Music A native of Monroe, Georgia, Zandra Bell-McRoy has been a music educator since 2002. Upon graduating from the University of Georgia in 2001 with degrees in music and music education, Dr. Bell-McRoy began her career as a high school band director in Troup county, and later Clayton county. She has also served as a middle and high school band director in Clayton, Walton, and Gwinnett counties. Bands under her direction have consistently received superior and excellent ratings. Her most recent appointment is as Director of Bands at Cedar Shoals High School, in which she oversees all aspects of the comprehensive band program and serves as fine arts department chairperson. Dr. Bell-McRoy also serves as the Virtual PLC Lead for 6-12 Band with the Georgia Department of Education. Dr. Bell-McRoy received her Doctor of Education in Music Education from the University of Georgia under the direction of Dr. Roy Legette in 2014. While studying at the University of Georgia, Dr. Bell-McRoy served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant earning awards for teaching and being selected to participate in the Future Faculty Program. She maintains an active research presence, being invited to present her research at conferences and symposia across the country. Her research interests include multicultural music education, gender and music education, music teacher preparation, and music teacher evaluation and supervision. Dr. Bell-McRoy has numerous professional affiliations and serves as a flutist with Tara Winds. She is an active clinician and adjudicator in the state of Georgia. She resides in Monroe, Georgia with her husband, Darvin McRoy.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Melissa Blizzard

• Level Up! Moving Students from Consumers to Creators Melissa Blizzard is a music educator who loves inspiring and educating young minds about the joys of music. She is a founding member and president of the Greater Augusta Area Orff Chapter. She holds a Bachelor of Music from James Madison University, a Master of Music from Western Michigan University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Georgia Regents University. Currently, Melissa serves as a music teacher at Stevens Creek Elementary in Columbia County, and is the Elementary Division chair for District 10. She has completed Orff Levels 1-3 in Gwinnett, at the University of Kentucky, and in Cobb County respectively, and is certified in First Steps and Conversational Solfege. Prior to her career in education, Melissa served as a member of the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band as a flutist. She currently resides in Grovetown, GA with her three children and two judgmental dogs.

Dr. Brittan Braddock

• Balance, Dynamic Alignment, and Intentional Gesture: Expanding Conducting Vocabulary for Better Health Dr. Brittan Braddock is assistant professor of music, director of bands, and coordinator of music education at Mercer University. She conducts the Mercer University Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in instrumental music education, wind band literature, and conducting. Prior to her appointment at Mercer University, she was the director of bands at the University of West Florida. Braddock is in demand as a guest conductor, clinician and presenter. Her research into the wind ensemble repertoire of Ruth Gipps and the Portia Wind Ensemble is gaining momentum in national and international presentations and performances. In March of 2021, she was a guest panelist for Ruth Gipps: a Centennial Symposium, a presentation hosted by Kingston University in London. Braddock completed her doctoral studies at the University of Colorado Boulder where she conducted and assisted in all aspects of the band program. Her innovative use of technology in the assessment of young conductors has positively impacted the conducting curriculum at CU. Braddock was formerly a graduate teaching assistant at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and guest conducted the IUP Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, Concert Band and the Indiana Symphonic Winds. Prior to her graduate studies at IUP and CU, Braddock was the director of bands for Custer County School District in Westcliffe, Colorado where she was responsible for 5th-12th grade instrumental music. While in Westcliffe, she founded and conducted the Sangre de Cristo Community Band. Her primary conducting mentors include, Dr. Donald J. McKinney, Dr. Timothy Paul, Dr. Jack Stamp, Dr. Richard Fischer, and Dr. Maurice Boyer.

Kevin Brawley

• 7 Strategies for Teaching General Music to Students with Autism • Songwriting for Teachers - Creating Unique Songs for Your Unique Students Kevin Brawley is an educator, children’s choir director, and public speaker. He currently tours schools all over North Carolina teaching an original elementary school assembly and workshop program called “Studio Time ELA with Mr. B” which teaches ELA concepts through singing, composition, recording, and dance. He was a public-school teacher for ten years in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and a private guitar teacher for nine years prior to that. As a teacher, Kevin believes in every child’s ability to learn regardless of circumstance or background. He prides himself on having an inclusive and positive learning environment for all his students – especially those with disabilities. His energetic and unorthodox teaching style is focused on student engagement, a willingness to search for unexpected teaching moments, and honest personal relationships with each of his students. As a speaker, Kevin has an energetic presence and burns to see a revival in education. He is passionate about removing the limitations of what people believe is possible in a classroom. He has spoken around the country sharing innovative ways to teach students with autism. After being named one of only 30 National Music Teachers of Excellence by Nashville’s CMA Foundation in 2019, and with grants awarded locally – Kevin fulfilled his dream of outfitting his elementary school classroom with a professional level recording studio. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his work in education, including being named the UNC-Charlotte Young Alumnus of the Year in 2019, and the UNC-Charlotte Music Department Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2020.

Adam Brooks

• Teaching to the Back of the Ensemble • But I Want Straight 1’s: A Dialogue about the Purpose of Performance Evaluations Adam Brooks is in his 19th year of music education, serving 17 years as the Director of Bands and Music Technology at North Atlanta High School. Prior to that, he served as the Assistant Director of Bands at Booker T. Washington High school for 2 years. Both schools are in the Atlanta Public School System. Brooks earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Bethune-Cookman University and his Masters in Wind Band Conducting from Reinhardt University. During his tenure at North Atlanta, Brooks has been named the Coca Cola Educator of Distinction, the Yale Music Educator of Distinction, STAR Teacher, Teacher of the Year, and most recently, the recipient of the Barry Manilow Music Project Teacher Award. Brooks is an active guest clinician and conductor and has presented Professional Development sessions with the Conn Selmer Institute and Music For All. Brooks loves spending time with his wife LaToya, and 3 daughters, Aria, Skylar, and Kai.

S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Aaron Brown

• What’s THAT Noise? Basic Guitar Maintenance & Repair Guidance for Teachers Aaron Brown got his musical start playing percussion in the 6th grade band, and fell in love with making music. As a songwriter/ producer/guitarist/drummer/singer/utility infielder, Aaron wrote, recorded and performed music throughout the southeast. Now the owner/manager of Town Center Music in Suwanee, GA, Aaron gets to share his love of making music with thousands of people per year. TCM has become well-known for its’ guitar repair department as well as equipping guitar class students (and players of all skill levels) with the perfect gear to spark their own love of music.

Michael S Brown, Jr

• Building a Brilliant and Blazing Brass Section with Adam Frey and Michael Brown A native of Macon, Georgia, Michael Shannon Brown Jr. currently serves as the Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at the University of North Georgia and Chamber & Brass Coordinator at North Paulding High School. Michael’s passion for music education has led him to create the Relative Pitch Podcast which discusses modern issues regarding music education, programming, and what it takes to become a modern musician. Through this endeavor, Michael presented at the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference and the College Band Directors National Association National Conference. Michael is a recent graduate of Western Michigan University where he earned his Master’s of Music in Trumpet Performance under the tutelage of Professor Scott Thornburg and Dr. Robert White. Michael is an advocate for new music, he was recently selected to perform on the New Works Recital at the International Trumpet Guild Conference. He has performed various solo and chamber recitals throughout the United States. As an orchestral musician, he has appeared with the Georgia Symphony and the Battle Creek Symphony. As a soloist, Michael has been featured with numerous wind ensembles and brass choirs. As an educator, Michael has taught private lessons throughout the Metro-Atlanta area. His students are frequently seen at district and all-state honor Bands while others have earned positions in collegiate studios including Kennesaw State University, Colgate University, Grand Valley State University, Belmont University, and the University of Georgia.

Dr. Kerry Bryant

• That “Obligatory” March: Might as Well Play It Correctly! Dr. Kerry Bryant is Director of Instrumental Activities and Assistant Professor of Music at Reinhardt University. His professional journey includes Young Harris College, and Band Director of the following high schools: Adairsville, Buford, Winder-Barrow, Irmo (SC), Jonesboro, Forest Park, and Assistant. Director at Riverdale HS. His experience also includes Statham Elementary and Coordinator of Fine Arts for the Barrow County Schools. Thus, in a span of 37 years, his teaching experience is on all grade levels from kindergarten through Masters-level graduate courses. His bands have performed at the GMEA In-Service Conference, and as the invited ensemble at clinics for the Universities of South Carolina, Florida State, Troy State and Southern Mississippi. He has performed at Mid-West International Band Clinic two times as a charter member of Tara Winds. He has arrangements, transcriptions, editions of concert band works with various publishers. Dr. Bryant maintains an active travel schedule with guest conducting, evaluation, and clinician services for many state music associations as well as private educational travel organizations. Dr. Bryant was GMEA Music Educator of the Year in 2016, and a 2011 Honoree for the Atlanta, GA Woodruff Arts Center Salutes Georgia Arts in Education Leaders. He has six Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters fraternity, Zeta chapter. He has served in several state and district-level leadership positions for GMEA. He has also served as a music education standards writer for the Georgia Dept. of Education, and on the editorial board for Music Educators Journal. He resides in Waleska, GA.

Robert L. Bryant III, PhD.

• Teaching Music in Title I Schools: Strategies for Success Dr. Robert Bryant serves as Music Education Coordinator at Tennessee State University and is a member of the Council on Music Education for College Music Society. During his career, he has successfully built and sustained high-performing programs in Title I schools. Dr. Bryant’s research focuses on diversifying the music teaching profession and giving voice to preservice and early-career music teachers of color.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Noah Bullard

• How to Start a Classical Guitar Ensemble Noah Bullard is a highly skilled guitarist, performer, and educator with over 30 years of experience playing the guitar. He received classical training from Charles Vaughn, a renowned guitar instructor and performer, and is well-versed in the classical tradition of Andres Segovia. Mr. Bullard also studied Jazz extensively under the tutelage of the late great Bill Hannah, Don Potter and Dr. Bill Schmid. He started his career as a performer with the guitar ensemble at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte before moving to Georgia in 2002. Mr. Bullard graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and from Georgia Southern University. He studied under Dr. Michael Braz to obtain a Master’s degree in Music Composition also from Georgia Southern University. With his extensive knowledge and experience, Noah is a sought-after performer and educator. He is passionate about the guitar and has been teaching in Toombs County School system for 19 years. Mr. Bullard founded the Guitar Ensemble at Toombs County High School in 2012 and has helped numerous students develop their guitar skills and gain performance experience.

Amy Burns

• Strong Foundations: Technology Tools for your Elementary Music Classroom Amy M. Burns (http://www.amymburns.com) has been teaching general music to grades pre-kindergarten through four, directing the Far Hills Philharmonic for grades four through eight, co-directing the elementary chorus and Broadway Jr enrichment groups, and coordinating The Far Hills Conservatory at Far Hills Country Day School in Far Hills, NJ, for over twenty years. A widely known music educator, author, and clinician on how to effectively integrate technology into the elementary music classroom, she credits her colleagues, administration, and the members of the Technology for Music Education (TI:ME) organization and NJMEA for her success in teaching music to elementary students.

Melissa Burroughs

• Let’s Take a Hike - An Elemental Music and Movement Adventure Melissa Burroughs is an Early and Middle Childhood National Board Certified Teacher at River Trail Elementary in Fort Mill, SC. She is on the staff of the Catawba Ridge High School Band. As a South Carolina native, Melissa earned a BA in Music and a Master of Arts in Teaching at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, where she has also taught as an adjunct professor. Melissa has received her OrffSchulwerk Certification. She is the President for the Piedmont Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. As a member of her school’s STEAM Leader Corps through Discovery Ed she promotes the arts as a powerful tool to shape the lives of children.

Dr. Josh Byrd

• Repertoire Roundtable (Levels 3-6): Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going Josh Byrd serves as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at the University of West Georgia. His primary responsibilities include conducting the Wind Ensemble, teaching conducting and music education courses, and supervising student teachers. Prior to his appointment he served as the band director at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin and assistant band director at Lanier Middle School and Norcross High School in Gwinnett County. Dr. Byrd received a DMA in Conducting from the University of Georgia where he studied with John Lynch and minored in Music Theory. He received his Master of Music degree in Conducting while studying with Tom Dvorak at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee and his Bachelor of Music Education degree from UGA where he studied saxophone with Kenneth Fischer and conducting with Dwight Satterwhite and John Culvahouse. Dr. Byrd is an active clinician, having presented at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, CBDNA National Conference, and multiple times at the GMEA annual in-service conference, including 2018 as the conductor of the UWG Wind Ensemble for the group’s first performance there in over twenty years. In 2020, the Wind Ensemble performed at the CBDNA Southern Division Conference for the first time in the program’s history. He is also a published arranger; his newest works include Beethoven’s “Opus 103b” and Wiggin’s March Timpani (Maestro and Fox Music, 2020) and Chabrier’s España Rhapsody (C. Alan Publications, 2021). He also serves as conductor of the West Georgia Winds, a regional honor band. Dr. Byrd lives in Carrollton with his wife, Katie, and their two children, Tripp and Haley.

S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Everett Cannady

• That “Obligatory” March: Might as Well Play It Correctly! Everett Cannady is the Director of Bands at Temple High School in the Carroll County School System. Previously, Mr. Cannady taught at Adairsville High, Davidson Fine Arts, Eagle’s Landing High and Fayette Middle. Mr. Cannady attended Georgia State University (BME) and VanderCook College of Music in Chicago (MME). Mr. Cannady’s bands have earned consistent superior ratings in concert, marching, and jazz events. His bands have been selected to perform for the Southeastern United States Band Clinic, the Georgia Music Educators Association Convention, Reinhardt University Honor Band Clinic, Young Harris College Honor Band Clinic, and at Lincoln Center. While at Davidson, the Jazz Band performed as the opening act for Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Boney James, in concert with Wycliffe Gordon, and the music department received a GRAMMY Award, being named the National Signature School in music. While at Adairsville, “Adairsville Symphonic Band Day” was declared by the mayor in honor of the band’s successes. Mr. Cannady actively serves as an adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor and is on the staff of the Encore Band Camp. He has been selected for the National Band Association conductor and composer mentor project and was named the Music Education Honoree by the Woodruff Arts Center. Mr. Cannady was Teacher of the Year for Davidson Fine Arts School, a Golden Apple Award recipient, twice as STAR Teacher for Richmond County Schools and has been the recipient of multiple NBA Citations of Excellence. He is a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, and the Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters Fraternity.

Carina Cardoso de Araujo

• Offline Learning in Instrumental Music Carina Cardoso de Araujo is a Ph.D student in Music Education at the University of Georgia. She is a teaching assistant for the UGA’s Music Education program. She completed her Music Education Undergraduate degree in Brazil at the Federal University of Parana, and her Master’s in Music Education degree at Georgia Southern University. She taught early childhood music education, kindergarten and elementary music education. She plays oboe and worked with different ensembles, such as the Federal University of Parana Philharmonic Orchestra, Georgia Southern Woodwind Quintet, Georgia Southern Symphonic Wind Ensemble,Georgia Southern Symphony Orchestra, and Orquestra Sinfônica do Paraná. She presented works at national and international conferences, such as 2022 ISME Conference (International Society for Music Education), 2020 ABEM Sul Regional Conference (Brazilian Association of Music Education), and 2023 GMEA Conference (Georgia Music Educators Association).

Joanie Catron

• It Takes 2 to Tango, but It Takes at Least 3 to Tinikle Joanie Catron has been an educator in Bartow County for 17 years. She has been at White Elementary as the general music teacher and chorus director for 11 years. She graduated from Berry College in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. She resides in Rydal, Georgia with her husband (Adam), children (Merrik and Carrington), and dog (Kevin). When she’s not teaching, she enjoys crafting, watching soccer, and being outdoors.

Dr. Anne-Marie Cherry

• Building a Chamber Music Curriculum To Transform Section Playing and Empower Individual Musicianship Anne-Marie Cherry is a versatile performer and educator enjoying a varied career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, clinician, and recording artist. Since 2019, Dr. Cherry has lived in Columbus, GA, where she teaches horn at the Schwob School of Music and enjoys hiking Georgia’s many trails. Anne-Marie performs regularly with ensembles across the country, including recent engagements with the Atlanta, Chattanooga and Charleston Symphonies, The Atlanta Ballet, One Found Sound, Maryland Chamber Winds; and prior appointments with Spokane Symphony and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. Since 2015, she has enjoyed spending her summers in the mountains, where she serves as Principal Horn in the Breckenridge Music Festival. A strong advocate of performer and composer collaboration, Anne-Marie frequently commissions new works for the horn in diverse contexts. One collaboration, Zack Stanton’s Trio for Horn, Harp and Viola, won the virtuoso division of the International Horn Society’s composition contest in 2018, and can be heard on his album Echoes of Veiled Light. Additionally, she is the featured solo horn on the soundtrack of the film The Last Full Measure, and can be heard on the upcoming Maryland Chamber Winds album, Kairos, and the 2021 Nicolas Cage film, Pig. An active guest artist and clinician, she explores applications of mindfulness in music performance, pedagogy and practice with students and teachers around the country. She is also a founding contributor of the music education start-up, Ensemble Block, and a member of the CORtado Horn Quartet.

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PRESENTERS Kaitlin Christensen

• Is Individual or Group Gamification in Note Naming Practice More Effective? Kaitlin Christensen is the K-5 elementary music teacher at Dames Ferry Elementary in Gray, Georgia. Mrs. Christensen earned a bachelor’s degree in music education at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri and earned a Master of Arts in Education from the same institution. She enjoys spending time creating a safe and loving classroom culture, playing ukulele and indulging all her students silly and curious questions. She lives in Milledgeville, Georgia with her husband, Mikkel, and two children Niels and Elise. Outside of school, she dearly loves running around the house and taking orders from her children to sing the parts of Elsa or Anna!

Angel Cleary

• Music Technology 101: Starting From Scratch Angel Cleary has been teaching choir, guitar and music technology for 12 years at in Columbia County’s Grovetown High School in near Augusta, Ga. Her students have placed every year in the GMEA Music Technology Showcase since it’s inception in 2018. She recently began teaching music technology and guitar online at the Columbia Virtual Academy, also in Columbia County. She has been playing guitar and writing music since she could formulate sentences and has a passion for helping others find their voice!

Erin Collins

• SpectrumPlay: A Teacher-Made Tool to Scaffold Student Learning in the Elementary Music Classroom Erin Collins is an elementary music teacher and doctoral student who has 20 years of classroom teaching experience in music and special education. Her research interests include Universal Design for Learning and technology use in the music classroom.

Dr. Deb Confredo

• Joy Collected Over Time: Watch Their Eyes Shine! Deborah (Capperella-Sheldon) Confredo, a 43-year veteran music educator, is Professor of Music Education and Director of the Online MM in Music Education at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA). She is founder of Temple’s Night Owls Campus/Community Band which launched Temple’s community music performance outreach program and is past conductor of the Philadelphia AllCity High School Band. Confredo is President-Elect of the National Association for Music Education. As Chair of the NAfME Music Teacher Profession Initiative, she is lead author and editor for the NAfME publication, Blueprint for Strengthening the Music Teacher Profession. Confredo serves on the NAfME Executive Committee, Executive Board, and Finance Committee. Although a professor for Temple University, Dr. Confredo resides in Louisiana where she is an active member of the Louisiana Music Educators Association in her work on the LMEA Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Professional Development Committee, the Louisiana Music Adjudicators Association, and as contributor to the LMEA 12-for-12 webinar series. Confredo heads the chamber ensemble program and is symphonic band coordinator and conductor for the New England Adult Music Camp in Sidney, ME. She has co-authored the texts The Complete Woodwind Instructor: A Guidebook for the Music Educator and Lessons in Performance (FJH), and is editor of Superior Bands in Sixteen Weeks, and Chorales and Rhythmic Etudes for Superior Bands. Confredo is lead author for the FJH publication Measures of Success®, a multi-level band method for beginning and intermediate instrumentalists. She developed and is featured in the Measures of Success® Video Practice Buddy Series, an online video tutorial program for developing band musicians. Her numerous articles are published in journals such as the Journal for Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education (CRME), Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Journal for Music Teacher Education, Journal of Music Therapy, Music Educators Journal, Journal of Band Research, The Instrumentalist, and Contributions to Music Education, as well as in several state music education journals. She has been an editorial board member on several professional journals and currently serves as editorial board member for the Journal of Band Research. She is in demand as conductor, clinician, adjudicator, speaker, and lecturer. Tau Beta Sigma, the Illinois Music Educators Association, and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association have honored her for distinguished service to music education. Mansfield University (PA) has recognized her as a distinguished alumnus. She is recipient of the Pennsylvania State University College of Arts and Architecture Distinguished Alumni Award, the Florida State University Faculty Citation for Graduate Alumni Award, and the Temple University Outstanding Faculty Service Award. In Louisiana, Confredo continues to perform as a saxophonist with the Lafayette Concert Band and is an on-call sub for the Acadian Wind Symphony and the Skyliners big band. She also performs and records with her bassist/guitarist husband, Ralph, in their music studio, Electric Étoufée-dyland. In her spare time, she and Ralph enjoy dancing to Zydeco and Cajun music which they do as often as possible.

S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Mason Copeland

• Empowering the Music-Makers: Developing Student Musical Ownership in the Choral Ensemble Mason Copeland is the Director of Choirs at Northview High School in Johns Creek, Georgia, where he has built a strong culture of choral excellence and more than doubled the student population in the choral program since arriving in 2016. Mason was recently announced as the 2023 Teacher of the Year. Under Mason’s direction, the choirs at Northview receive Superior ratings at festivals. In addition to his teaching position, Mason also serves as the Music Associate and Organist at Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia where he plays organ and piano, accompanies multiple choirs, and directs the handbell choir. Mason has extensive experience as both a pianist and organist. He is often invited to collaborate with many area schools, arts organizations, and churches throughout the greater Atlanta area. Mason has performed organ recitals throughout the Midwest and Southeast and placed first in the Regional Competition for Young Organists hosted by the Indianapolis chapter of the AGO. Mason is an alumnus of Indiana University (IU) Jacobs School of Music, with a dual Master’s degree in choral conducting and organ performance. There, he studied choral conducting with Dominick DiOrio, and organ with Janette Fishell. During his time at IU, Mason was awarded an Associate Instructor position in the choral department and a Graduate Assistantship in the organ department. Prior to attending IU, Mason received formal training at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan where he studied with Thomas Bara

Dr. Alyssa J. Cossey

• The First Ten Minutes: Reimagining the Role of Warm-Up Activities in the Choral Rehearsal Dr. Alyssa J. Cossey (she/her) is a conductor, singer, educator, and scholar. She is a contributing author for a new choral text on women composers (edited by Hilary Apfelstadt), an inaugural member of the professional women’s choir, mirabai, a 2023 3rd Place Winner of the Dale Warland American Prize in Conducting, and is currently serving as Associate Director of Choral Activities at Coastal Carolina University. Before relocating to the East Coast for love, she was an Assistant Professor of Choral Music at the University of Arizona. Prior to that, she taught both middle and high school choir in Southern California for nearly a decade. Dr. Cossey holds a DMA from Michigan State University, an MM from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. For additional information or DEI and classroom resources, please visit www.alyssacossey.com.

Matt Crisman

• Demystifying Social Media & Making it Work For You Matthew Crisman is proud to serve Chattahoochee High School as Associate Director of Bands. A graduate of the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music (BM, Education) and the Texas Tech School of Music (MM, Saxophone Performance), Crisman has explored the realm of high-level music making on the stage of nationally adjudicated competitions and conference performances. With this mindset and experience, he seeks to motivate young musicians to achieve their highest potential in a supportive, positive atmosphere. Crisman’s experience as a competitive saxophonist has taken him and his ensembles through the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, the Music Teacher’s National Association, the North American Saxophone Alliance, the Texas Tech Concerto Competition, the Georgia Music Educators Association, the Texas Music Educators Association and several other organizations. Crisman’s primary instructors have included Dr. Connie Frigo, David Dees, Dr. Jaclyn Hartenberger, Dr. Sarah McKoin, Mike Walsh and Alexander Krakovski. Crisman maintains relationships with the North American Saxophone Alliance, the Georgia Music Educators Association, and the Kappa Kappa Psi Music Service Fraternity. In addition to his duties at Chattahoochee, Crisman serves as alto saxophonist for the Atlanta Wind Symphony, a clinician for young saxophonists, and loves to spend time with his wife, baby and their menagerie of pets.

Becca Davis

• Lessons to Engage Upper Elementary Music Students Becca Davis is an elementary music teacher in Savannah, Georgia. She has a Bachelor’s of Music Education from Armstrong State University. While teaching elementary music, Becca has worked hard to engage her upper grades students in learning music through group work, centers, and fun activities. She has conducted a fourth and fifth grade choir in addition to teaching. She sings alto with the choir iCantori. Becca is the author of two books: The Happier Teacher Life and Virtual Music Lessons for Teaching Online.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS David DeStefano

• Sing, Create, and Move with Stories for K-2 David DeStefano has taught elementary music since 1997 in Florida, California and Georgia and has been the music teacher at Crabapple Crossing Elementary School since 2014. Mr. DeStefano has degrees in Clarinet Performance and Music Education from Bradley University (Peoria, IL). He completed his Orff Schulwerk Level III training in 2004 and has taken several master level Orff courses. He became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2008 and renewed that certification in 2017. Mr. DeStefano is currently pursuing a Master of Music Education degree at Georgia College and State University. Mr. DeStefano has been presenting Orff-based sessions at local, state and national music education conferences since 2005. He has presented in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey and Wisconsin. He has been interviewed for Teaching Music magazine and has written for the American Orff Schulwerk Association publications The Orff Echo and Reverberations. He is a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA), American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA), the Atlanta Area Orff Chapter and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE).

Lanae Dickstein

• You Got the Job: NOW WHAT? Lanae Dickstein is the Director of Bands at Haynes Bridge Middle School in Alpharetta, GA (Fulton County). Prior to her position at Haynes Bridge, Mrs. Dickstein taught for six years as the Director of Bands at Central Middle School in Carrollton, GA (Carroll County). She received a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a master’s degree in Wind Band Conducting from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Mrs. Dickstein has been an invited guest speaker at the 2022 Midwest Clinic: International Band and Orchestra Conference, the 2022 Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, the 2023 Tennessee Arts Academy Virtual Winter Retreat, Georgia State University and University of West Georgia music education classes, and other local professional development events. She enjoys being a guest conductor, most recently with the GMEA District XIII Honor Band. She also serves as an organizer for the Georgia Music Educators Association Middle School All State Band and was the organizer for the Carroll County Middle School Honor Band. Mrs. Dickstein served on the Professional Learning and Growth Implementation Team with the National Association for Music Education and is the administrator of the music educator organization inspiration social media space “Number Your Measures.” She resides happily in Smyrna, GA with her husband Matt and their daughter Evalyn.

David Dover

• Ask Anything!! An Open Q&A for All Things Music Tech Mr. David Dover is in his 8th year at GCPS as the Music Technology Instructor at North Gwinnett Middle School. Mr. Dover completed his undergraduate studies from the University of Georgia where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Music degree with a concentration in Music Education and a minor in Trumpet performance. Following graduation, Mr. Dover accepted an Assistant Director of Bands position for T.C. Roberson High School in Asheville, NC where he served for one year before returning to the University of Georgia to pursue a Masters of Music Education degree. While working on his post graduate degree, Mr. Dover managed the University of Georgia School of Music computer lab and studied electronic music. After receiving his degree, Mr. Dover accepted a position as the Director of Bands at Monroe County Middle School and at Mary Persons High School for a combined 9 years. During his tenure in Monroe County, the program tripled in size and garnered success in both the concert and jazz band idioms. Mr. Dover and his family moved to the Atlanta area where he served a combined ten years as Assistant Band Director at Marietta High School and later as the band director of the Marietta Sixth Grade Academy. Mr. Dover has spent his tenure as an educator instructing concert bands, jazz bands, percussion ensembles, music appreciation, and American popular music history as well as composing and arranging music for various music programs in the area. Mr. Dover lives in Peachtree Corners with his wife, Megan, and three children, Owen, Olivia, and Charlotte.

Travis Downs

• Creating Transparency in Young Bands: A Panel Discussion with Master Teachers Travis Downs has been sharing his love of music with students for over twenty-three years. He is currently in his eleventh year at North Gwinnett Middle School - recently named “Music Program of the Year” by the Georgia Music Educators Association. Before his appointment at North Gwinnett in 2013, Mr. Downs served as the Director of Bands at Valdosta Middle School in Valdosta, Ga., Assistant Band Director at VMS, and Assistant Band Director at Tapp Middle School in Cobb County, Ga. Ensembles under Mr. Downs’ direction have been invited to play at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, the Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival, the Georgia Music Educators Association Annual In-Service Conference, the University of Georgia Middle School Festival, and the Grand National Adjudicators Invitational. In addition, the VMS and NGMS Band programs have been the recipient of the GMEA “Exemplary Performance Award.” A six-time recipient of the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence award, Mr. Downs recently servered as the State Chair for the Band Division of the Georgia Music Educators Association. Mr. Downs’ professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the National Band Association, the Georgia Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the Percussive Arts Society. Mr. Downs earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia and Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from Louisiana State University. He was a member of the Bluecoats and Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps.

S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Julie Duty

• Teaching Diverse Learners • Inclusive Ensembles: Simple Strategies to Make Music Work for More People Julie Duty completed her undergraduate degree at Arizona State University in 1998, earning a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. She then taught high school and middle school band and served as a mentor teacher for nine years in Arizona. Julie founded United Sound, Inc. in 2014 and currently serves as the Executive Director, working with teachers, parents, and administrators to bring meaningful participation and inclusivity to the instrumental music classroom. United Sound was created with the goal of developing relationships between students with and without disabilities and providing them with the opportunity to build self-esteem, selfconfidence, friendships, and a sense of belonging through music. In its first eight years, over 12,000 students in 31 states have participated in United Sound and they have logged over 250,000 relationship-building, music-making hours together. Julie holds an executive scholar certificate in nonprofit management from the Kellogg Executive Education program at Northwestern University. She is also a highly sought after speaker and guest lecturer and has presented over 100 clinics and keynote addresses at universities, state and national music education conferences, and school district-wide professional development events. Julie is still an active musician, performing as a member of the Tempe Winds for the last 25 years. She is honored to serve as a Board Member for the National Music Council, El Sistema USA, as a member of The Midwest Clinic Advisory Board, as a part of Music for All’s Advocacy in Action Committee, and The Institute for Composer Diversity Advisory Council.

Allyson Dye

• Chorus & Community: How to Build Community with Hurting Kids Allyson Dye is the chorus director for Elbert County Middle School where she has been teaching for 16 years. She has also taught at Elbert County High School. She attended Young Harris College where she obtained her Associate of Science in Education and Associate of Fine Arts in Music. She then attended Brenau University where she received her Bachelor of Music. She acquired her Master’s of Divinity from Duke University Divinity School and Specialist in Education from Piedmont University. Allyson is a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. She also has been inducted into the National Education Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi, as well as the Music Honor Fraternity, Mu Phi Epsilon. She has presented at the Georgia Music Educator’s In-Service Conference and Northeast Georgia Association of Extension 4-H Agent’s Conference on how to bring social justice issues into the chorus classroom. She presented her curriculum “Voices from the Margins: Increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Choral Classroom” at the National Music Educators Conference in Washington, D.C. in November 2022. Her high school ensemble sang at the 81st Pearl Harbor Commemoration in Honolulu in December 2022. Allyson is the choir director at Eliam United Methodist Church. When not teaching, she enjoys traveling and visiting national parks.

Dr. Jack Eaddy

• They Belong in the Room and You Belong on the Podium: D.E.I.A. for All Jack A. Eaddy, Jr., a native of Orangeburg, SC, is the Director of Athletic Bands at Western Carolina University, where he serves as the Director of Pride of the Mountains Marching Band and conducts the Symphonic Band. Dr. Eaddy holds degrees from the University of North Texas, University of Georgia, and the Florida State University. Dr. Eaddy taught for twelve years in Orlando, FL, where he developed a program that was recognized throughout the state for maintaining high standards despite the challenges his students experienced. Dr. Eaddy received the FMEA Tom Bishop Award recognizing a director who turned a program around, making a positive difference. Dr. Eaddy has presented at several conferences, including the Midwest Clinic and CBDNA Southern Division and Athletic Band Conferences. As a conductor, he was a selected participant in the 2018 US Pershing’s Own Army Band’s conducting workshop and received 2nd place for the 2020 American Prize in Conducting. Dr. Eaddy has earned a national reputation mentoring music directors and convenes two professional development seminars: Listen Up!!! score study sessions, and the Conductors’ reToolbox, as well as hosts a national podcast, Tales from the Band Room, that focuses on strengthening music education programs in urban communities to have a life-long impact on students.

Dr. William Earvin

• They Belong in the Room and You Belong on the Podium: D.E.I.A. for All Dr. William J. Earvin is currently an Educational Support Manager and Director of the HBCU Collective for Conn Selmer following a successful tenure as the Director of Bands at Baker High School. He is a native of Atlanta, GA, and is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music. After graduating from Clark Atlanta in 2000, he began his music education career teaching in Georgia. He later pursued his graduate studies at Mississippi Valley State University where he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Education. Dr. Earvin earned his Doctorate in Education from Northcentral University specializing in Higher Education Leadership. At Mississippi Valley, he served as a graduate assistant in the Fine Arts Department and Assistant Director of Bands. Dr. Earvin also secured a position as the first African American Director of Bands at Mississippi Delta Community College. His ensembles have consistently earned Superior Ratings at the Large Group Performance Evaluation in Georgia and Louisiana and have been selected to perform at numerous regional and national festivals. Dr. Earvin has been honored as an “Outstanding Music Educator” by the Berklee College of Music (2009) and a “Distinguished Music Educator” by the Yale University School of Music (2013). Dr. Earvin and his lovely wife Tamesha are the proud parents of four talented children. Dr. Morris is a 2017 recipient of the Converse College Lovett Award for Promising Educational Leader and the 2019 South Carolina Music Educators Association Mentor Award.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Vanessa Edwards

• Middle School Choral Music - Reading Session Vanessa Edwards has been teaching in Fulton County since 2005, and current serves as Choral Director at Autrey Mill MS. Vanessa attended McNeese State University, earning a Bachelors of Music Education and two levels of Kodaly certification. She is a member of the VoiceCare Network, having completed the training courses in pedagogy and conducting in 2018 and 2019. She also participated in the 2021 Atlanta Conducting Summer Institute through Georgia State University as a Conducting Fellow and in 2022 as auditor. Vanessa Edwards has sponsored students in District V Honor Chorus, Children’s Community Choral Festival in conjunction with Atlanta Young Singers, Georgia All State Chorus, Georgia 6th Grade Statewide Honor Chorus, GA ACDA Summer Honor Chorus, ACDA National Junior High Honor Chorus, ACDA Southern Division Honor Chorus, Solo & Ensemble and Junior Theatre Festival ATL. Mrs. Edwards has served as event organizer for District V Honor Chorus, co-organizer for District V Large Group Performance Evaluation and site host for Fulton County Elementary Choral Clinic. Vanessa has also served as pre-LGPE/festival clinician for several District V Middle Schools. Vanessa has served in a leadership capacity on the Autrey Mill School Governance Council from 2015-2018 and as GA ACDA R&R Chair for Middle School/Junior High in 2018-2019. She also served as GMEA District V Secretary (2016-2020) and Choral Chair (2020-2022). She currently serves as Fulton County Schools Fine Arts Support Teacher Lead (2022-2024).

Dr. Rosemary Engelstad

• Balance, Dynamic Alignment, and Intentional Gesture: Expanding Conducting Vocabulary for Better Health Rosemary Engelstad, a native of East Tennessee, is associate professor of Music at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Engelstad holds a degree in psychology from the University of Maryland and degrees in clarinet performance from Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is dedicated to musicians’ health and wellness, and is currently a body mapping educator trainee (Andover Educators). She is also a massage therapist and has training in natural movement (MovNat). Engelstad is committed to performing new works for clarinet and has premiered works by Nathan Currier, Laura Schwindenger, Nancy Faber, Chris Thomas, and Theresa Martin. Newer projects include collaborative pieces with artists of other disciplines, particularly dance and the visual arts, performances inDuo LaRowith Milwaukee-based clarinetist Laura McLaughlin, as well as performances of works for the clarinetist-dancer. Prior to joining the faculty at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Engelstad was lecturer of clarinet at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. She has also served on the faculties of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, Edgewood College, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Summer teaching activities include the UW Summer Music Clinic, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and the Dorian Summer Music Camps. Engelstad is a member of Music Teacher’s National Association, the International Clarinet Association, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, Andover Educators (trainee), the Massage Therapy Association, Pi Kappa Lambda honor society in music, and Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity for women.

Patrick Erwin

• I Love This Place! • Recruiting, Retention, and Growth in Post-Covid Schools Patrick Erwin is an educator and champion of student leadership. As a high school band director for 17 years at one of the largest band programs in the southeast, Patrick regularly taught his students far more than music -- he brought life-lessons to his classes through engaging presentations, fruitful conversations, and relational connection using Growing Leaders Habitudes curriculum. Patrick’s passion for leadership also led him to co-found the Cobb Student Leadership Academy, the largest district-wide student leadership initiative in the state of Georgia -- impacting over 500 middle and high school students since its inception. Patrick holds Master and Specialist Degrees in Music Education from the University of Georgia and Auburn University and his Tier-1 Leadership Certificate from Berry College. As an educator, Patrick was named a Symetra ‘Hero in the Classroom,’ received the George N Parks “Leadership in Music Education” award from NAfME and Music for All, was named the VFW local and regional teacher of the year, was named to the “Hall of Fame” at his alma mater Central Carroll High School, and recently was named a top 25 teacher in Cobb County, GA by Cobb Life Magazine and Marietta Daily Journal. Patrick now serves as the Director of Curriculum for Growing Leaders, where he utilizes his expertise to develop fresh new ways for teachers to reach their students with life skills, social and emotional learning concepts, and leadership through the power of transformational images, stories, and experiences.

S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Jennie Fabianski

• Demystifying Social Media & Making it Work For You Born and raised in Dalton, GA, Jennie Fabianski is a true Georgia peach currently in her 16th year of teaching at Chattahoochee High School in Johns Creek, GA. Under her leadership, the program receives consistent superior ratings in performance evaluations, participates in all state & district events, and is invited to perform nationally and internationally. Professionally, Jennie is not only a vocalist, but also an accomplished trombonist and was an active member of the Georgia Wind Symphony when they performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association State Conference. At Chattahoochee, Jennie serves as a New Teacher Mentor, creates & leads professional development sessions, and is involved in several committees at the local & district level. She has been a Teacher of the Year Finalist four of the last five years, and her musical productions have received over thirty Georgia High School Musical Theatre Award nominations under her direction. During her career, Jennie has organized district events, evaluations, and auditions, as well as procured Eric Whitacre as the lead clinician at the 2020 District Honor Chorus. She has consulted extensively on Amazon Studio Series Do, Re, Mi, produced by Kristen Bell. She holds a Bachelor (BM, Education) and Master’s (MA, Conducting), both from Reinhardt University, under the tutelage of Dr. David Gregory & Dr. Thomas V. Fraschillo. When Jennie is not making music or running a theatre, she enjoys spending time with her wonderful husband Kevin, and their three children, Liam (5), Owen (3,) and Evie (2).

Dr. Chris Ferrell

• Not MY Generation! Reaching the Students (and Teachers) in Today’s Music Classroom Christopher Ferrell served as an instrumental music educator in the public schools of Texas and Georgia for 19 years prior to being appointed as Supervisor of Instrumental Music for the Cobb County School District in metro Atlanta, Georgia in 2013. He serves as a performing saxophonist, clinician, evaluator, and conductor throughout the United States. Dr. Ferrell received his Bachelor of Music from Miami University, his Master of Education in Music Education, and the Doctor of Philosophy of Music Education from Auburn University. Christopher Ferrell served as the founding Director of Bands at Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Georgia as well as Associate Director of Bands at L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas, and Director of Bands at Harwood Junior High School in Bedford, Texas. Mr. Ferrell holds memberships in the National Association for Music Education, the Georgia Music Educators Association, the National Band Association, the College Band Directors National Association, and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity. Chris Ferrell is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Vandoren Artist and Clinician.

Monica L. Fogg

• I’ve Got My First Band Program...Now What?! Monica L. Fogg, a native of Hampton, VA, currently serves as the K-12 Music Coordinator for DeKalb County School District. She earned her undergraduate degree in Music Education from Bethune-Cookman College and studied band pageantry under Mr. Donovan Wells. She received her Master of Music Education Degree from the University of Florida where she served as a graduate assistant for the UF Gator Marching Band and conducting student of Dr. David Waybright. She has also earned an Education Specialist degree in Teaching and Learning at Argosy University. Ms. Fogg became one of the first female high school band directors in DeKalb County, Georgia. Her leadership and organizational skills granted her the opportunity to serve as committee chairperson for committees that aided in promoting student musicianship in DeKalb County. Band programs under her leadership, doubled in size and received consistent Superior and Excellent ratings at Concert and Marching Band Festivals. She currently serves as Chair for Georgia Music Educators Association District IV, Teacher Support Specialist/Coach, New Teacher Mentor, and previously served as the band lead teacher for DeKalb County. Ms. Fogg’s professional and society affiliations include Minority Band Directors National Association, Georgia Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, Association of Black Women Band Directors, Women Band Directors International, Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for Women, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. She now resides in Conyers, GA with her sons Myles and Amari.

Dr. Michelle Folta

• The Three E’s: Strategies for Engaging, Efficient, and Effective Choral Rehearsals Dr. Michelle Folta is associate professor of music education at Columbus State University and the artistic director for the Voices of the Valley Children’s Chorus. She taught chorus in Austin, Texas, where she was instrumental in transforming her campus into a Fine Arts Academy. Her choirs received consistent superior ratings in festivals and were recognized locally for their excellence. Under Dr. Folta’s direction, Voices of the Valley has performed internationally, at GMEA, and the ACDA Southern Region Conference. Her work as a children’s chorus director has prompted several opportunities as a conductor and adjudicator in Georgia and Texas. Dr. Folta was one of 10 finalists for the GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year Award in 2021 and was named 5 Under 40 by Columbus and the Valley Magazine. Dr. Folta lives in Columbus, Georgia with her husband, Zach, and their daughter, Lena.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Dr. Jason Freeman

• Can Music Technology Classes Teach Students How to Code while Making Music? Jason Freeman is a Professor and Chair of the School of Music at Georgia Tech. His artistic practice and scholarly research focus on using technology to engage diverse audiences in collaborative, experimental, and accessible musical experiences. He also develops educational interventions in K-12, university, and MOOC environments that broaden and increase engagement in STEM disciplines through authentic integrations of music and computing. His music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, exhibited at ACM SIGGRAPH, published by Universal Edition, broadcast on public radio’s Performance Today, and commissioned through support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Freeman’s wide-ranging work has attracted support from sources such as the National Science Foundation, Google, and Turbulence. He has published his research in leading conferences and journals such as Computer Music Journal, Organised Sound, NIME, and ACM SIGCSE. Freeman received his B.A. in music from Yale University and his M.A. and D.M.A. in composition from Columbia University.

Dr. Patrick K. Freer

• Playing with Pain? Rotator Cuff Injury and Recovery for Conductors and Instrumentalists • Choral Rehearsals Gone Bad . . . or Good! Patrick K. Freer is Professor of Music at Georgia State University where he conducts the Tenor-Bass Choir and directs the masters & doctoral programs in music education. The GSU Tenor-Bass Choir is one of four national finalists for the 2023 American Prize in Choral Performance (large university division) and was selected by audition to perform for the 2023 GA-American Choral Directors Association. The ensemble was a featured choir in 2022’s XIV Corhabana International Choir Festival (Havana, Cuba) and the 2012 national meeting of Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses, Inc. Dr. Freer has held Visiting Professorships at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg (Austria) and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). He has been conductor-in-residence conductor for the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra (Colombia). His degrees are from Westminster Choir College and Teachers College-Columbia University. Dr. Freer has guest conducted or presented in 40 states and 30 countries. Dr. Freer is Editor of the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing and former longtime editor of Music Educators Journal. He serves on ACDA’s National Standing Committee for Research and Publications and has chaired all three of ACDA’s International Symposia for Research in Choral Singing. He was elected to three terms as National Chair for NAfME’s Special Research Group on Gender & Sexuality. He also chaired the philosophy sub-group within the task force responding to COVID-19 concerns for the National Collegiate Choral Organization (USA). Dr. Freer is a recipient of the Outstanding Senior Faculty Award for Research & Creative Activity in GSU’s College of the Arts.

Dr. Adam Frey

• Building a Brilliant and Blazing Brass Section with Adam Frey and Michael Brown Adam Frey has traveled the globe sharing his talents as a performer and educator for more than 20 years. He has been guest soloist at festivals around the globe, including four times at the Midwest Clinic (USA), the WASBE Convention (Singapore), Melbourne International Festival of Brass (Australia), Trombonanza (Argentina), Carlos Gomez Festival (Brazil), Jeju International Wind Festival (South Korea), and the Asia Pacific Band Directors Conference (South Korea) to name a few. His educational workshops have occurred at the Music for All Concert Festival and state educator conferences in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, California, Massachusetts and other events. Adam has been the Artistic Director of the International Euphonium Tuba (IET) Festival for 20 years and has more than 150 arrangements and commissions written for him. Adam Frey is Associate Professor at the University of North Georgia, a Yamaha Performing Artist, and performs on Ultimate Brass Mouthpieces. He was also recently elected as Vice-President/Presidentelect for the International Tuba Euphonium Association.

Dr. Sara Fruehe

• Demystifying Double Reeds: Secrets of the Oboe and Bassoon Explained! Bassoonist Sara Fruehe is a versatile artist with a varied career as a chamber musician, orchestral performer, educator, and arts administrator. A native of the Chicagoland area, Sara joined the Schwob School of Music as Assistant Professor of Bassoon in Fall 2023. During the six years she performed with Volante Winds, Sara performed at premier festivals including Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival, Juneau Jazz and Classics, Chamber Music Wilmington, American Music Festival, among others. She currently performs with 10th Muse, an all-female reed trio. In demand as an artist and clinician, Sara frequently performs in solo and orchestral settings, and presents masterclasses throughout the United States. An advocate of new music, Sara actively commissions and premieres new works. Past commissions include works by composers Brian Raphael Nabors and Kevin Wilt. With 10th Muse, she is in the process of commissioning reed trios from composers Leigha Amick and Don Freund. In February 2023, Sara premiered P.Q. Phan’s Fantasia Concertante for Bassoon with the IU New Music Ensemble. As an educator, Sara has worked with students of all ages and levels. Prior to joining the Schwob School, Sara served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at the IU Jacobs School of Music. She has also served as Adjunct Faculty of Bassoon and Chamber Music at James Madison University in 2016, and between 2011-2014, she maintained a robust private lesson studio in San Antonio and the south-central region of Texas. Sara is currently artist-faculty at the Schwob Summer Music Festival and IU Summer Music Clinic.

S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Denise Gagne

• Singing Games to Learn, Create and Have FUN! • Create and Play with Easy to Make Manipulatives Denise Gagne has taught instrumental, choral and classroom music from babies and preschool to College levels for 40+ years. She has degrees in music and education, as well as Level 3 certification in both Kodaly and Orff. Denise has authored or edited many publications including the Musicplay and Musicplayonline.com curriculum. Denise has been a workshop presenter in every Canadian province and territory and all 50 states, and has done hundreds of webinars worldwide since 2020. Denise is a virtual teacher via Musicplayonline – now in more than 10,000 schools in countries all over the world. She is a frequent guest teacher in schools and enjoys working with the Red Deer Prep and Children’s choirs.

Megan Gibson

• Artistic Expression through Movement for the General Music Classroom Megan Gibson (She/Her) is a seventh-year music educator currently serving as a Fine Art Support Teacher for the South Fulton community. Working at Brookview Elementary for the entirety of her career, Ms. Gibson has had the pleasure of being the music specialist as well as the Brookview Panda and Brookview Booms director. Ms. Gibson received her BMU from Kennesaw State University and her MMU from Georgia State University. Other professional development includes John Feierabend’s First Steps in Music as well as Conversational Solfege I & II. Outside of the classroom Megan is an avid reader, loves watching the Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta United, and plays video games while cuddling with her cat Lucky.

Michelle Z. Gibson

• Easy Steps to Adding Authentic Movements to African Folk Song Performances Michelle Gibson is a PhD student in Music Education at the University of Florida. She earned a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia. Ms. Gibson has experience teaching in a variety of educational settings, including elementary and secondary general music and middle school choir. During her time as a music educator in Georgia, Ms. Gibson maintained active leadership roles, serving as the Secondary Choral Music Chair and a member of the Curriculum Writing Team for the DeKalb County School District, as well as a founding member of the Diversity and Inclusion committee of the Georgia Music Educators Association. Ms. Gibson’s research interests include diversity, equity and inclusion within music education, culturally responsive music pedagogy, democratic teaching practices, and music teacher education.

Dr. Joe Girard

• Building a Chamber Music Curriculum To Transform Section Playing and Empower Individual Musicianship Dr. Joe Girard’s solo and chamber performances have taken him around the country and across the globe. He has performed as a saxophone soloist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Schwob Philharmonic, Reno Philharmonic, Dallas Winds, University of Michigan Symphony Band, Eastman Wind Ensemble and the Paris Républican Guard Band. He performs regularly with orchestras, including the Atlanta, Columbus, LaGrange, and Albany symphonies. As tenor chair of the Sinta Quartet (SQ), he received first prize at the 2013 Concert Artists Guild Competition, Gold Medal at the 2018 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, First Prize at the 2017 M-Prize International Chamber Music Competition, Grand Prize at the 2013 Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and First Place at the 2012 North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition. SQ has two commercially available CDs, Collider (2019) and Ex Machina (2020). Dr. Girard co-authored Chops 3: The Sinta Quartet Method, a guide to rehearsal techniques, fundamentals, and chamber music development for beginning through advanced saxophone quartets. Dr. Girard is Associate Professor of Saxophone at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. He regularly teachers masterclasses and clinics across the United States, including at Brevard Music Center, University of Michigan, Eastman School of Music, and Florida State University, among others, and internationally at the Conservatori de les Illes Balears, Conservatoire de Paris, and Conservatoire de Versailles. Each summer he teaches saxophone at the Schwob Summer Music Festival, an immersive week-long music camp for high school students. He is a Selmer Performing Artist and performs exclusively on Selmer Paris Saxophones.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Maureen Girard

• The Best of Both Worlds: Combining Orff and Music Learning Theory in Elementary General Music Maureen Girard has been teaching elementary music for 11 years. She received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Michigan, and began her teaching career in the metro-Detroit area of Michigan. She currently teaches K-5 music at Double Churches Elementary School in Columbus, GA. Maureen holds Level I and II certifications in Music Learning Theory Elementary General Music through the Gordon Institute of Music Learning, and Level I and II certifications in Orff Schulwerk. She is passionate about designing instruction for students that encourages independent musicianship and creative music-making. Maureen was named teacher of the year at her school in 2021, and a top 10 teacher of the year in her district in 2022.

Lynel Goodwin

• The Business of Band: Branding Your Performing Arts Organization Lynel Goodwin was born and raised in Atlanta, Ga. Where he graduated from Westlake H.S, He received his Bachelors of Music Education from Bethune Cookman University. While at Bethune-Cookman, his educational philosophy was shaped through numerous experiences afforded to him while participating in the BCU Music Program. In 2016, Lynel became the Director of Bands at Jonesboro High School, where he started with a blank canvas and the opportunity to build a strong band program through rigorous recruitment, branding a marketing. The program started with 15-18 students and has grown to the 120+ program that it currently is today. In 2019, Lynel received Teacher of the Year in his district. He also received Star Teacher in 2020, was named a Community Game Changer in 2022 by WSBTV, and was recognized on Kiss 104.1 Terrific Teacher Tuesday. Cumulatively, band seniors graduating from Jonesboro High School have accumulated over 15 million dollars in band scholarship offers, 4.7 million dollars in scholarships came from the class of 2022 alone. Some of the most notable invitations include The Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade (2019), The National Independence Day Parade (Washington D.C. 2022) and just recently, The MACY’S Thanksgiving Day Parade (New York City 2024)

Dr. Alyssa Grey

• Digital Music: Dabble In DAWS Dr. Alyssa Grey is Director of Wind Studies and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Berry College. She completed undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Music Theory & Composition from the University of Miami where she studied with GRAMMY-Award Winning composer Lansing McLoskey. She received a Masters degree in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music and a PhD from the University of North Texas where she studied wind band conducting with Eugene Migliaro Corporon. Alyssa has presented sessions and research with the National Association for Music Education, Society for Music Teacher Education, College Music Society, GMEA, NJMEA, FMEA, OKMEA, ArkMEA, TMEA, the North Texas Conductors Collegium, the Texas Bandmasters Association, and the Midwest Clinic. She is an active conductor and researcher and has been published in scholarly journals including Journal of Music Teacher Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, the Music Educators Journal, Teaching Music, the Instrumentalist, and is a contributor to the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series. Dr. Grey’s Wind Ensemble has performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association State Conference. She also has performed professionally with the Dallas Symphony Chorus for five years under the baton of Jaap van Zweden, conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Dr. Grey is an Auxiliary Committee member for the Music Educators Journal. Stefani has served as editor-in-chief of the TI:MEs newsletter from 1997-2005, as well as the Technology Column Editor for the Massachusetts Music News from 20042016. Her publications include co-authoring the “Alfred Music Tech Series”, which includes Playing Keyboard, Music Production and MIDI Sequencing, Composing with Notation Software, and the accompanying Teacher’s Guide: Book 1, as well as numerous articles on music education technology topics that have appeared in the Music Educators Journal, Music Education Technology Magazine, Music and Computers, Artists House, and Massachusetts Music News. Currently, Stefani sits on the MusicFirst Teacher Advisory Panel. In 2021 Stefani was named TI:ME (Technology in Music Education) Teacher of the Year, and also received the BCM PED Dean’s Award for Pedagogical Collaboration and Resource Development.

Dr. Robert J. Grogan

• Creating Transparency in Young Bands: A Panel Discussion with Master Teachers Dr. Robert Grogan is the Director of Bands at Barber MS in Cobb County, GA. While at Barber, the band program has grown to over 400 students. In 2020 the Barber Wind Symphony was invited to perform at the prestigious Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis, IN. In addition, the ensemble has received four invitations to perform at the MFA Southeastern Regional Concert Band Festival. In 2016, the Wind Symphony was selected as the guest honor band at the University of Alabama Band Clinic. In 2022, the Barber Middle School Band was named a national winner of the William P. Foster Award for Excellence. Dr. Grogan is a two-time recipient of the NBA Citation of Excellence and a 2016 National Quarter-Finalist in the Grammy’s Music Educator of the Year. He is published in JRME and SB&O magazine. He received his Ph.D. in music education from Auburn University and holds degrees from the University of Georgia and Columbus State University. Additionally, Dr. Grogan spent four years performing with the Albany Marine Corps Band.

S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Casey Hall

• State of the Arts Mr. Casey Hall serves as a Fine Arts Education Program Specialist for the Georgia Department of Education. He joins the GaDOE Fine Arts Department team from Fulton County Schools as a Fine Arts Support Teacher (FAST) and Music Specialist in Atlanta, Georgia where he was awarded the title of 2019-2020 South Learning Community Teacher of the Year for Fulton County Schools. On the FAST Team, he coached and provides support for elementary music teachers across the district. He was a member of Fulton County Vanguard Team and works with educators across all grade levels and disciplines to support a personalized learning environment in their classrooms, build capacity, and seamlessly integrate technology. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University and a master’s degree in music education from Georgia State School of Music.

Dana Harrell

• Literacy, Technology and the Arts in your Music Class...a Recipe for Fun! Dana is the proud class piano teacher at Sweetwater Middle School. This is the only full time public middle school piano class in Gwinnett County! She has over 20 years of choral education classroom experience, mostly in middle schools. About 10 years ago, Dana received her MEd in Curriculum and Instruction/Integrating the Arts Across the Curriculum from Lesley University. Since then, she has taught Arts Integration workshops at two Statewide Tennessee Arts Conferences and at GMEA as well as in Jackson County School District and in local schools. Dana is passionate about Music Education but equally passionate about teaching all subjects through the Arts. She lives outside of Athens in Statham and is the proud mother of 4 incredible grown children and the equally proud grandma of four perfect grandchildren. Dana is happy to share her love for Arts Integration with you today!

Ann Harrington

• Beliefs of Music Education Faculty on Desireable Traits of Incoming Music Education Majors Ann Harrington is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Florida State University. Prior to her appointment at FSU, she served as the elementary general music specialist for the University of Southern Mississippi, Ball State University, and the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Harrington’s research interests include community music, music perception and cognition, and music-making across the lifespan. She has presented her work at state, national, and international conferences, and her research is published in UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education, Contributions to Music Education, the International Journal of Community Music, and is featured in the UPDATE podcast series. Harrington is certified in Orff Schulwerk and has served as a general music teacher for preschool, elementary, and middle school students in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Kentucky. She also has the pleasure of serving as an instructor for the New Horizons International Music Association. She received her degrees in Music Education from the University of Kentucky (PhD and MM) and the University of Southern Mississippi (BME).

Christina Hart

• Building Community in Your Music Classroom: Procedures and Practice that Work! Christina is the music teacher at Poole’s Mill Elementary School in Forsyth County. She began her teaching career in 2006, as a middle school band in Orlando, FL Christina received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Florida State University, a Master’s degree from Stetson University, and an Educational Specialist degree from Augusta University. She has completed level I and II of Orff Schulwerk as of June 2023. Christina lives in Cumming with her husband, Shawn, and their two children, Maddie and Ethan.

Joseph Heiberger

• Creating Transparency in Young Bands: A Panel Discussion with Master Teachers Mr. Heiberger is in his eighteenth year as the Director of Bands at Lovinggood Middle School in Cobb County, Georgia (est. 2006). The Lovinggood bands consistently receive superior ratings and have been invited to perform at the UGA Midfest (2010, 2014), the Auburn University Middle School Band Clinic (2012), the CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference (2016), the Music For All Southeastern Regional Concert Band Festival (2016, 2018), Troy University Middle School Band Clinic (2018), and the 2017 GMEA In-Service Conference in Athens, GA. The Lovinggood Band is a recipient of the 2013 GMEA Exemplary Performance Award. Mr. Heiberger’s degrees include a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master’s and Specialist Degree from Auburn University. While at the University of Southern Mississippi, his saxophone quartet was named National Champions of the MTNA Chamber Music Competition (1993). Additionally, it was a national finalist in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition (1993). Mr. Heiberger is a six-time National Band Association Citation of Excellence recipient. He is listed in the December 2015 issue of SB&O Magazine as one of the “50 Directors Who Make A Difference”. Mr. Heiberger has served as a clinician and guest conductor at Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, Auburn University, and with middle school bands across Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. Mr. Heiberger’s professional affiliations include the Georgia Music Educators Association, the MENC, NAfME, ASBDA, and the National Band Association. Mr. Heiberger resides in Marietta, Georgia, with his wife, Renee, and daughter, Emily. 42

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PRESENTERS Robin Hodson

• Aligning Assessment with Music Learning Goals • Strong Foundations: Technology Tools for your Elementary Music Classroom • More Time for Artistry with PracticeFirst Robin comes from a musical family; his Grandfather founded a Symphony Orchestra and Music Conservatory in Zimbabwe, and his Mother taught music for 50 years. An accomplished composer and performer, working in a variety of differing genres, he is also a recording engineer, songwriter and arranger. Robin received a Masters Degree at Magdalen College, Oxford, specializing in choral music. He moved to the US in 1999 and is now a US citizen. He was with Sibelius/Avid for thirteen years, followed by three years with SoundTree. During that time, he became a well-known clinician, trainer and salesman for a wide variety of world class music software and technology products. He joined Jim Frankel and an accomplished team of people to start MusicFirst in 2012, bringing cloud-based music software to schools around the world. He has authored many free guides/ videos on how to use and learn all kinds of music software, and he has created a curriculum (published by Hal Leonard) for using Pro Tools in Music Education. He was also a joint author for the book/DVD/curriculum entitled Making Music with GarageBand & Mixcraft.

Dr. Perry Holbrook

• How to Ace Sight Reading at LGPE: Sight Reading Techniques for Orchestra Perry Holbrook has taught at Walton High School since 2001. Since his arrival, orchestra enrollment has continued to increase from 130 to just shy of 400 string students. His groups have received eight invitations to perform at The Midwest Clinic, three invitations to perform at the ASTA National Conference, and seven invitations to perform at the GMEA In-Service Conference. Dr. Holbrook’s groups have also traveled and performed internationally, participating in four European concert tours. Dr. Holbrook is proud to announce that Someday and his newest work, Never Summer Mountain, were published by Wingert-Jones Publishing in April 2023. His composition Someday has been performed by the Kentucky Music Educators All-State Orchestra, the South Carolina Music Educators All-State Orchestra and at the Indiana Music Educators State Convention. Recently, Dr. Holbrook collaborated with Composer Eric Whitacre and helped edit the string orchestra version of Sleep. The Walton High School Chamber Orchestra debuted this work at the 2022 Midwest Clinic. Sleep will soon be available From Hal Leonard. Perry Holbrook holds the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, the Masters of Music degree from Arizona State University, and the Bachelor of Music degree from Wichita State University. Dr. Holbrook lives in Atlanta, Georgia. In his free time, he can usually be found hiking or spending time with Susan Rogers, his fiancée of three years.

Catherine R. Hudnall

• 73 Years to Figure Things Out: Secrets to Efficient Rehearsals that Lead to Artistic Performances. Dr. Catherine Hudnall received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of music, her Master’s degree from Georgia State University, and her Doctoral degree from Mercer University. Currently she is an Orchestra Director at North Gwinnett Middle School and is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra. She was the teacher of the year at Norcross High School and received the American String Teachers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Hudnall is a regular conductor and clinician for honor ensembles throughout the state and nation. She has directed all-state Orchestra in South Carolina, Mississippi, California, and Michigan. She served as an adjudicator for the National ASTA Orchestra Festival in 2019. Her students have been invited to perform for the Georgia State Music Educators conference in 1995, 2006, and 2009. She was so-director of the the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony for six years. In 2006, the Norcross High School Philharmonic Orchestra won the National Championship High School String Orchestra Award at the American String Teachers Association conference in Kansas City. Three of her ensembles have been selected to perform at Carnegie Hall. Dr. Hudnall is a member of the National Music Educators Association, the Conductors Guild, the Performing Arts Medical Association, and the American String Teachers Association. She served as state president of the Georgia ASTA chapter. Dr. Hudnall studied cello with Hans Schmettau and Martha Gerschefski. As a professional cellist, she has performed with many orchestras and is a member of the Candler String Quartet. She is a consultant for Healthy Musicianship.

Dr. Craig Hurley

• The Three E’s: Strategies for Engaging, Efficient, and Effective Choral Rehearsals Craig Hurley is the conductor of the Spivey Hall Young Artists, the preparatory choir of the nationally renowned Spivey Hall Children’s Choir. Under Dr. Hurley’s direction, the Spivey Hall Young Artists were honored to perform at the 2018 GMEA In-Service Conference. Dr. Hurley has also served as a guest clinician for several honor choirs throughout the southeast. Dr. Hurley is also the music specialist at Ford Elementary School in Cobb County, Georgia. Under his direction, the Ford Elementary Chorus has performed at the 2015 GMEA In-Service Conference. He has presented interest sessions at the Music Educators Association in-service conferences for Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, the ACDA Southern Division Conference, as well as for other various teacher organizations. Dr. Hurley was honored as Teacher of the Year in 2002, 2016, and the GMEA Music Educator of the Year in 2021. Dr. Hurley is currently serving as president of the Georgia Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He is a published researcher whose interests include music literacy and expressive performance pedagogy. He holds a Doctorate in Music Education from The University of Georgia. (GO DAWGS!). Dr. Hurley lives in Marietta with his wife Katie (also a music teacher) and their three children. S P R I N G 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Lesley Jakovcic

• The Best of Both Worlds: Combining Orff and Music Learning Theory in Elementary General Music Lesley Jakovcic grew up in Sioux City, Iowa and received her Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Fine Art from The University of Iowa in 2009. She currently teaches 1st through 5th grade at North Columbus Elementary School. She began the first four years of her teaching career in Springfield, Colorado teaching K-12, and discovered the joy of Orff Schulwerk. She has completed all three Orff levels.

Heath Jones

• Student Composition and Arranging for Solo & Ensemble • Ask Anything!! An Open Q&A for All Things Music Tech • Teaching Creativity Outside the Box: Learning Without Boundaries Heath Jones currently teaches Music Technology at McConnell Middle School in the Gwinnett County Public Schools system in Lawrenceville, GA. He has been the Lead Teacher for Music Technology with Gwinnett County Public Schools and is currently the Music Technology Chair for the Georgia Music Educators Association. Heath is in his 27th year of teaching music in public schools. The last 7 years teaching music technology exclusively. Heath has worked with Gwinnett County Public Schools and the Georgia Department of Education in developing curriculum, performance standards, and assessments at both the state and local levels. He is in demand as a guest lecturer having presented sessions at the NAfME National Conference, the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, and the Texas MEA Conference on two occasions as well as numerous state-level conferences on topics of music technology and curriculum. He is the author of Music Technology 101, published by Hal Leonard, and is the founder of www.mutechteachernet.com a website that supports and encourages an international audience of music technology educators and enthusiasts. His podcast MuTechTeacherTalk is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast providers. In 2023 he was recognized by TI:ME (Technology In Music Education) as the Mike Kovins National Teacher of the Year. He is passionate in his work to support and encourage his own students while advocating for the continued growth of music technology programs in his state, region, and country.

Elizabeth Justice

• Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Sound Booth? A Beginner’s Guide to Audio Technology Elizabeth Justice has been the Director of Orchestras at Cambridge High School in Milton, GA since 2015 and is currently serving as the Fine Arts Department Chair. She graduated magna cum laude from Ithaca College with dual bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Violin Performance, and summa cum laude from Kent State University with a master’s degree in Music Education.

Quinyonia Kearse

• But I Want Straight 1’s: A Dialogue about the Purpose of Performance Evaluations Quinyonia Kearse is the Director of Choral Activities and Fine Arts Department Chair at Luella High School in Locust Grove, Georgia. Ms. Kearse was named the 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year and was subsequently named the High School Teacher of the Year for Henry County Schools. Amongst her many awards, Ms. Kearse was named Star Teacher for 2021 and the 2022 Music Educator of the Year for Spivey Hall at Clayton State University. Ms. Kearse has presented sessions during Henry County Schools LAUNCH for new teachers, Henry County Schools Professional Learning Days, and the Georgia Music Educators Association Conference. Currently, Ms. Kearse serves as District Co-Chair for GMEA District 6, where she also serves as the High School Chorus Large Group Performance Evaluations organizer. She holds degrees in Music Education from Mercer University and a Masters degree from Liberty University. She is currently completing her Tier 1 Certification in Educational Leadership through the University of West Georgia. Ms. Kearse is the proud mother of 3 children who are her pride and joy.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Dr. David Kehler

• Repertoire Roundtable (Levels 3-6): Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going David Kehler serves as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Kennesaw State University’s Bailey School of Music where he is Music Director and Conductor of the KSU Wind Ensemble. In addition, he supervises and guides all aspects of the KSU Band program which now enrolls over 500 band students. Dr. Kehler also teaches courses in instrumental conducting, symphonic repertoire, and twentieth century music. Professor Kehler is the recipient of several awards including the KSU College of Arts 2020 Teaching Award, and the 2021 Research and Creative Activity Award. An advocate of new music, Dr. Kehler has commissioned more than two-dozen composers, including several Pulitzer Prize winners to write new compositions for wind ensemble. Along with his university responsibilities, David Kehler serves as Music Director and Conductor of the Atlanta Wind Symphony, a position he has held since 2017. The AWS is now considered one of the top adult bands in the United States and was a featured ensemble at the 2020 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. Previously, David Kehler served as Associate Conductor of America’s Premiere Windband; The Dallas Winds and served as Founder and Conductor of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Wind Symphony. Previous academic appointments were at Southern Methodist University, the University of Rhode Island, and Bay City Western High School, in Bay City, Michigan. Growing up in Michigan, Dr. Kehler received his Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Conducting degrees from Michigan State University, followed by his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in instrumental conducting from the University of Texas at Austin.

Kevin Kenney

• Creating and Sustaining an All-Encompassing Percussion Program Established in 2015, The Georgia Indoor Percussion Association is an all volunteer non-profit corporation. Our purpose is to promote the growth of the percussive arts through competition, performance and educational activities. Kevin Kenney is an active performer, clinician, arranger, and educator in the Atlanta area. He is currently the Assistant Band Director/Percussion Director at Milton High School in Milton, GA and the Front Ensemble Arranger for Atlanta Quest, Q2, and AtlantaCV. At Milton, Kevin assists with all concert bands, the marching band, and leads the percussion ensembles and the PSW World Finalist Milton Indoor Drumline. Most recently, the Indoor Drumline placed 11th at the 2022 WGI World Championships and the Percussion Ensemble placed 3rd at the 2021 PASIC Small Ensemble Competition. He has been heavily involved with the marching activity as a performer over the years including being a member of The Cavaliers, Spirit of JSU, Memphis Sound, and Music City Mystique, as well as being a front ensemble coordinator at The Cadets. Kevin is a member of the Percussive Arts Society, GMEA, NBA and a proud endorser of Innovative Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, and Remo Drumheads.

Mary E. Knysh

• Ukulele ALIVE! Easy Access & Success for All Learners (Grades 3-8) • Drumming & Movement for Young Children Mary Knysh is founder of Rhythmic Connections, professional musician, innovative educator, international author and expert in the field of music improvisation. Mary travels nationally and internationally offering professional development seminars, workshops and performances. Mary received the 2022 New Jersey Governor’s award for excellence in arts education and is an endorser for Rhythm Band Instruments, TOCA percussion and Peripole Music.

Bonnie Krider

• The Virtual Stage: Creating & Distributing Music Made by Students Bonnie Krider is the Director of Choral Activities at Rising Starr Middle School (Fayetteville, GA). She is an active member of the Georgia Music Educators Association, serving as organizer for district events. Choirs under her direction consistently earn superior ratings at annual Large Group Performance Evaluations, as well as participate in Honor Chorus and All State. At RSMS, she also codirects the special music Collaborate program and serves as a faculty mentor for the Community for Creativity initiative. Passionate about all ages developing a love of music, Ms. Krider also works as Associate Music Minister at Newnan First United Methodist Church, sings with the Masterworks Chorale of Coweta, and serves as a musical director for local theatre productions. She regularly performs as a soloist and has toured with choirs in Austria, Italy, Spain, Kenya, and England. She holds degrees in music education from Florida State University and University of Georgia.

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PRESENTERS Kristen Kuder Lynch

• Benchmarking Preservice Music Educators’ Values of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: A Comparison with Content-area Experts Kristen Kuder Lynch is a dedicated music educator and researcher with a deep love for teaching music. With a wealth of experience in the field, Kristen spent 20 years teaching elementary music in public schools in Kansas, Missouri, and Georgia. She enjoys creating engaging and interactive music lessons that inspire young minds to explore the world of melody, rhythm, and harmony. She believes that early exposure to music can have a profound impact on a child’s development, fostering creativity, cognitive skills, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts. Dr. Lynch ‘s research interests center around culturally responsive pedagogy and music teacher identity development. Her research endeavors to cultivate the understanding of the intricate connections between culture, identity, and musical instruction in order to foster inclusive and equitable music education practices. Her research has been presented at both state and national levels, including the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference and the National Association for Music Education national conference. Dr. Lynch holds both a master’s and a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Georgia. She currently teaches music education courses and supervises student teachers in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Dr. Lynch has completed Level II Orff training and holds certificates for Conversational Solfège Levels 1 and 2. She is a member of GMEA, AOSA, Feierabend Association of Music Education, and OAKE. When not teaching, Kristen enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring new things! She resides in Athens with her loving husband, Michael, their two sons, Parker and Zachary, and their three beloved dogs, Charlie, Ella, and JJ.

Christopher Ladouceur

• Artistic Expression through Movement for the General Music Classroom Christopher Ladouceur (He/Him) is an Orff certified music educator currently serving as a Fine Art Support Teacher for Fulton County and is the music specialist and chorus director at Esther Jackson Elementary School. Mr. Ladouceur is also the Director of Music at the Church at Ponce & Highland in Atlanta. Christopher received his BMU and MMU from Georgia State University with a research focus in culturally responsive pedagogy for the general music classroom. Other professional development includes John Feierabend’s First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege I & II. Outside of the classroom Christopher enjoys traveling and exploring other cultures.

Dr. Mary Land

• The Mentorship Continuum: Continuing Growth in Students & Self Mary Land is the Associate Professor of Music Education at Western Michigan University. Prior to this appointment, she was Director of Bands and Instrumental Music Education at Young Harris College in Young Harris, Georgia. Before those positions, Land was a public school band director in Georgia. She received her Educational Doctorate from the University of Georgia, her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia, and her Master of Music Education degree from Vandercook College of Music. She has served the Georgia Music Educators Association in various, including State President and CNAfME state chair. Land serves on the Board of Directors for the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. She continues to make numerous appearances as an adjudicator, conductor, and clinician throughout the United States and has recently joined the Conn Selmer Division of educational clinicians. Many professional recognitions have been awarded Land during her career including The Distinguished Alumni Award from the Vandercook College of Music, the National Band Association Citation of Excellence twelve times, and the Women Band Directors International Scroll of Excellence five times. Land has been awarded the GMEA Music Educator of the Year Award, the John Philip Sousa Foundation Legion of Honor Award at the Midwest Clinic, and was selected by the national publication School Band and Orchestra as one of “50 Directors Who Make a Difference.” Land has been featured in many issues of the Instrumentalist magazine discussing her teaching techniques and her band program in the public schools and her band program at Young Harris College.

Stefani Langol

• Podcasting in Music Education: Perspectives and Pedagogical Approaches Stefani Langol is a full-time professor in the Music Education department at Berklee College of Music, where she teaches in both the undergraduate and graduate music education programs, and is the music technology coordinator for the department. Stefani is also a clinician, author, and music education technology consultant. For over thirty years she has designed and delivered in-person and online music education technology training to k-12 and higher education music educators, and has been a featured presenter at numerous state, national, and international music educator conferences. Since 2015, she has authored several online graduate-level courses for in-service music educators that are offered yearly through the VanderCook College of Music MECA program and the University of the Arts Summer Music Institute. Stefani has served as editor-in-chief of the TI:MEs newsletter from 1997-2005, as well as the Technology Column Editor for the Massachusetts Music News from 2004-2016. Her publications include co-authoring the “Alfred Music Tech Series”, which includes Playing Keyboard, Music Production and MIDI Sequencing, Composing with Notation Software, and the accompanying Teacher’s Guide: Book 1, as well as numerous articles on music education technology topics that have appeared in the Music Educators Journal, Music Education Technology Magazine, Music and Computers, Artists House, and Massachusetts Music News. Currently, Stefani sits on the MusicFirst Teacher Advisory Panel. In 2021 Stefani was named TI:ME (Technology in Music Education) Teacher of the Year, and also received the BCM PED Dean’s Award for Pedagogical Collaboration and Resource Development. 46

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PRESENTERS Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser

• Creating a Landscape of Great Communication with the Students Tim Lautzenheiser began his teaching career at Northern Michigan University. He then moved to the University of Missouri, and from there to New Mexico State University. During that time, Tim developed highly acclaimed groups in both instrumental and vocal music. Following his tenure in the college band directing world, he spent three years with McCormick’s Enterprises working as Executive Director of Bands of America. In 1981, Tim created Attitude Concepts for Today, Inc., an organization designed to manage the many requests for teacher in-service workshops, student leadership seminars, and convention speaking engagements focusing on the area of effective leadership training. After thirty-plus years of clinic presentations, some three million students have experienced one of his popular sessions. Tim presently serves as Senior Vice President of Education for Conn-Selmer, Inc. He is a nationally recognized voice touting the importance of arts education for every child. His books, produced by G.I.A. Publications, Inc., continue to be bestsellers in the educational community. He is also co-author of popular band method, Essential Elements, as well as the Senior Educational Consultant for Hal Leonard, Inc. Tim is also the Senior Educational Advisor for Music for All, and NAMM (The National Association of Music Merchants).

Dr. Charles Laux

• Inspire, Retain, and Empower Intermediate String Students: Keep Them Playing, Learning and Growing in Orchestra! Dr. Charles Laux is the Director of Orchestras at Lassiter High School in the Cobb County School District, located just north of Atlanta, Georgia. Previously, he served as Director of Orchestras at Alpharetta High School where his duties include directing five levels of orchestra, including the nationally recognized AHS Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Essential Elements clinician, consultant, and contributor for the Hal Leonard Corporation. Dr. Laux holds degrees in music education from Ohio University, the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. A string educator in his 27th year, Dr. Laux has worked with diverse student populations from elementary school through the collegiate level. He served as Assistant Professor of String Music Education at Kennesaw State University and directed award-winning school orchestra programs in Nevada, Florida, and Ohio. Dr. Laux is endorsed as an artist-educator by D’Addario Orchestral and Eastman Stringed Instruments. He has presented over 150 educational sessions for conferences and school district in-services and remains in frequent demand across the nation as an orchestra clinician, conductor, and adjudicator. Dr. Laux enjoys giving back to the string and orchestra community through “The Orchestra Teacher” website, YouTube channel, and podcast that can be accessed at www.OrchestraTeacher.net.

Stephen Lawrence-Carroll

• Teaching to the Back of the Ensemble • But I Want Straight 1’s: A Dialogue about the Purpose of Performance Evaluations Stephen Lawrence-Carroll is the Director of Orchestral and Music Theory Activities at North Atlanta High School in Atlanta, Georgia where he also serves as the Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair. Mr. Lawrence-Carroll was named the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year and was subsequently named the 2018-2019 High School Teacher of the Year for the Atlanta Public School System. Amongst his many awards he was also named the 2018-2019 Educator of the Year by the American String Teacher’s Association Georgia Chapter. Mr. Lawrence-Carroll is also a recipient of the 2022 APS Excellence in Teaching Award, and most recently, the Country Music Awards Foundation 2023 Music Teachers of Excellence Award. Mr. Lawrence-Carroll has presented sessions at the Georgia Music Educators Association Conference, the Texas Music Educators Association Conference and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference. Recenlty, Mr. Lawrence-Carroll served as the State Orchestra Chair for the Georgia Music EducatorsAssociation and was responsible for organizing the Georgia Conference and the Georgia All-State Orchestra. He holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Loyola University New Orleans and Master of Music Education from the University of Georgia.

Dr. Daniel Lee

• Repertoire Roundtable (Levels 3-6): Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going Daniel Lee is the Assistant Director of Bands at Kennesaw State University, and the conductor of the KSU Wind Symphony. Prior to joining the KSU Bands, Dr. Lee served as a Graduate Part-Time Instructor at Texas Tech University, teaching and assisting with all aspects of the concert and athletic band programs as well as the undergraduate conducting courses. His recent publications include an article in the Instrumentalist (April 2020, “The Ensemble Pianist”), a presentation at the 2022 TMEA Poster Session (“Relationships Between Conducting Course Experiences and Attitudes Toward Other Academic Courses”), and a lesson plan published on the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy resources page (“Introduction to Modes”). Dr. Lee has over a decade of experience teaching band and orchestra at the middle and high school levels, and has also conducted opera and musical theatre (most recently with the TTU School of Theatre and Dance) throughout his career. Originally from the Denver area, Dr. Lee has taught in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Texas. He holds memberships Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Kappa Phi, and is an Honorary Member of Phi Mu Alpha, Tau Beta Sigma, and Kappa Kappa Psi. Dr. Lee earned his D.M.A. in Wind Conducting at Texas Tech University with Dr. Sarah McKoin, his M.M. at Colorado State University with J. Steven Moore and Wes Kenney, and his B.M.E. from the University of Colorado at Boulder with Prof. Allan McMurray.

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PRESENTERS Dr. Greg LeFils

• The Power of Individual Assessment: Elevating Choral Performance and Student Achievement Gregory W. LeFils, PhD. is a visiting assistant professor of choral music education at Stetson University, in DeLand, Florida. He has presented over 25 state and national conference sessions and conducted choirs and honor choirs throughout the southeast. His duties at Stetson include teaching music education classes, conducting, and supervising student teachers. Dr. LeFils holds a Ph.D. in music education from The Florida State University.

Dr. Roy Legette

• The Importance of Story in the Experiences and Pracrices of Public School Music Teachers Roy Legette is professor and chair of music education in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia. Dr. Legette is an active researcher and chair of the Social Justice Special Interest Research Group of the National Association for Music Education. He has presented his work at professional conferences and symposia in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, South America, and Canada. His research interests include music instruction and student self-concept, student motivation and achievement, and factors that influence teaching effectiveness. Dr. Legette is a member of the National Association for Music Education, the Georgia Music Educators Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the International Society for Music Education.

Debbie Lyle

• Orchestra Curriculum: Developing a Map for YOUR Program • Beginners Can Do MORE: Equity, Agency, and Expression in Beginning Strings Debbie Lyle is the Executive Director of the Foundation for the Advancement of String Education (FASE, Inc.) and has conducted school orchestras in grades five through twelve and directed regional youth orchestras for over 30 years. She was a violin and pedagogy student of Dr. George Bornoff, the founder of FASE, and over the last thirty-five years, has helped realize Bornoff’s mission and vision. She is the author of The Bornoff Approach – A Primer, and teaches all levels of the Bornoff String Workshops for educators in the United States and abroad. Debbie has been a clinician and presented student ensembles in performance at more than 50 colleges and string education conferences, most notably: National American String Teachers Association (ASTA), NAfME national and state conferences, the Institute for Innovation in String Education, the International String Workshops, the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference, and the Texas Music Educators & Texas Orchestra Directors conventions.

Greg Mangus

• Programming and Design for Marching Bands and Budgets Large and Small: “The Secret Sauce” Greg Mangus is currently a designer and consultant for band programs across Oklahoma and the nation He has been on the music staff for the Pride of Broken Arrow since 2017. In addition, he is the Co-Brass Caption Head for the Spirit of Atlanta Drum Corps. Mr. Mangus has previously been the Associate Director of Bands at Broken Arrow High School, Director of Bands at Edmond North High School in Edmond, Oklahoma and served as a staff member at multiple schools in the Oklahoma City Metro area. He has taught ensembles that have won the Bands of America (BOA) Grand National Championship, BOA Regional Championships, earned finalist status at BOA Regional Championships, performed as featured ensembles at the BOA National Concert Band Festival, performed as Oklahoma Music Educators Association Honor Ensembles, and earned numerous additional honors and accolades. Current and past design clients have earned many honors including BOA Regional Finalist and National Semi-Finalist as well as being highly successful within Oklahoma. Programs include Mustang High School, Southmoore High School, Deer Creek High School, and numerous other groups.. In 2012 Mr. Mangus was named the Phi Beta Mu Young Bandmaster for Oklahoma. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and completed graduate studies at Oklahoma State University where he was a trumpet student of Dr. Ryan Gardner and a conducting student of Dr. Joseph Missal. Greg lives in Deer Creek, Oklahoma with his Superstar wife Katie and ten year old son, Everett.

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PRESENTERS Dr. Alison Mann

• Rehearsal Techniques and Conducting Gestures for the Emerging Choral Music Conductor Alison Mann is the Director of Choirs at Walton High School, in Marietta, Georgia. Prior to her time at Walton, she was Associate Professor of Choral Music Education and Program Coordinator for Music Education at Kennesaw State University for 14 years. At Kennesaw State, she taught coursework in Choral Conducting, Choral Methods, Educational Literature and Technology, and Vocal Pedagogy for Ensemble Singing. Additionally, she supervised student teachers and served as Conductor of the KSU Treble Choir, who was selected to sing for two GMEA conferences. This fall she was a part time instructor in the College of the Arts at Georgia State University. Mann is a founding singer and chorus manager for Atlanta based professional chamber choir, Coro Vocati, and was featured as a soloist in their Georgia premiere performance of “Considering Matthew Shepard” and encore performance memorializing the 25th anniversary. Dr. Mann received her Ph.D. in Music Education and Choral Conducting from the University of Oregon, and a Masters of Choral Music Education and Bachelors of Choral Music Education from Florida State University. Dr. Mann has studied conducting and music education with André Thomas, Kevin Fenton, Sharon J. Paul, and Judy Bowers. Dr. Mann is currently serving Southern Division ACDA on the Executive Conference Planning Committee, and past Women’s Choir Repertoire and Resources chair, and Georgia state ACDA Membership Chair and World Musics and Cultures. Her professional affiliations include the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the International Society for Music Education. Her research has been presented at the state, regional, and international levels. Dr. Mann is an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, and has conducted state ACDA honor choirs, and All State choruses in multiple states.

Dr. Jean Martin-Williams

• Dare I Start Students on the (French) Horn? Absolutely! Dr. Jean Martin-Williams is the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Horn at the University of Georgia. She was the first brass player to receive the DMA from the Manhattan School of Music, the first female brass player invited to join the New York Pops Orchestra, the first female tenure-track instrumentalist hired at UGA, and the first female board member of the International Horn Competition of America. Dr. Martin-Williams’ research focus is horn performance and pedagogy. She has performed in a variety of settings, from soap operas to the Metropolitan Opera, from the New York City Ballet to Broadway shows, from a Mozart Concerto in Russia to the national anthem at a NY Mets game. Her performances have taken her to Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, and Russia. Her discography includes the New York Chamber Symphony, the New York Pops, the Georgia Woodwind Quintet and the Atlanta Symphony. She hosted the symposium of the International Horn Society (1999) and the Southeast Horn Workshop three times. Each winter she presents two invited seminars at the Juilliard School of Music on the role of the Artist/Teacher at a university. Graduates of the UGA Horn Studio are now in college teaching positions, D.C. military bands, symphony orchestras, and active as music therapists and music educators as well as in a host of other rewarding fields. Since 2018, she has had the good fortune to have the acclaimed Dr. James Naigus as fellow horn professor at UGA, with all horn students having opportunities for instruction and mentoring from both professors.

Erik Mason

• Teaching the Musical Compass: Covering All Four Musical Learning Domains Erik Mason has served as the Director of Bands at Buford High School since 2020. In that time, enrollment in band classes has doubled and marching band membership has more than tripled. The band was an invited performer at the 2023 Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Band Festival at Georgia State University. Prior to his arrival at Buford he was the band director at Mill Creek High School for fourteen years. While at MCHS Mr. Mason’s bands were consistent grand champions at marching band competitions, ten time Bands of America Regional Finalists, three time BOA Class AAAA Regional Champions, invited performers at eight different university events, performers at the 2017 GMEA In-Service Conference, and a Featured Band at the 2019 Music for All National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis. Throughout his career, winter guards, indoor percussion, and winter winds groups under Mr. Mason’s supervision have seen great success, being named eighteen time SAPA medalists, seven time WGI Finalists, and two time WGI Winds World Championship Silver Medalists. Mr. Mason has presented clinics at the GMEA In-Service Conference five times, on topics ranging from the role of marching bands in the high school curriculum to learning how to teach your unique students. Mr. Mason holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Education degrees from the University of Georgia, and an Education Specialist degree from Auburn University. He lives in Hoschton with his wife Kathy and they have three children: Aria, a freshman music education major at Furman University; Alie, a senior at BHS; and Clay, a junior at BHS.

Keila McGuary

• Beliefs of Music Education Faculty on Desireable Traits of Incoming Music Education Majors Keila McGuary is the orchestra director at Shiloh High School in Snellville, GA. She is also a registered Suzuki violin instructor and a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee at the American String Teacher Association (ASTA). Keila holds a master’s degree in music education from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Valdosta State University. Her research interests include Honduran music education, teacher education, and access and equity in music education.

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PRESENTERS Katie McLaughlin

• Building Community in Your Music Classroom: Procedures and Practice that Work! Katie is the music teacher at Daves Creek Elementary School in Forsyth County. She began her elementary music career in the fall of 2016 in Marietta, GA. Katie received her Bachelors in Music Education from the University of Mississippi and a Master’s in Music Education from the University of Florida. She completed her Level III Orff-Schulwerk certification in 2022 in Gwinnett County. When she’s not teaching, Katie loves to golf, cook, read and spend time with her family and friends.

Jackie McNeely

• It Takes 2 to Tango, but It Takes at Least 3 to Tinikle Jackie McNeely has been teaching music education for 8 years. She previously taught in the Cook County School System for 2 years and has now been teaching in Bartow County for 6 years. Mrs. McNeely graduated from Reinhardt University in 2013. Before entering the music education world Mrs. McNeely lived in Mexico City, Mexico for a year and a half teaching English. Mrs.McNeely currently resides in Cartersville, Ga. with her husband (Robert), dog (Kalee), and cat (Penelope). When she isn’t teaching she enjoys reading, gardening, and hiking.

Dr. Brandon Meeks

• Move That Bus! How to Plan and Execute Memorable Travel Experiences for Your Students Dr. Brandon Meeks is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and is currently the Director of Athletic Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. He is a graduate of Florida State University where he received his PhD and Masters in Music Education. He is also a 2009 graduate of Western Carolina University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. While at WCU, Dr. Meeks was a recipient of the prestigious North Carolina Teaching Fellows scholarship program. From 2009-2016 he served as the Director of Bands at East Lincoln Middle School in Iron Station, NC. During his tenure at East Lincoln, the band program experienced growth, consistently received Superior and Excellent ratings at state festivals and maintained a culture of high expectations and musical excellence. Dr. Meeks is a National Board-Certified Teacher, holds honorary memberships to Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, was named the 2013 East Lincoln Middle School Teacher of the Year, and was named the 2016 NC South Central Bandmasters Young Director Award for Excellence. He is an active presenter across the southeast, enjoys fitness activities and playing the piano and currently resides in Woodstock, Georgia.

David Metrio

• New Music Reading Session David Metrio is a Colombian-American educator, conductor, and double-bassist based in the Atlanta area who is currently the Director of Orchestras at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, GA. He is also the conductor of the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Metrio was named the Teacher of the Year at North Gwinnett High School for 2022-2023, and a Top 25 Finalist for County-Wide Teacher of the Year. Additionally, Mr. Metrio was named the 2020 Professional Association of Georgia Educators STAR teacher for Lanier High School as well as a finalist for Lanier High School Teacher of the Year. Orchestras under Mr. Metrio’s direction receive consistent superior ratings at performance evaluations and frequently perform in concert and invitational settings. Most recently, the NGHS Chamber Orchestra performed at the 2023 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. In addition, The Foundation for Music Education named NGHS Orchestra a national winner in the Mark of Excellence/ National Orchestra Honors project. Mr. Metrio has been invited to present at the GMEA In-Service Conference in 2019, 2021, and 2022 and was invited to present at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2019. Mr. Metrio serves as District 13 Chair and as an orchestra standing committee member. He is also the membership liaison for the Georgia chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). Mr. Metrio holds a masters degree in Music Education from The Florida State University and an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Kennesaw State University.

Stephen Meyer

• Yes, It Does Matter! Simple Conducting Fixes to Improve Ensemble Sound • Why Audiences Clap: Creating Exciting and Memorable Performances through Creativity, Connection, and Communication Dr. Stephen Meyer is currently the director of bands and assistant professor of music at Northern Arizona University. He previously served as interim director of bands at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and interim assistant director of bands at the University of South Carolina. As director of bands at Clear Creek High School, the Clear Creek Wind Ensemble was a featured performer at the 2013 Midwest Clinic, was a three-time National Winner in the National Wind Band Honors project, a two-time national finalist for American Prize in Wind Ensemble Performance, and the Grand Champion of the 2013 Dallas Wind Symphony Invitational. Prior to Clear Creek, Dr. Meyer taught at Harrison High School in Cobb County, Georgia, where he assisted with performances at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, the Georgia Music Educators Association, and the University of Georgia. As co-director of the marching band, the ensemble was a consistent Bands of America Regional and Super-Regional Finalist, a Bands of America Grand National Finalist in 2007, and a featured ensemble in the 2009 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Dr. Meyer graduated magna cum laude from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a bachelor of music education degree and earned both a master’s and a doctorate from the University of Michigan. He is the author of Rehearsing the High School Band Rehearsing the Middle School Band, Rehearsing the Marching Band, and Rehearsing the High School Band. 50

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PRESENTERS Dr. Laura Moates Stanley

• High School Experience Dr. Laura Moates Stanley is currently Director of Bands and is in her 21st year at Brookwood High School in Snellville. A native of Blue Ridge, GA, she is a 2001 honor graduate of The University of Georgia where she received her BMUS in Music Education. She also graduated from the same institution in 2003 where she received an MM in Wind Conducting. Dr. Stanley graduated from Boston University with a DMA in Music Education in May 2015 after completing her Dissertation, Between the Hedges: Stories Music Cooperating Teachers Tell of Their Identities as Teacher Educators. Dr. Stanley served as the Drum Major, Assistant Band Captain, and Band Captain of the UGA Redcoat Band and was a member of the UGA Wind Ensemble where she performed as principal clarinetist during their appearance at CBDNA in Denton, TX. Dr. Stanley is one of the lead instructors for the UGA Summer Marching Band Camp Drum Majors and serves as one of the founders of the Southeastern Drum Major Clinic. She has been honored to serve as a guest clinician for many Southeastern events. Under her leadership, the Brookwood High School Symphonic Winds was chosen to perform as a guest band at the 2005 University of Georgia January Festival, the 2007 Honor Bands of Georgia Clinic at Columbus State University, the 2008 University of Alabama Honor Band Festival, the 2008 Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, the 2010 University of Georgia January Festival, and the 2019 Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference. The Bronco Marching Band has been invited to perform in several events, most noted the 2017 London New Year's Day Parade and the 2023 Tournament of Roses Parade. Dr. Stanley received the 2004 Class Act Teacher award from Channel 11 Alive, was chosen as Brookwood High School’s STAR Teacher in 2007, was selected as the Region IIIA STAR Teacher, and as a Georgia State Finalist STAR Teacher in 2007. Dr. Stanley was chosen as the 2012-2013 Brookwood High School Teacher of the Year as well as one of 25 SemiFinalists for the Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year. She has also received the National Band Association Citation of Excellence on four separate occasions. Recently she was named as the Georgia Representative for the 50 Directors that Make A Difference in December 2018. Col. Arnald D. Gabriel presented Dr. Stanley with his fifth Commemorative Coin from the United States Air Force Band in recognition of her teachings, leadership and work with music education. In June 2019, Dr. Stanley was named as a QuarterFinalist for the Grammy Music Educator of the Year Award. Dr. Stanley is a member of GMEA, NBA, and was elected in 2009 to the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster’s Fraternity and is currently the Vice President of Membership. She has served as the GMEA District 13 Band Chair and President of the University of Georgia Redcoat Band Alumni Association. Dr. Stanley served for three years as Associate Conductor of the Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony (MAYWE) who performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in 2009. She is the daughter of Elden and Wanda Moates, retired band directors in Fannin County. She has one sister, Amy, who is a school psychologist in Dalton, GA and one brother, John, who is a percussionist and Public Relations Specialist in the Atlanta area. She has two children, Chloe (8th Grade at Crews Middle School) and Sean (4th Grade at Brookwood Elementary).

Kevin Moore

• Unison is for Everyone! Kevin Moore is a 25-year veteran choral teacher with experience in teaching 5th-12th grades. He is presently teaching chorus and piano at Pepperell Middle School. Kevin received his Bachelor of Music Education from Berry College, Masters of Music Education/ Conducting from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and his Specialist in Music Education from Piedmont University.

Felipe Morales-Torres

• Orchestra Curriculum: Developing a Map for YOUR Program • Beginners Can Do MORE: Equity, Agency, and Expression in Beginning Strings Felipe Morales-Torres is an award winning orchestra teacher, conductor, clinician, and researcher working to further equity and liberation in music education. He is the Assistant Director of the Bornoff Foundation, using his 10+ years of experience leading public school and community-based orchestra programs to support fellow teachers. Felipe has served as a conductor for the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras since 2015, earning various conference performances and national recognitions for his diverse and progressive programming. He has conducted students in festival performances, including region and all-state orchestras, across the US and Latin America. Felipe was recently elected to the Ohio String Teachers Association executive board and authored a chapter in Sandy Goldie’s “Rehearsing the Full Orchestra.”

Barry Morgan

• Booster Club Legal Pitfalls, to 501(c)3, Or Not? That, is the (Multitude) Question! Barry Morgan just retired after a 35 year career as a prosecutor in Cobb County Georgia, the last 25 as the elected Solicitor General. Prior to serving as a prosecutor Barry was a high school band director for 12 years in the Cobb County School District. He now serves as a student disciplinary hearing officer for the Cobb County School District, a part time magistrate judge for the Cobb County Magistrate Court, and adjunct professor at Auburn and Troy Universities teaching legal issues in the music industry. Clearly, Barry does not understand retirement.

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PRESENTERS Dr. Marcus Morris

• They Belong in the Room and You Belong on the Podium: D.E.I.A. for All Dr. Marcus Morris currently serves as the Assistant Director of Bands at Dorman High School in South Carolina. He co-directs the Grade 6 Wind Ensemble and marching band, directs the Symphonic Band, and works on the instructional staff for the Scholastic World Class Indoor Percussion. A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Morris holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master in Music Education K-12 also from Winthrop University, his Ed.S in Administration and Supervision and Ed.D in Professional Leadership with an emphasis in Music Education from Converse University where he served as the first-ever President of the Graduate Student Association. Dr. Morris remains active nationwide as an adjudicator, presenter, performer, and clinician. He has presented multiple clinics and keynote addresses at annual conferences, state-level arts conferences, and several school district PD days. In November 2019, Marcus presented a featured session at the National Association for Music Educators Conference in Orlando. He has recently presented at music education conferences in Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, and the 2022 MidWest Conference in Chicago. He has conducted honor bands in several states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. He is a part of the instructional staff for the Dorman High School Indoor Percussion, currently competing in the Scholastic World Division. Dr. Morris is a 2017 recipient of the Converse College Lovett Award for Promising Educational Leader and the 2019 South Carolina Music Educators Association Mentor Award.

Eric Murianki

• Easy Steps to Adding Authentic Movements to African Folk Song Performances Eric Murianki is a PhD student in Music Education at the University of Florida (UF). He holds a master’s degree in Music Education and a bachelor’s degree in Arts Education (Music and Swahili) from Kenyatta University in Kenya. He has directed various popular and choral music ensembles in Kenya including Kenyatta University Students’ Choir and Kenyatta University Staff Pop Music Ensemble. Mr. Murianki is currently the director of the UF Pazeni Sauti Africa Choir, a choral ensemble that exclusively performs music of Africa, by African composers and arrangers. He is also a graduate research assistant at the UF Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship. His research interests include choral music pedagogies, culturally responsive teaching, musicianship, and music teacher education.

Audrey Murphy

• Creating Transparency in Young Bands: A Panel Discussion with Master Teachers Ms. Audrey Murphy is in her nineteenth year at Hopewell MS, where she’s served as band director since the school’s opening. Under her direction, Hopewell ensembles consistently earn Superior ratings in performance evaluation appearances and have appeared as guest performing ensembles at the UGA MidFest, the Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Band Festival, and the Music for All National Concert Festival. The Hopewell Middle School Symphonic Band also performed as a featured ensemble for the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference in 2010 and 2019. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Ms. Murphy is a graduate of East Carolina University. She has performed as a clarinetist with the Long Bay Symphony Orchestra, the Charlotte Civic Orchestra, the Capital City Opera Company of Atlanta, Tara Winds, the Georgia Wind Symphony, and Atlanta-based woodwind quintet Highland5. Ms. Murphy has served as a guest clinician and adjudicator throughout the Southeast, as well as Utah and West Virginia. She has received the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence on four occasions for her contributions to the field of concert band. She is also a recipient of the North Fulton Jaycees Outstanding Young Arts Professional Award and was named 2010-2011 Teacher of the Year for Hopewell Middle School. In 2022, she was featured in the “50 Directors Who Make a Difference” issue of School Band and Orchestra Magazine. Ms. Murphy is currently chair of the Alfred Music Young Band Composition Contest for the National Band Association and serves as the Middle School Band Fine Arts Support Teacher for Fulton County Schools.

Elise Naber Allen

• Stuff You Missed in Woodwind Class: A Fundamentals Refresher for Flute, Clarinet, and Saxophone Elise Naber Allen is a band director at Oak Hill Middle School in Milledgeville, Georgia, and she also serves as adjunct professor of flute at Georgia College & State University. Prior to arriving at Oak Hill, she taught in the public schools of Monroe County, Georgia; Windthorst, Texas; and Jacksboro, Texas. As a flutist, Ms. Allen has performed with the Bismarck Mandan Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra, and as a member of the Allen Duo, a flute and saxophone ensemble committed to commissioning and performing new music. In addition to teaching and performing Ms. Allen is committed to researching and sharing the role of women in the world of band directing. She has presented her research in the poster session at Texas Music Educators Association conference. Additionally, she has presented sessions at the Georgia Music Educators Association conference, the Women Band Directors International Summer Conference, and the National Association for Music Education National Conference. Ms. Allen has written articles for The Instrumentalist on a variety of topics, including, strategies for teaching in rural communities and practical ways to promote diversity in the band room. Ms. Allen holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Music Education from the University of North Texas. She is currently a candidate for the Educational Specialist degree in music education at Auburn University. 52

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PRESENTERS Velma Page Jenkins

• But I Want Straight 1’s: A Dialogue about the Purpose of Performance Evaluations Velma Page Jenkins is the Director of Choral Activities at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia. She also serves as the Fine Arts Professional Learning Community Lead at her school, as well as the Literary Coach, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society Co-Sponsor. Mrs. Jenkins has previously presented sessions at the Georgia Music Educators Association Conference including the selection of her Advanced Women’s Chorus in concert at the 2020 In-Service Conference. Recently, Mrs. Jenkins was elected to serve as the State Choral Chair of the Georgia Music Educators Association for 2025-2027. Most recently, her ensemble was selected to perform at the 2023 Georgia ACDA Conference. Mrs. Jenkins is an active guest clinician and conductor. She holds degrees of Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from DePauw University, a Master of Music Education from the University of Georgia, and an Education Specialist in Music Education from Piedmont University.

Jim D. Palmer

• 73 Years to Figure Things Out: Secrets to Efficient Rehearsals that Lead to Artistic Performances. Recipient of The American String Teachers Association Elizabeth A. H. Green Award for a distinguished career in string teaching, James Palmer is the Orchestra Director at Allatoona High School in Acworth, Georgia and The Music Director for The Youth Orchestras of Greater Columbus in Columbus Georgia. James Palmer is also an editor, arranger and featured clinician for Alfred Music. He has published 15 orchestra arrangements and is a co-author of “Sound Orchestra”, a method book for Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Palmer has served as the Orchestra Director at Manatee High School in Bradenton Florida, Music Department Chairman and Orchestra Director at Cypress Lake Center For The Arts in Fort Myers, Florida, and Fine Arts Department Chairman and Orchestra Director at Chattahoochee High School in John’s Creek, Georgia. In additionto his teaching career, Mr. Palmer’s orchestras have performed at the Florida Music Educator’s Conference in Tampa, The MENC Southern Division Conference in Savannah, The ASTA National Orchestra Festival in Dallas, The Midwest Clinic in Chicago, and the 2005 ASTA National Conference in Reno, Nevada. Jim Palmer has received the Teacher of the Year Award in three separate High Schools, the Georgia ASTA Educator of the Year and has been inducted into the Florida Collegiate Music Educators Hall of Fame. He is a frequent clinician having conducted All State and Honors Orchestras in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Vermont.

Will Panter

• The Mentorship Continuum: Continuing Growth in Students & Self Will Panter is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Wind Conducting at Western Michigan University, where he also serves as a Graduate Assistant. His time at Western has allowed him to serve as the Graduate Assistant Conductor with the University Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, and Concert Bands. He also works directly in the teaching and leading of the WMU Bronco Athletic Bands. Before moving to Michigan, Panter served as the Assistant Director of Bands at South Effingham Middle School, where he worked with various concert, marching, and small ensembles. Prior to this appointment, Panter graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Music Education Degree in 2021. While in Athens, Panter was able to perform with the Hodgson Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and numerous other small ensembles. He was fortunate to serve as the orchestra conductor while at UGA. Panter was honored as a Presidential Scholar for his time at UGA and chosen as the School of Music Convocation Speaker. Leadership Development and Mentorship Programming are very important facets of Panter’s passion for creating new generations of capable and effective leaders. From various work in his undergraduate degree within UGA’s Center for Leadership and Service, spearheading a new leadership development curriculum for his middle school students, and continuing to provide resources for collegiate students at WMU and high school students across the state of Georgia, Panter enjoys empowering musicians to discover their true potential as leaders in the world.

Dr. Chantae Pittman

• The Three E’s: Strategies for Engaging, Efficient, and Effective Choral Rehearsals • Sight Reading Success: The In’s and Out’s of Daily Practice for Music Literacy Dr. Chantae D. Pittman is the Director of Choral Activities at Campbell High School in Smyrna, GA in the Cobb County School District, and adjunct professor at Georgia College and State University. She is a proud graduate of Tennessee State University (Bachelors 2010), VanderCook College University (Master’s - 2013). In May 2021 Dr. Pittman graduated from The University of Georgia where she completed her Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in Choral Music Education. During her 13-year career in choral music education she has taught students from elementary through high school. Due to that experience, and her demonstrated commitment to excellence in performance, she is highly respected as a choral clinician, music education consultant, instructor, grant writer, and adjudicator. She is very active as a soprano soloist and choral musician as a member of the Grammy award winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus since 2011, and the Atlanta Women’s Chorus since 2020 where she currently serves as membership president. Having performed with orchestras, choirs, and small vocal ensembles throughout her career as a musician, Dr. Pittman proudly continues to learn, grow, and develop as a musician and pedagogue. She is a proud and active member of the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), National Educators Association (NEA), Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority, Inc.

W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

PRESENTERS Dr. Andrew Poor

• Creating Transparency in Young Bands: A Panel Discussion with Master Teachers Andrew F. Poor, DME, is Director of Bands at South Forsyth Middle School in Cumming, Georgia. From 2006-2015, Dr. Poor served as a part-time music education instructor at Columbus State University in the Schwob School of Music. Dr. Poor received his DME and MM in Trumpet Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He also holds a BME from the University of Florida. Dr. Poor has received numerous honors, notably, the 2016 Forsyth County System-wide Teacher of the Year. His ensembles have given numerous invitational performances, including the 17th International Cultural Festival in Tottori, Japan, and additional performances at the Southeastern United States Honor Band and Clinic, UGA MidFest, GMEA State ISC, University of Alabama MS Honor Band, National Band, and Orchestra Festival-Carnegie Hall, CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Regional Conference, and the Music for All National Festival. Dr. Poor has received the NBA Citation of Excellence on eight occasions. Dr. Poor frequently serves as a consultant, adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor. He has presented at the Midwest Clinic, Ohio Music Educators Association State Conference, Florida Music Educators Association State Conference, and seven times at the Georgia Music Educators Association State In-Service Conference. Active in the drum and bugle corps activity, Dr. Poor is brass arranger and consultant at Music City drum and bugle corps, and has served on the brass staff of the Spirit of Atlanta, Blue Stars, Phantom Regiment, and as a consultant to Pacific Crest. Prior to teaching drum corps, he enjoyed a successful eighteen-year career as an adjudicator for Drum Corps International.

Doug Povie

• We Got the Blues, but That’s Not Bad! Doug Povie is a music educator from Savannah GA who has taught guitar, band, jazz band, woodwind ensemble, recorder, pep band and general music for over 30 years. He currently teaches guitar and band in two elementary schools in Savannah. Mr. Povie is highly sought after as a wedding musician, and as an acoustic guitarist and entertainer. His wife Amy is also a public school educator, and his children Sarah and Samuel attend UGA and are accomplished musicians themselves. Mr. Povie loves sharing his love of instrumental music with others..

Kristin M. Pugliese

• Back to Basics: A Post-Pandemic Reboot Kristin M. Pugliese has been an educator for more than 15 years, first in early childhood education and then in the music classroom. She has worked almost exclusively in Title 1 Schools and helped create music standards for Cambridge Public Schools. In 2009, Kristin created Note Knacks Music; a company devoted to making music more accessible for young children. Through her company, she provides support for educators via lesson plans, a blog, workshops and as a national clinician.

Peggy Rakas

• Sight Reading Builder and More • Let’s Hit The Easy Button Peggy Rakas is a lifelong educator who taught instrumental music in the North Merrick Schools on Long Island and is now an adjunct professor of music education at Hofstra University. She is the founder of Teaching Positivity – an organization that provides positive psychology workshops for educators across Long Island. She is a certified Optimize Life Coach specializing in positive psychology. Ms. Rakas is a long-time fan of SmartMusic and is passionate about sharing her love of SmartMusic with others. During her career, Ms. Rakas was honored with a nomination for the New York State Teacher of the Year and the Disney Teacher Award. She was awarded the SCOPE Teacher Service Award and was twice selected as the Merrick Kiwanis Club Teacher of the Year. Ms. Rakas is the associate principal flute and past president of the Massapequa Philharmonic Orchestra. She also performs with the Concert Pops of Long Island, the Orchestra Long Island, the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Plainview Music Ministry, and the Sonevole Flute Quartet.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Dr. Jared Register

• Great Listeners Make Great Singers: Developing Aural Skills in the Choral Rehearsal Dr. Jared Register directs the choral program at Savannah Arts Academy for Visual and Performing Arts and serves as Director of Music and Organist at Trinity United Methodist Church - Savannah. As an educator and musician, Register has held positions in public schools, churches, and community organizations for over a decade. Since coming to SAA in 2017, the choirs have received juried invitation to a state in-service conference performance (GMEA, 2020), multiple first place winnings at competitions, superior ratings at performance evaluations, and regularly participate in domestic and international performance tours. His students can also be found at All-State Chorus, All-State Reading Chorus, and Governor’s Honors Program events each year. Dr. Register maintains an active schedule as an adjudicator, lecturer, guest conductor, and accompanist with singers of all ages. He holds graduate degrees in conducting and choral music education from Georgia Southern (MM) and The University of Georgia (DMA).

Dr. Myra K. Rhoden

• Empowering Your Girls To Lead Through Music Dr. Myra Rhoden serves as the Director of Bands and Fine Arts Department Chairperson at Fayette County High School (GA). She is also the founder of the Athena Music and Leadership Camp (athenacamp.com), an all-girls music program created to promote musical excellence while emphasizing leadership skills. Rhoden frequently serves as a guest conductor for state, regional, and university honor bands and is honored to have presented sessions at The Midwest Clinic, various national, state and regional conferences, and for school systems and professional development clinics throughout the United States and Canada. A native of Tuskegee, Alabama, Dr. Rhoden was named the NAfME 2018 National Band Director of the Year, has been awarded the Outstanding Service to Music Award from Tau Beta Sigma, the Golden Rose Award from Women Band Directors International, multiple Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association, and has been named STAR Teacher and Teacher of the Year. She had the distinct pleasure of being a guest conductor for the United States Army Field Band of Washington, D. C. and the Tara Winds of Atlanta, Georgia. She is honored to be a member of the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity, serves as a Conn Selmer Educational Clinician and was elected to the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in 2023. She holds degrees from the University of Alabama and the University of Southern Mississippi and resides in Fayetteville, Georgia with her husband, Errol Jr. Their son, Errol III, is a freelance musician based in Los Angeles.

Josh Robichaux

• Creating and Sustaining an All-Encompassing Percussion Program Josh Robichaux was previously the Assistant Director of Bands and Percussion Director at Carrollton High School from 2008 - 2017 and Assistant Director of Bands at East Paulding High School from 2017-2020. He was also Front Ensemble Coordinator at Kennesaw Mountain High School from 2005-2008 and Lafayette High School (Louisiana) from 2002-2005. He spent two years, 2001, 2002, as a member and section leader of Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps, was a staff member for Spirit Drum and Bugle Corps from 2003-2007, front ensemble caption head at Odyssey Percussion Theater, a WGI PIW finalist from 2007 - 2009, and a percussion staff member at Jacksonville State University from 2004-2012. Josh is a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association, Percussive Arts Society and the Delta Epsilon Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Josh is one of the founders and is an executive board member of the Georgia Indoor Percussion Association. He remains active as an educator, adjudicator, performer, and arranger in numerous Georgia music programs. Josh Robichaux is a Dynasty USA and Innovative Percussion Artist and endorses those products exclusively.

Dr. Tiffany Roman

• SpectrumPlay: A Teacher-Made Tool to Scaffold Student Learning in the Elementary Music Classroom Dr. Tiffany Roman is an Associate Professor in the School of Instructional Technology and Innovation at Kennesaw State University. Roman holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University and her M.Ed. and BFA are from the University of Notre Dame. Her scholarship examines how the design and development of learning technologies, technology-enhanced instructional practices, and active learning environments support student engagement, improve student learning outcomes, and address issues of social justice.

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PRESENTERS Jeffrey Rowser

• Become the Hero of your “OWN” Story!!! Jeffrey Rowser, is a 2023 Inductee into the National High School Band Directors Hall of Fame and a 42-year veteran teacher with many distinctions: the 2022 GMEA “Distinguished Service Award”, the 2018 Auburn University “Outstanding Alumni Educator” Award recipient, 2017 “STAR TEACHER”, 2014-15 Morgan County Schools “Teacher of the Year”, 2013-14 “Georgia Music Educator of the Year”. He is a native of Attalla, Alabama and is a 1976 graduate of Etowah High School. Mr. Rowser graduated from Auburn University with his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Music Education. While at Auburn, he was drum major of the Auburn University Marching Band for three years. His appointment by Dr. Bill Walls made Jeffrey the first African American Drum Major at Auburn University and Southeastern Conference. At the start of his career, Rowser was chosen in 2006, to lead the East Jackson Fine Arts Department in Jackson County Schools (GA). He also served as a director in Dougherty County, Marietta City Schools (STAR Teacher 1988), with 16 years serving as the founding director at Salem HS (Conyers, GA), where he was “Teacher of the Year’’ in 1994. During his career his bands received Superior Ratings in all marching, jazz and symphonic music events. His bands have won over 600 awards, with 350 of those from Salem HS. He is a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association, National Association of Jazz Educators, National Association for Music Educators, Phi Beta Mu Bandmaster Honorary and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Courtney Savage

• The Virtual Stage: Creating & Distributing Music Made by Students Recognized as a Woodruff Salutes Arts in Education Leader, Courtney Savage is an Exceptional Children’s Services Instructional Support Specialist with Fayette County Public Schools (Fayetteville, GA ). In this role, she promotes inclusive education practices throughout the district’s K-12 special education programs. She holds an undergraduate degree in Special Education, a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling, and an Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction. Savage began her teaching career at Starr’s Mill High School, where she supported neuro-diverse students with a variety of exceptionalities, including, autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, speech-language impairments, as well as social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. She co-founded the school’s special music program, which 15 years later, continues build music making opportunities for all students. Ms. Savage serves on the Board of Directors for the Griffin Area Resource Center (Griffin, GA), a non-profit organization that provides post-secondary transition options for adults with disabilities.

Andrew Schmidt

• All Voices Are Beautiful: Reimagining Singing Andrew Schmidt is currently a PhD student at Georgia State University, pursuing a degree in Teaching and Learning with a focus in Music Education. He is also a part-time lecturer at Kennesaw State University where he teaches musical theater voice and theory. Andrew has sung with professional choruses such as Kinnara, The Crossing, and The Thirteen. He is also the director of the Summer Singers of Atlanta, EarlyBird, and Voces Altum. Andrew currently holds a certificate of figure proficiency in Estill Voice Theory.

Nathan Schreer

• Becoming a Spreadsheet Superhero: Unleashing the Power of Excel and Jotform Nathan Schreer is an experience music professional with a strong background in music education within various education and religious institutions. Currently the Assistant Director of Music at Northside Church, Mr. Schreer spent seven years as a High School Choral Director in Georgia public schools, most recently at Milton High School, before joining the ministry full-time. A native to Georgia, Mr. Schreer holds an undergraduate degree in Music Education from the University of Georgia and received his Master of Music degree from Boston University. He has sung in a number of ensembles including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the ASO Chamber Chorus, the Johns Creek Chorale, and the Orpheus Men’s Ensemble. Mr. Schreer is currently an adjunct instructor at Greater Atlanta Christian School teaching voice and runs a small vocal studio. His books, produced by G.I.A. Publications, Inc., continue to be bestsellers in the educational community. He is also co-author of popular band method, Essential Elements, as well as the Senior Educational Consultant for Hal Leonard, Inc. Tim is also the Senior Educational Advisor for Music for All, and NAMM (The National Association of Music Merchants).

Alan Sears

• Creating and Sustaining an All-Encompassing Percussion Program Alan Sears is currently the Director of Percussion at Sprayberry High School and the Director of Marching Percussion for the Kennesaw State University Marching Owls. Alan is also the Program and music Director for Atlanta Quest Independent World Indoor Drumline Ensemble, and is music arranger for Q2 Independent Open Indoor Drumline Ensemble. Both ensembles made Finals at the 2023 WGI World Championships this past season. Alan proudly endorses Sabian Cymbals, Innovative Percussion, Mapex/Majestic Artist, and Remo Drumheads.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Dr. Jennifer Sengin

• The Three E’s: Strategies for Engaging, Efficient, and Effective Choral Rehearsals • Empowering the Music-Makers: Developing Student Musical Ownership in the Choral Ensemble Jennifer Sengin is the Associate Director of Choral Activities at Georgia State University where she conducts Treble Choir, Choral Union, and teaches graduate choral literature, graduate and undergraduate conducting, undergraduate choral methods, and supervises student teachers. Under her direction, the Women’s Chorus (now Treble Choir) won first place in The American Prize and Dr. Sengin received 2nd place in conducting. The Treble Choir has been invited to perform twice at the GMEA Conference (‘20 and ‘23). Dr. Sengin received the 2022-2023 Non-Tenure Track Faculty Achievement Award and the 2021-2022 GSU Instructional Effectiveness Award. Dr. Sengin was selected to participate as a Conducting Fellow with ACDA’s International Conductor Exchange Program where she traveled to Germany in the summer of 2023. She is an active guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and presenter. Recently, Dr. Sengin conducted the 2023 Texas All-State Treble Choir. She has conducted choirs in Maryland, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Michigan, and New York, and presented sessions with the Dublin Youth Singers (Ireland), NAFME Eastern Division Conference, ACDA Central/North Central Division Conference, Georgia Music Educators Conference, Florida Music Educators Conference, and at the Virtual mirabai Women’s Leadership Retreat among others. Dr. Sengin has provided professional development sessions for school districts throughout the country. She currently sings in the award-winning professional ensemble, mirabai, under the direction of Sandra Snow.

Jeanette Shorey

• Storybook Lessons Jeanette Shorey is National Board Certified music teacher with over 2 decades of experience teaching general music, choir, Orff ensembles, and group guitar. Jeanette is an Arts Integration Specialist, an instructional coach, a National presenter and a mentor. She has studied Arts Integration at The Kennedy Center through their CETA program and has completed Orff Levels I & II. She has presented at MEA’s all over the country and mentors music teachers through The Happy Music Teacher Academy. Jeanette is the author of resource books, Stories That Sing and Stories That Sing Too!

Adria Smith

• The Power Of A Podcast In The Music Classroom Mrs. Adria Smith is a 6-8 Choral Director at Bear Creek Middle School in Fulton County, where she has served for the past 6 years. Stepping out of her comfort zone, this is Mrs. Smith debut as a conference presenter. With over 10 years as music educator in the private and public sector, Mrs. Smith believes in being authentic and transparent with her students. Mrs. Smith’s down-to-earth humor compels her students to laugh while they learn. Connecting and Building Relationships is what she focuses on before content. When not in the music classroom, Mrs. Smith can be found in the gym or kitchen with her educator husband and 4-year son, Caleb.

Lisa Snead

• Exceptional Musicians: Advocating for an Inclusive Music Program A New York native, Lia Snead earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Armstrong State University in Savannah, GA. While in Savannah, she was active as a private trumpet instructor and marching band instructor at Savannah State University. After graduation, she became the Director of Bands at Robert W. Groves High School, where she revived the band program and helped them earn their first superior ratings at festival in over a decade. In 2014, Lia became a conducting graduate assistant at Northern Illinois University. After graduation, she became the Associate Director of Bands at Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill, GA. While there, the program consistently received straight superior ratings and won numerous awards at both concert and marching festivals. Lia recently received a DMA in conducting from the University of South Carolina and is the Director of Bands at Wartburg College. Lia is active as a clinician, adjudicator, guest conductor, and performer. She is a member of NAfME, MEA, and Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Band Sorority. Lia is married to her college sweetheart, fellow band director, and PhD student at USC, Mr. Derrick Snead. Together, they have adopted an Old English Bulldog named Bruno.

Dr. Rachel Sorenson

• Finding the Right Fit: Instrument Testing for Beginning Band Dr. Sorenson is Assistant Professor of Music Education (Instrumental) at Kennesaw State University. She holds degrees from Stetson University and Florida State University, where she completed an MME and Ph.D in music education. She has taught a wide range of courses at Purdue University, Fort Wayne, as well as at Florida State, and previously served as a band director in the Central Florida area. An active scholar, she has been published in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Contributions to Music Education, and in Research Perspectives in Music Education, and has presented nationally and internationally. Her research interests include pre-service music teacher preparation, mentoring, and the Impostor Phenomenon.

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PRESENTERS Laura A. Stambaugh

• Offline Learning in Instrumental Music Dr. Laura A. Stambaugh is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Music Education at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI. Previously, she taught at Georgia Southern University, Western Washington University, and Strafford School (NH). She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education and music cognition and supervises field experiences. Dr. Stambaugh’s book, Music and the Brain for Musicians: Understanding the Research and Getting Involved, was published by Conway Publications in 2022. Her publications appear in Journal of Research in Music Education; Update: Applications of Research in Music Education; Psychology of Music; Psychomusicology, Music Educators Journal, and Teaching Music.

Phillip Streetman

• The Three E’s: Strategies for Engaging, Efficient, and Effective Choral Rehearsals Mr. Phillip R. Streetman is the Director of Choral Studies at the Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School. Mr. Streetman holds an undergraduate degree from Georgia Southwester State University where he studied under Dr. Ned DeJournett and a Master’s Degree in Music from the University of Georgia where he studied with Dr. Allen Crowell. He holds memberships in the Georgia Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the American Choral Director’s Association. In addition to his work with Davidson, Mr. Streetman serves as Choir Master at Woodlawn United Methodist Church in Augusta, GA USA. He was Davidson Fine Arts’ teacher of the year 2020-2022 and currently serves as the Georgia American Choral Director’s Repertoire and Resource chair in Vocal Jazz/A cappella.

Vincent Tancredi

• “Ballin’ on a Budget” - Creating the Best Sounds in Your Concert Percussion Section Vincent Tancredi is the Director of Bands at East Hall High School in Gainesville, Ga. Prior to his current position Mr. Tancredi was the director of percussion at East Hall High School and the Elementary Music Teacher at White Sulphur Elementary in Gainesville, Ga. A native of North Georgia, Mr. Tancredi Graduated from the University of North Georgia with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education. He maintains a strong partnership with UNG School of Music and Percussion Studio. Tancredi continues to be an active clinician, adjudicator, and educator in the North Georgia Area. He is a member of the KHS Academic Alliance and a Salyers Percussion Endorsed Educator.

David Thomas

• Music Theory For Today's Hip Hop, Pop, and Rock Generation David Thomas is a native of the Jacksonville, Florida area where he grew up listening to and singing all genres of music. He has been teaching music for 38 years as a professional musician and conductor, and is equally comfortable in front of 100 voice choirs, hired orchestras, marching bands, or in his private studio, where he has taught piano, saxophone and voice. In 2018 he brought his knowledge and experience to the Music Lab of Discovery High School in Lawrenceville, GA, where he taught Music Technology and Class Piano and consistently had over 300 students requesting his courses each year. This year he transferred to Grayson High School, where he has also been woodwind coordinator for the GHS Marching Band for 8 years. In addition, he is Music Director at First Baptist Church in Grayson, where he has lived for the last 22 years. In 2020 he earned his Master of Music in Music Education from The University of Florida where he worked closely with Dr. William Bauer, author of Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing, and Responding to Music. Through the years he has served as Music Director, Conductor, and Presenter for National and International Music & Creative Arts events, most recently presenting “Exploring Hip-Hop Music through Technology-Based Culturally Responsive Pedagogies” at the NAfME National Conference in 2021. His work as arranger, conductor, and producer (including weekly live television broadcasts) in rural, urban, and inner-city environments, has uniquely prepared him for his current teaching responsibilities, where he is known for building bridges in diverse student populations.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

PRESENTERS Dr. Ines Thome

• Strumming Along: Bringing Guitar and Ukulele into Your Elementary Music Classroom Ines Thomé is a German-born guitarist, educator, and chamber musician. She completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Germany and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In addition to her successful career as a performer, Ines has been teaching guitar for over 20 years. She currently directs the only elementary guitar program in the Muscogee County School District, where she loves creating innovative arrangements that incorporate a variety of instruments. As a chamber musician, Ines performs around the world with various instrumental ensembles. Her ensemble, the Yu&I Duo, consisting of Ines on guitar and YuEun Kim on violin, has toured extensively throughout the United States and is scheduled for a 17-concert tour in the Midwest in February 2024. Ines’s exceptional talent and dedication to music are evident in her numerous awards from international competitions in Germany, Italy, and the United States, including First Prizes at the Beverly Hills National Auditions, the International Guitar Competition in Walnut Creek, California, and the American Guitar Society’s Bickford Competition in 2015. Ines’s passion for music and teaching is a testament to her commitment to inspiring the next generation of musicians. Her innovative teaching approach and dedication to creating engaging music arrangements highlight her commitment to music education. When not teaching or performing, Ines loves to play ukulele with her 4-year old son Vincent and has been seen paragliding through the Alps.

James E. Thompson, Jr.

• Slip & Slide: Proven Techniques to Build Your Trombone Section James E. Thompson, Jr. is the director of bands at Lassiter High School in Marietta, GA. Mr. Thompson is a native of Savannah, Georgia. He is a 1999 graduate of Florida State University where he studied applied trombone with Dr. John Drew. His professional affiliations include membership in the Georgia Music Educators Association where he served as chairman of the music selection committee for the 2012-2013 School term, membership in the National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity and the Minority Band Directors National Association where he serves on the executive board. James has conducted clinics and honor bands in the Southeastern United States as a conductor and brass pedagogue. He is also a frequent guest of metro Atlanta schools as a guest clinician and conductor. Mr. Thompson has also acted as a clinician for the University of Georgia January Festival of Bands, the University of Alabama at Birmingham invitational, as well as several Georgia Music Educators Association region bands. In 2020 James was instrumental in the MBDNA’s first online Marathon where he organized and presented as a clinician. James Thompson resides in Dallas, GA and is married to math teacher and instructional coach Verlynda N. Thompson with whom he shares two children: James III & Aria

Dr. Marcy Thurmond Simmons

• The Icing on the Cake: Adding the Flavor with Music Integration Dr. Marcy Thurmond Simmons has been an Educator/Integrationist for 28 years. She has served as a 2005, 2017 and 2022 Teacher of the Year, recipient of the 2013 Excellence in Teaching Award, an Inspiring Leader with Arts NOW, Fostering an Arts Rich Education Leader, Assistant Business Manager and Business Manager of the Atlanta Public Schools Elementary Honor Chorus, Master Teacher with the Arts APS Professional Development Project, Advisor on the Music Content Advisory Committee of the National Evaluation Series (NES), presenter for McGraw-Hill & Associates, Georgia Music Educators Association Conference and the APS Family Engagement Conference. She is currently serving as the APS District Elementary Teacher of the Year 2022-2023. In these roles, she has been instrumental in supporting her fellow educators and students by conducting professional development training, organizing district-wide events and mentoring educators in and across district lines. Dr. Thurmond Simmons has a Bachelor of Arts in music from Morris Brown College, Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Coppin State University and Doctorate in Teacher Leadership from Walden University. She believes that arts integration is the glue that holds all subjects together.

Christy Todd

• The Virtual Stage: Creating & Distributing Music Made by Students • Music Making for All Students • Building Connections in the Music Classroom Named the 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year, Christy Todd is passionate about building opportunities for all kids to create; so much so that she founded Fayette County Public School’s Community for Creativity initiative. She currently facilitates the program at Rising Starr Middle School (Fayetteville, GA), where she teaches music technology and supports student creation of original content, which is released through the school’s entertainment label (HallPassEntertainment.org). She is a founding member of the Story Arts Collective, a partnership between education stakeholders, Trilith Studios, and other industry partners, whose goal is to build the next generation of Georgia’s creative workforce (storyarts.co). Previously, as a chorus director, her students performed at conferences for the Georgia Music Educators Association, the Georgia School Superintendents Association and the Shuler Hensley Awards. Christy continues to direct her school’s adapted music program and various honor choirs across Georgia. She has authored articles and research for publications including Music Educators Journal, the National Association for Middle Level Education and the International Society of Music Education. She is a frequent presenter on topics of creativity in the classroom, special music education, and fine arts program recruitment strategies. Special recognitions include being named Fayette County Public Schools Teacher of the Year (2022), Georgia Middle School Association’s Teacher of the Year (2016) and a national quarterfinalist for the Grammy Music Teacher of the Year Award (2013). Prior to teaching, Christy worked in consulting and business development in the non-profit sector. She received degrees in music education and choral conducting from Shorter College and Florida State University.

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PRESENTERS Dr. Susan Tomkiewicz

• Demystifying Double Reeds: Secrets of the Oboe and Bassoon Explained! Oboist Susan Hatch Tomkiewicz is the Professor of Oboe at the Schwob School of Music, Co-Director of the Schwob Summer Music Festival and a Fox Performing Artist. An active proponent of new music, Susan has commissioned, premiered and recorded many new solo, electronic and chamber works for oboe and English horn. Susan has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician and currently serves as English Hornist and Assistant Principal Oboist of the Columbus Symphony. She has been a recitalist at numerous International Double Reed Society conferences, SEAMUS, the Forage and Flourish Contemporary Music Festival, Electronic Music Midwest, the College Music Society and the Annual English Horn Masterclasses with Carolyn Hove. In the process of mastering the final few recordings before the release of her new CD, Susan is excited for its upcoming release of all works for oboe and English horn commissioned by her and written for her. In addition to an active performing career, ‘Dr. T’ teaches masterclasses all over the world and has a particular interest in oboe pedagogy, beginner through advanced. She is passionate about helping young oboists get a strong start on their instrument and helping band and orchestra directors empower their oboe students with solid fundamentals. In addition to her music career, Susan is an RYT 200, registered yoga teacher, and enjoys teaching Yoga for Performers, Yin Yoga, Vinyasa, meditation and exploring yoga anatomy and alignment with her students. Susan plays the Maple Fox Sayen oboe.

Brandon Tucker

• Getting Along With Your Principal to Maximize Program Development Brandon Tucker has served as a Middle/High School Band Director, Fine Arts Supervisor, GMEA Research Chair, and other administrative positions. Mr. Tucker currently proudly serves as Principal of Treutlen County Middle/High School in Soperton, GA.

Nick Tucker

• Creating and Sustaining an All-Encompassing Percussion Program Nick Tucker is an alumnus of Jacksonville State University where he received his Bachelors of Arts in Instrumental Music Education. While at JSU, he participated in the Marching Southerners drumline for five years and performed with the JSU Percussion Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, and Symphonic Band. He also marched at Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, serving as section leader for the percussion section both years. Nick was also on staff at Spirit as a snare technician in 2018. Previously, he was the Associate Director of Bands at North Forsyth High School from 2019-2023. While there, the marching band, concert bands and indoor drumline received a multitude of high achieving awards. He brought 2 ensembles to the Southeastern Percussion Symposium with high regards to excellence from the event clinicians. Most recently, the indoor drumline under his direction performed in Scholastic A Finals at WGI World Championships in 2023 placing 13th overall. Nick is an established member of GMEA and PAS.

Brianne Turgeon

• Charcuterie: Using Solfege to Decode and Create Brianne Turgeon is a Georgia native who graduated from Forest Park High School. She earned Music Education degrees from UGA and USM. Ms. Turgeon has completed training in Modern Band, The Met in HD, and World Music Pedagogy and she holds certificates for Orff Level I and II, World Music Drumming, Teaching Guitar, and Creating Artistry with Henry Leck. Ms. Turgeon has taught General Music and/or Chorus at every level K-12, in Jackson, Conyers, and finally in Atlanta Public Schools at Springdale Park Elementary. Under her direction the Music@SPARK Advanced Chorus has earned overall Superior ratings at LGPE since 2013. Ms. Turgeon served as the Assistant Music Director with Atlanta Young Singers from 1999-2017 and has sung with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus since 1992. Ms. Turgeon has worked with the Georgia DoE to revise the Georgia Standards of Excellence and to create curricular resources for Fifth Grade Elementary General Music and Elementary Choral Music. She has collaborated with Georgia Public Broadcasting to create online lessons and for GPB’s Emmy-nominated ASO Live Exploration. She is a member of GMEA and OAKE and has served as the GMEA Elementary Division Chair 2019-2021 and within APS in many leadership roles. She is a recipient of the APS Excellence in Arts Education Award (2023), CMA Music Teacher of Excellence (2019), and The Atlanta Families’ Award for Excellence in Education (2013). She was voted Teacher of the Year at C.J. Hicks Elementary (2005) and Springdale Park Elementary (2014).

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PRESENTERS Alex Ubiera

• Making Them Feel Successful: Engaging Middle School Boys in the Choral Rehearsal Alex Ubiera is passionate about engaging young men in choral music. He is currently the head choral director at Jones Middle School, where he teaches over 160 boys every day during Connections in Tenor-Bass Choirs. He has an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Lee University in Cleveland, TN and a Master of Music degree from Baylor University in Waco, TX. He is currently writing his dissertation on the topic of Tenor-Bass Choirs and their effectiveness in engaging middle and high school male singers.

Jody Underwood

• Sound System Basics for the Music Educator Jody has been working in the field of music education technology for over 20 years and believes in “Educating the Educators”. Because of his love of music, Jody also devotes many non-working hours to utilizing his musical gifts at church. In addition to leading the church band from the piano during weekly services, he also sings, plays keyboards/keytar and runs sound and lighting for his 80’s tribute band, MIXTAPE. Jody resides in Murfreesboro, TN with his wife and 3 children. Jody earned his BA in Commercial Keyboard with a Technology Emphasis at Belmont University in Nashville, TN.

Caryn Volk

• I’m Teaching What? Caryn Volk is the Director of Guitars at North Gwinnett Middle School in Sugar Hill, Georgia (Gwinnett County). Ms. Volk developed the guitar program in 2010 and was instrumental in creating the Gwinnett County guitar curriculum standards, and the Georgia Performance Standards for guitar. Ms. Volk has been a music educator for 27 years, with positions including elementary and secondary general music, chorus, guitar, orchestra, and band. In her positions at schools throughout the country, she has demonstrated growth in various programs through recruitment and retention. Ms. Volk holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and a Master of Arts from The University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, and toured the Mid-Western United States, Germany, Italy, and Austria as a member of both vocal and instrumental ensembles. She began teaching in Gwinnett County in 2007 and has been a proud member of the North Gwinnett Middle School faculty since the school opened in 2009.

Dr. Steven Walker

• “Ballin’ on a Budget” - Creating the Best Sounds in Your Concert Percussion Section Steven Walker is a Lecturer in Music Technology, teaches Applied Percussion Studies and conducts the Percussion Ensembles and Athletic Bands at the University of North Georgia. Prior to arriving at UNG, Dr. Walker was an assistant band director in Cobb and Fulton Counties in metro Atlanta. He earned bachelor degrees in music education and percussion performance from Kennesaw State University, his Masters in Jazz from Georgia State University, and DMA from the University of Salford, UK. Dr. Walker continues to be an active performer and clinician in metro Atlanta and the Southeast, playing in a wide variety of ensembles and teaching a broad scope of percussion, drum set, and marching percussion applications.

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PRESENTERS Dr. Victoria Warnet

• Finding the Right Fit: Instrument Testing for Beginning Band • Performance Stage Behaviors of Jazz Conductors Victoria Warnet is an assistant professor of music education at Columbus State University. Dr. Warnet received her Ph.D., master’s, and bachelor’s degrees in Music Education from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Prior to her appointment at Columbus State University, Dr. Warnet served as an Adjunct Professor of Music Education at Indiana State University while completing her graduate work. Before returning to graduate school, she was the Director of Bands at Tavares Middle School and the Associate Director of Bands at Tavares High School in the central Florida area. Dr. Warnet has conducted research in effective teaching, jazz pedagogy, teacher training, and teaching students with exceptionalities. She has presented educational and research sessions at regional, national, and international venues, including the NAfME Music National Conference, FMEA Professional Development Conference, the Very Special Arts Conference, the International Society for Music Education World Conference, and the Desert Skies Symposium . The results of her research are published in refereed journals, including the Journal of Research in Music Education, Journal of Band Research, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Research Perspectives in Music Education, Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy, the Florida Music Director, and the ArkMEA Journal. Currently, Dr. Warnet is also serving as the Communications Chair for the International Society for Music Education’s Music in Special Education and Music Therapy Commission. In addition to her roles as a researcher and educator, Dr. Warnet maintains an active agenda as a drill writer, clinician, adjudicator, and guest clinician nationally.

Tim Warren

• Creating with Canva: Creative Branding and Personalization for the Music Educator! Tim Warren is a music educator from Cartersville, GA and serves as the choir director for Rockmart Middle School. Tim has taught elementary music, middle and high school choirs, and has worked with both middle and high school bands as a staff member. He received his Bachelor’s in Music Education from Shorter University in 2017 and received his Master’s in Education and Gifted Endorsement from Augusta University in 2023. Tim also serves as the pastor of Silver Creek Church of God in Silver Creek, GA. Although Tim is most commonly recognized as an educator and pastor, his favorite titles are father and husband. Tim married his wife, Allison, in 2021, and they welcomed their son, Asher, into the world in 2022 and their daughter, Sophie, in 2023.

Chloe Washington

• Exceptional Musicians: Advocating for an Inclusive Music Program Chloe Washington completed her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Oboe Performance at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. She earned her Master of Science in Special Education from Purdue University Global, then earned her Education Specialist (EdS) degree in Music Education from Auburn University. She is currently finishing her PhD program at Auburn University in Music Education. Chloe began her teaching career at St. Andrew’s School in Savannah, GA where she worked for two years before building the middle school band program at Rice Creek School. During her tenure at Rice Creek, her ensembles consistently earned Superior ratings at festival and her students were regularly chosen for District Honor Band. Chloe is currently the Band Director at Oglethorpe Charter School in Savannah, GA. Throughout her teaching career, Chloe has encountered many students with special needs and is passionate about creating inclusive musical ensembles. She is an active performer and enjoys spending time at the beach and relaxing at home with her two cats.

Harry Watters

• Curiosity Is More Important Than Talent For Jazz Improvisation Jazz Trombonist Harry Watters travels nationally and internationally as a Jupiter Artist. After graduation from the Univ of North Texas, Harry spent four years touring and recording with the renowned Dukes of Dixieland. While working at night on Bourbon Street, a sleep-deprived Watters attended the Univ of New Orleans by day, serving as the graduate assistant to Professor Ellis Marsalis. Watters has performed with Doc Severinsen, Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, Erich Kunzel, Kevin Mahogany, Wycliffe Gordon, Lou Rawls, Maureen McGovern, Bill Watrous, Carl Fontana, Jiggs Whiggam, James Moody, Peter Erskine, Conrad Herwig, John Fedchock and the Boston Brass. In addition, Harry has appeared as a featured soloist with the Syracuse Symphony, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Tulsa Pops, the West Virginia Symphony, the University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band, the Janacek Philharmonic, the Moldovan Festival Orchestra and the U.S. Army Orchestra. Harry is constantly in demand as a Jupiter Artist and Clinician. He has presented his “Power Practicing” seminar at the American Band College, the Jazz Education Network National Conf, the Assoc of Concert Bands’ National Conv, the Univ of North Texas, New Mexico State University, the Univ of Texas at Austin, the Univ of Tennessee, East Carolina State Univ, Texas Christian Univ, Baker Univ, the Univ of Central Florida, Virginia Commonwealth Univ, the Univ of New Orleans, Louisiana State Univ, the Univ of Montana, Utah State Univ, Kent State Univ and in high schools throughout the United States. 62

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PRESENTERS Dr. Kim Watters

• Barbershop Singing Can Build Better Singers! Dr. Kimberly Watters is completing her 35th year as a choral music educator in Gordon County School District in Calhoun, GA. She has taught elementary, middle and high school chorus and have been teacher of the year twice and district TOTY in 2012. She was the Walmart Community Teacher of the Year and was an 11Alive Class Act Teacher. Most recently Dr. Watters was selected as the 2023 Barbershop Harmony Society and NAfME National Music Educator of the Year.

Sara Webb

• Taking Names. Winning Hearts. Training Brains. Mrs. Sara Webb graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kennesaw State University in 2016 with a B.A. in Music Education and a Minor in Leadership Studies. She earned an M.Ed in Music Education from Florida State University in 2020 and an Ed.S in Music Education from Piedmont University in 2022. This year, Mrs. Webb is in her 8th year of teaching, now serving her second year as the Director of Bands at Hammond Creek Middle School in Dalton, GA. Her band has over 350 students involved in the 6th and 7th grades. She previously taught at Dalton Middle School and Calhoun Middle School. Other previous experience includes teaching throughout the Metro-Atlanta area, including serving as an intern with the Youth Bands of Atlanta. She also spent the summer of 2015 teaching music in the Galapagos Islands. She studied flute with Rob Cronin of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Webb holds professional memberships in the National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educator Association, Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honors Society, and Tau Beta Sigma National Band Sorority Alumni Association. She is an active musician, playing her flute in several community bands in the area: the Northwest Georgia Winds (Rome), the Gordon County Community Band (Calhoun), and the Dalton-Whitfield Community Band (Dalton), as well as playing at her church each Sunday morning. Mrs. Webb is married to her high school sweetheart, Chris, and they have one dog, Ellie.

Lisa Wiggins

• Level Up! Moving Students from Consumers to Creators Lisa Wiggins is a passionate and enthusiastic elementary music teacher from Columbia County. She has degrees in music education and vocal performance from Georgia College & State University, as well as a Master of Music Education from Florida State University. She has been teaching elementary music for over 15 years and is a past recipient of District Teacher of the Year for Burke County. She is currently serving PK-5th grade students at North Columbia Elementary School in Appling, Georgia. Lisa is certified in OrffSchulwerk, Level 1, and is a founding member of the Greater Augusta Area Orff Chapter. She is also a private piano, guitar, and voice instructor. She and her husband, Clint, have one son and in their spare time, enjoy scuba diving together!

Tracey Wiley

• Energizing Music Education in the Sound Field with Georgia Public Broadcasting Tracey Wiley manages GPB’s statewide education outreach team and is the dedicated specialist for north Georgia, building content and providing support and training for GPB Education's array of no-cost digital resources. Tracey has served as an educator for more than 25 years, teaching and consulting at various schools and organizations throughout Georgia, including Georgia State University, Dunwoody Nature Center, Georgia Aquarium, and Zoo Atlanta. Tracey is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a concentration in photojournalism. She received her master’s degree in policy from the University of Delaware.

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PRESENTERS Franklin Willis

• Books, Beats and Brilliance • Teach Me About Hip-Hop • Keep the Beat: Make the Rhythm Sticks Groove! • Be The Light: Cultivating a Safe Space Through Music Selection A three-time CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence and with more than a decade of experience in the classroom, Franklin Willis is a trailblazer and catalyst for change in the music education space, as well as a rising leader within the music industry at large. Not only does he lead the way in culturally responsive teaching techniques, but also, in his post as Community Impact Director, paves the way for students to experience equitable access to opportunities in the music industry beyond the classroom. As a former music coach for Metro Nashville Public Schools, which impacted all general music teachers, Willis offers invaluable insight into the challenges and solutions that exist in music and arts education, ultimately bridging the gap between the music teachers the CMA Foundation serves, and the industry overall. With intentionality and creative vision for the future, Willis continues to challenge the status quo and encourage all facets of the music business to think bigger in order to serve students and ensure that the next generation steps into a genre that is robust and thriving.

Dr. Chandler L. Wilson

• Balance: Not Just In Music, But In Your Life Chandler L. Wilson is the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Florida State University. His responsibilities with athletic bands include being a part of the creative team behind the Marching Chiefs and FSU’s athletic pep band program, Seminole Sound, which primarily supports the men’s basketball program as well as the women’s basketball and volleyball programs. As a part of the wind band conducting and music education faculty, Wilson teaches courses in music education and conducts the University Concert Band. Wilson holds professional memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Educators, Florida Music Educators Association, Florida Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, and is an honorary member “Friend of the Arts” of Sigma Alpha Iota, Tau Beta Sigma, and Phi Mu Alpha. Wilson is a recipient of the Florida Bandmasters Association “Tom Bishop Award” and is also a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.) Wilson has also been recognized and honored by Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.

Janet Wooten

• The Three E’s: Strategies for Engaging, Efficient, and Effective Choral Rehearsals Janet S. Wooten, a native of Conyers, GA, is a veteran teacher of over 20 years’ experience. Her experience includes elementary and middle school music as well as teaching private voice lessons. Mrs. Wooten earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Shorter College and a master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy from Texas Woman’s University. Mrs. Wooten previously served as Artistic Director of the Savannah Children’s Choir and had the amazing opportunity to lead the choir in performing the Faure Mass in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. In the summer of 2022, Mrs. Wooten led the Richmond Hill High School Vivace Choir on a concert tour of Italy, including performances at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice and St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. Most recently, Mrs. Wooten conducted the RHHS Women’s Chorus at the State ACDA and GMEA State Conferences. Her professional affiliations include the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), National Association for Music Education (NAME) and Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA). Mrs. Wooten enjoys spending time with her husband, Jody and their three children: James, Jaci and Joseph.

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Sessions & Posters

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Sessions & Posters Dr. Amalia Allan

• Student and Alumni Perspectives of an Online Master of Music Education Program Amalia Allan is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Anderson University in South Carolina. She teaches graduate level courses on music teaching and research, guides master’s students in their research projects, and teaches elementary music methods to undergraduates. Certified in all three levels of Orff Schulwerk, Dr. Allan is an elementary specialist who has taught music to children of varied abilities in both public and private school settings, at a school for children with sensory processing disorders, and at an autism center. She has also directed award-winning elementary choirs and taught private piano lessons to people of all ages and abilities. Dr. Allan is a passionate researcher whose work focuses on teaching music to people with diverse abilities, multiculturalism in music education, and music teacher preparation for inclusion.

Dr. Rebecca L. Atkins

• Analyzing Sight-Singing Behaviors Using an Eye Tracker Rebecca L. Atkins is Associate Professor of Music Education (Vocal) at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, University of Georgia. Dr. Atkins teaches Choral Methods, Elementary Methods, voice classes, pedagogy, and research classes, and supervises the vocal student teachers and dissertations. She received her Ph.D. in Music and Human Learning at The University of Texas at Austin (2013), an M.M. in Choral Conducting at Missouri State University (2008), and a B.M. in Music Studies at The University of Texas at Austin (1994). Dr. Atkins is an active clinician, adjudicator, performer, and music education researcher.

Dr. Molly Blair

• Cultivating Culturally Responsive Music Teachers: A Study of Music Teacher Identity Development Molly Blair is a dedicated educator and researcher in the ﬁeld of music education, known for her passion and commitment to fostering a positive learning environment for students. Born and raised in Lincolnton, North Carolina, Dr. Blair developed a deep love for music from a young age, and studied music education at Western Carolina University, where she graduated with honors. Dr. Blair embarked on her teaching career in the greater Charlotte, NC area, where she taught middle and high school band. Dr. Blair was awarded the ASBDA Ed Rooker ENCORE Award in the fall of 2017 as an Outstanding Young Band Director. Molly was a graduate teaching assistant of instrumental music education in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, worked with the Redcoat Marching Band, conducted the UGA Symphonic and Concert Bands, and performed with the Athens Flute Choir. Her research explores the relationship between student self-talk, student beliefs about their musical ability, and the creation of supportive music classroom environments. Dr. Blair’s has presented at the Georgia Music Educator’s Conference, National Association for Music Education national conference, the 8th International Symposium for Assessment in Music Education, and the International Symposium on Performance Science. Dr. Blair graduated with a PhD in music education from the University of Georgia. Molly, her husband, Andrew, their 3-year-old son, Bennett, and 2 dogs, Chaco and Fritz currently live in Ladson, SC, and Dr. Blair is the Director of Bands at DuBose Middle School in Summerville, SC. Dr. Blair is a member of SCMEA, GMEA, NCMEA, and SMTE.

Dr. Isaac Brinberg

• Teaching and Performing the Music of Chen Yi Dr. Brinberg currently serves as the Wind Ensemble Director and Tuba Instructor at Augusta University in Augusta, GA. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Band Conducting at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying with Dr. Kevin Geraldi and Dr. Stephen Peterson as well as working with Barry Houser and the Marching Illini. Prior to Illinois, Dr. Brinberg received his Master of Music in Wind Conducting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, studying with Professor Steven D. Davis, and earned his Bachelor of Music Education with a Minor in Wind Conducting from Indiana University, studying tuba with Daniel Perantoni. Dr. Brinberg’s research interests include a variety of subjects, recently focusing on Chen Yi, nontraditional concert venues, tuba pedagogy, and cultural diplomacy. He has presented at the CBDNA North Central and Southwestern Division conferences, the College Music Society Great Plains Regional Conference, and has given several virtual presentations through the CBDNA webinar series. His scholarship has been published in the Journal of Band Research and has contributed to The Instrumentalist. Dr. Brinberg is an active tuba performer and pedagogue, recently presenting recitals during his graduate studies. Before graduate studies, Dr. Brinberg served as assistant band director at Discovery Middle School in Indiana, where he team-taught four concert bands, two jazz bands, and was on the marching band staff with Penn High School. He also served as an ISSMA Solo and Ensemble and High School Organizational Contest adjudicator and the IBA All-State Tuba adjudicator. Dr. Brinberg is a member of CBDNA, ITEA, GMEA, and Brother of Kappa Kappa Psi. 66

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Sessions & Posters Lexi Brookshire

• Teaching Students with Disabilities: Real Resources for Improved Instruction Lexi Brookshire is a music education major at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. At Berry, she works as a faculty assistant and assists teaching Kindermusik. She has previously presented her research at the Berry College Symposium on Student Scholarship and at the National Association of Music Education Eastern Division Conference. Lexi has performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association Conference as a member of the Berry College Wind Ensemble. She is also an active member in Berry’s flute choir and the auditioned ensemble, Berry Winds, where she serves as the flute section manager.

Benjamin Brown

• Analyzing Sight-Singing Behaviors Using an Eye Tracker Benjamin Brown is a sophomore at the University of Georgia. He is a double major pursuing a BS degree in computer science and a BA degree in music, for which he studies voice and piano performance. He helps conduct undergraduate research with Dr. Rebecca Atkins through CURO. On campus, Benjamin is active in several music-related clubs and organizations, serves as a piano accompanist for vocal and instrumental musicians, and participates in various service events with his living community.

Dr. Michael Cater

• Music Teacher Preparation for Inclusion of Students with Special Needs: Survey of Music Teacher Educators Michael Cater is in his 6th year as the music content specialist for the Muscogee County School District. Dr. Cater recently completed his Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Instrumental Music Education at Auburn University. Prior to his time in Columbus, he served as a graduate teaching assistant with Auburn University Bands. He also instructed instrumental music for ten years in grades 6-12 in Georgia public schools. During this time, he served as Director of Bands at Carrollton High School and Heard County High School. Dr. Cater received his Educational Specialist Degree in Instrumental Music Education from Auburn University and his Master of Instrumental Music Education and Bachelor of Instrumental Music Education degrees from the University of West Georgia. His research interests include preparation of music teacher educators and preservice music teachers to work with students with special needs. Dr. Cater’s professional affiliations include membership with the National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, National Bandmaster’s Association, and Professional Association for Georgia Educators. He also holds honorary membership in Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. During his down time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their 3 children bass fishing at Columbus area lakes and watching Auburn football, basketball, and baseball.

Dr. Deb Confredo

• Yes, I Hear What You Hear (I Just Talk About it Differently) Deborah (Capperella-Sheldon) Confredo, a 43-year veteran music educator, is Professor of Music Education and Director of the Online MM in Music Education at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA). She is founder of Temple’s Night Owls Campus/Community Band which launched Temple’s community music performance outreach program and is past conductor of the Philadelphia AllCity High School Band. Confredo is President-Elect of the National Association for Music Education. As Chair of the NAfME Music Teacher Profession Initiative, she is lead author and editor for the NAfME publication, Blueprint for Strengthening the Music Teacher Profession. Confredo serves on the NAfME Executive Committee, Executive Board, and Finance Committee. Although a professor for Temple University, Dr. Confredo resides in Louisiana where she is an active member of the Louisiana Music Educators Association in her work on the LMEA Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Professional Development Committee, the Louisiana Music Adjudicators Association, and as contributor to the LMEA 12-for-12 webinar series. Confredo heads the chamber ensemble program and is symphonic band coordinator and conductor for the New England Adult Music Camp in Sidney, ME. She has co-authored the texts The Complete Woodwind Instructor: A Guidebook for the Music Educator and Lessons in Performance (FJH), and is editor of Superior Bands in Sixteen Weeks, and Chorales and Rhythmic Etudes for Superior Bands. Confredo is lead author for the FJH publication Measures of Success®, a multi-level band method for beginning and intermediate instrumentalists. She developed and is featured in the Measures of Success® Video Practice Buddy Series, an online video tutorial program for developing band musicians. Her numerous articles are published in journals such as the Journal for Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education (CRME), Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Journal for Music Teacher Education, Journal of Music Therapy, Music Educators Journal, Journal of Band Research, The Instrumentalist, and Contributions to Music Education, as well as in several state music education journals. She has been an editorial board member on several professional journals and currently serves as editorial board member for the Journal of Band Research. She is in demand as conductor, clinician, adjudicator, speaker, and lecturer. Tau Beta Sigma, the Illinois Music Educators Association, and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association have honored her for distinguished service to music education. Mansfield University (PA) has recognized her as a distinguished alumnus. She is recipient of the Pennsylvania State University College of Arts and Architecture Distinguished Alumni Award, the Florida State University Faculty Citation for Graduate Alumni Award, and the Temple University Outstanding Faculty Service Award. In Louisiana, Confredo continues to perform as a saxophonist with the Lafayette Concert Band and is an on-call sub for the Acadian Wind Symphony and the Skyliners big band. She also performs and records with her bassist/guitarist husband, Ralph, in their music studio, Electric Étoufée-dyland. In her spare time, she and Ralph enjoy dancing to Zydeco and Cajun music which they do as often as possible. W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

RESEARCH

Sessions & Posters Terrance Cook-Green

• Exploring Current Conversations: A Content Analysis of Music Teacher Pedagogy in Music Educators Journal Terrance Cook-Green teaches choral music and music theory at Heritage High School in Rockdale County. Prior to coming to Heritage, he taught at Memorial Middle School in Conyers, Georgia and Eddy Middle School in Columbus, Georgia. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music education from Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, and is currently a doctoral student at Georgia State University. He has served as the choral chair for GMEA District IV and as organizer of the GMEA District IV Honor Chorus. He has also presented at the 2007 Georgia State CMENC conference and is a member of NAfME and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Levi Dean

• Cultivating Culturally Responsive Music Teachers: A Study of Music Teacher Identity Development Levi Dean is a PhD candidate in music education at the University of Georgia. He holds a BFA in performance double bass from Manhattan School of Music, NYC; a MFA in performance double bass from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh; and a MFA in music education from the University of Georgia, Athens. Mr. Dean has taught middle school orchestra in Houston, Texas and in Atlanta, Georgia. He has performed in many orchestras under the direction of conductors like Kurt Masur, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pierre Boulez, and Valerie Gergiev to name a few. Mr. Dean is broadening his musical experience and music identity to more diversified musical styles and expressions. He is actively pursuing research projects evaluating the cultural predispositions children have towards western art music, in school music and music broadly. He is also interested in children’s musical cultures, children’s musical resources in the home, and cultural diversity in music education. Mr. Dean is published in the International Journal of Music Education and is also currently the Development Associate for the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at UGA.

Emily Eldridge

• The Rise and Fall of Group Piano: Could Piano Classes return to US Public Schools? Mrs. Eldridge has over a decade of teaching experience in many areas including chorus, group piano, pre-k general music, and private lessons for piano, voice, and flute. Emily is currently a private music instructor, studio owner, and self-published author of piano method books. Mrs. Eldridge is pursuing a PhD in teaching and learning at Georgia State University where she plans to write a dissertation examining group piano programs in public school settings.

Alison Farley

• Cultivating Culturally Responsive Music Teachers: A Study of Music Teacher Identity Development Dr. Alison Farley is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Georgia where she teaches courses in instrumental music education, psychology of music, world music pedagogy, curriculum and supervision, and advises graduate students. Prior to her appointment at UGA, Dr. Farley was a Lecturer of Music Education at the University of Washington and a Research Coordinator at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at UW. Her research interests include psychology of music, selfcompassion in music students, music teacher identity development, and perception and performance of written notation. Dr. Farley has presented her research at international, national and state conferences and has publications in Psychology of Music, Frontiers in Psychology, and Contributions to Music Education. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Dr. Farley taught public school in Steelville, MO (near St. Louis) where she taught middle and high school band, jazz band and chorus. Dr. Farley holds a BME from the University of Kansas, an MM in Wind Conducting from the University of Louisville and a PhD from the University of Washington.

Patrick K. Freer

• Considering Care: Nel Noddings’ (1928-2022) Contributions to Approaching Divisive Issues in Choral Music Patrick K. Freer is Professor of Music at Georgia State University where he conducts the Tenor-Bass Choir and directs the doctoral programs in music education. The GSU Tenor-Bass Choir was a featured choir in 2022s XIV Corhabana International Choir Festival (Havana, Cuba), and the ensemble was one of four national semi-finalists for the 2023 American Prize in Choral Performance (large university division). Dr. Freer has held Visiting Professorships at the Universitt Mozarteum Salzburg (Austria) and at Universidad Autnoma de Madrid (Spain), and has been in residence as a guest conductor for the Bogot Philharmonic Orchestra (Colombia). His degrees are from Westminster Choir College and Teachers College-Columbia University. Dr. Freer has guest conducted or presented in 40 states and 30 countries. Dr. Freer is Editor of the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing and former longtime editor of Music Educators Journal. Dr. Freer received the Outstanding Senior Faculty Award for Research & Creative Activity (2022) in GSUs College of the Arts. 68

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RESEARCH

Sessions & Posters Sarah Frook Gallo

• The Choirs and Choristers of an 18th c. Mexico City Girls’ School Sarah Frook Gallo is the Interim Associate Director of Choirs at the University of Georgia, where she conducts the University Chorus, UGA Choral Project, Men’s and Women’s Glee Clubs, and teaches courses in conducting. Prior to her time at UGA, she conducted the William & Mary Women’s Chorus (now the Barksdale Treble Chorus), taught courses in music theory and aural skills, and served as Artistic Director of the Virginia Choral Society, a 100-member community choir in Newport News, VA. She also held teaching positions as the conductor of the Christopher Newport University Men’s Chorus, and as professor of voice at the University of Richmond. She is an experienced K-12 educator and spent three years as the director of music and choirs at St. Catherine’s Middle School. She enjoys guest conducting honor choruses and workshops across the country and aims to foster intentional musical communities in all aspects of her work. Her research interests include the music of 17th and 18th century Mexico City, incorporating Dalcroze Eurhythmics into the conducting classroom, and the experience of adult amateur singers in community choruses. She is a DMA Candidate in Choral Conducting at the University of Georgia, earned her MM in Choral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music and her undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary with a concentration in piano, voice, and harpsichord. Her conducting teachers include Daniel Bara, J.D. Burnett, William Weinert, Jamie Bartlett, Bradley Lubman, Simon Carrington, and Joseph Flummerfelt. She lives in Athens, GA with her spouse, Jeff, and their dog, Moira Rose.

Dr. Marie Graham

• The Effects of Peer-Assisted Learning on Rhythmic and Melodic Sight-Reading in a Middle School Chorus Dr. Graham joined the UNG Department of Music in 2020 as the Coordinator of Music Education. She serves as an Assistant professor and supervisor to music interns in curriculum, pedagogy, and senior capstone courses. While she is new to GA, she has had a thirty-year career as a choral music educator, K-college teaching experience at both public and private institutions. She is a Kodaly specialist in music education and taught Kodaly methodology for Denise Bacon, founder of the Kodaly movement in America. Dr. Graham completed her Doctoral of Musical Arts, Music Education degree at Boston University, her Master of Education at Lesley University, and her Bachelor of Music degree at Hartt School of Music.

Dr. Alyssa Grey

• Teaching Students with Disabilities: Real Resources for Improved Instruction Dr. Alyssa Grey is Director of Wind Studies and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Berry College. She completed undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Music Theory & Composition from the University of Miami where she studied with GRAMMY-Award Winning composer Lansing McLoskey. She received a Masters degree in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music and a PhD from the University of North Texas where she studied wind band conducting with Eugene Migliaro Corporon. Alyssa has presented sessions and research with the National Association for Music Education, Society for Music Teacher Education, College Music Society, GMEA, NJMEA, FMEA, OKMEA, ArkMEA, TMEA, the North Texas Conductors Collegium, the Texas Bandmasters Association, and the Midwest Clinic. She is an active conductor and researcher and has been published in scholarly journals including Journal of Music Teacher Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, the Music Educators Journal, Teaching Music, the Instrumentalist, and is a contributor to the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series. Dr. Grey’s Wind Ensemble has performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association State Conference. She also has performed professionally with the Dallas Symphony Chorus for five years under the baton of Jaap van Zweden, conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Dr. Grey is an Auxiliary Committee member for the Music Educators Journal.

Noelle Imel Hutcheson

• Examining Early Career Band Directors’ Instructional Feedback on Non-Primary Instruments: A Literature Review Noelle Imel Hutcheson serves as a Graduate Assistant for the Georgia Southern University Bands while pursuing her Master of Music in Music Education. Her responsibilities include co-directing athletic bands, collaborating on social media and support staff duties for the Southern Pride Marching Band, and assisting in rehearsals, meetings, and performances for the bands area. Before returning to GSU, Mrs. Hutcheson was the Band Director at Beaufort Middle School in Carteret County, NC. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Georgia Southern University Gretsch School of Music (Statesboro, GA). She studied trumpet with Dr. Bill Schmid and Dr. Tim Kintzinger, and wind band conducting with Dr. Robert Dunham and Dr. John Franklin. Noelle actively participates in various university ensembles, where she plays her primary instrument, the trumpet, in the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and enjoys playing tenor saxophone in the Wind Symphony. Her professional memberships include the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA), the Women Band Directors International (WBDI), and alumni memberships in Sigma Alpha Iota (Statesboro Alumnae Chapter) and Kappa Kappa Psi (Nu Kappa chapter).

LeAnna Iddings

• Dalcroze Eurhythmics: Origins, Developments, and Considerations for the Choral Program LeAnna Iddings is a second-year Doctoral student at Georgia State University and a choral music teacher at Dodgen Middle School in Marietta, Georgia. Prior to attending Georgia State, LeAnna obtained her undergraduate degree at Jacksonville State University and her Master’s degree from Bowling Green State University, both in music education. LeAnna has been a teacher for six years and values exploring research-based approaches in her teaching pedagogy, which has inspired her work toward her Ph.D. in Teaching in Learning. One of her primary research interests is in the Eurhythmics teaching method and the choral classroom. LeAnna is eager to continue educational research work at GSU with the goal of improving teaching practices and student experiences in chorus. LeAnna was previously the choral director at Rome High School before coming to Dodgen. Over the course of her career, LeAnna’s choirs have performed at Truist Park, Disney World, and in various competitive events across the southeast. Groups under her direction have consistently received superior ratings at Large Group Performance Evaluation. W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

RESEARCH

Sessions & Posters TaeYoung Teo Kwon

• The Influence of a Korean Elementary School Teacher Online Community, Indischool, on the Professional Development TaeYoung Teo Kwon was born and raised in South Korea. Prior to moving to the United States in 2023, Kwon taught elementary school-level students for 4 years. During his college years, he was awarded 1st prize (the Minister of Education) in the Nationwide University of Education Good Instruction Exploration Contest in the Music subject sector. As an elementary general music education specialist, he had presented two open classes and given presentations at the Jeollanam-do Elementary Music Education Research Association. He also served as an invited lecturer at Gwangju National University of Education (GNUE). As a violinist, he had won and placed in various violin competitions in South Korea. Furthermore, he served as a concertmaster of ACC (Asia Culture Center) Citizen Orchestra and served as a conductor and concertmaster of GNUE Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, he had performed with symphony and chamber orchestras five times. He also participated in GNUE Orchestra’s visiting music talent donation service for local elementary schools on an island in Korea. He received a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction and a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education (with a concentration in Music Education) from Gwangju National University of Education, and moved to Georgia State University to pursue his Ph.D. degree in Teaching and Learning (Music Education). While studying in his Ph.D. program, he has served as a site coordinator (Graduate assistant) of the Sound Learning project by guiding and facilitating the music-to-classroom connections. His research interests include elementary general music education, professional development, and pre-service teacher education.

Kristen Lynch

• Cultivating Culturally Responsive Music Teachers: A Study of Music Teacher Identity Development Kristen Kuder Lynch is a dedicated music educator and researcher with a deep love for teaching music. With a wealth of experience in the field, Kristen spent 20 years teaching elementary music in public schools in Kansas, Missouri, and Georgia. She enjoys creating engaging and interactive music lessons that inspire young minds to explore the world of melody, rhythm, and harmony. She believes that early exposure to music can have a profound impact on a child’s development, fostering creativity, cognitive skills, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts. Dr. Lynch ‘s research interests center around culturally responsive pedagogy and music teacher identity development. Her research endeavors to cultivate the understanding of the intricate connections between culture, identity, and musical instruction in order to foster inclusive and equitable music education practices. Her research has been presented at both state and national levels, including the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference and the National Association for Music Education national conference. Dr. Lynch holds both a master’s and a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Georgia. She currently teaches music education courses and supervises student teachers in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Dr. Lynch has completed Level II Orff training and holds certificates for Conversational Solfège Levels 1 and 2. She is a member of GMEA, AOSA, Feierabend Association of Music Education, and OAKE. When not teaching, Kristen enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring new things! She resides in Athens with her loving husband, Michael, their two sons, Parker and Zachary, and their three beloved dogs, Charlie, Ella, and JJ.

Kimberly S. Maugans

• Symbolic Classroom Influences on the Future Music Educator at the Late Secondary Level: Literature Review Kimberly Maugans, Ed. S, is a third year Ph. D Candidate and Graduate Teaching Assistant in music education at the University of Georgia. With 36 Years of teaching experience in choral music in Gwinnett County Schools, Ms Maugans serves GMEA as LGPE Head Adjudicator and 7-year LGPE Standing Committee member and chair. Certified in educational leadership and teacher mentorship, she hopes to inspire future music educators at the collegiate level upon completion of her doctoral degree.

Winnie Mburu

• Incorporating Native Music and Instructional Methods in the Kenyan Music Curriculum Winnie is a PhD student at the University of Georgia, specializing in Music Education. She got her Masters at Converse University (South Carolina), and her Bachelor’s at Kenyatta University (Nairobi, Kenya). Her primary instrument is the flute, and she also sings musical theater and opera.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | S P R I N G 2023

RESEARCH

Sessions & Posters Dr. Martin Norgaard

• This is Your Brain on Imporvisation: Neural Signatures of the Flow State Martin Norgaard is an Associate Professor of Music Education and Director of the Music Cognition and Creativity Lab at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He collaborates with faculty in occupational therapy, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, mathematics, and computer science to investigate the cognitive processes underlying improvisation and related therapeutic applications. His research appears in the Journal of Research in Music Education, The International Journal of Music Education, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Cognition, Scientific Reports, Brain Sciences, Brain Connectivity, and the interdisciplinary journal Music Perception among others. More information about his work can be found at http://martinnorgaard.com/.

Dr. David Perry

• Student and Alumni Perspectives of an Online Master of Music Education Program Dr. David L. Perry (B.M., M.M., D.M.A., Arizona State University) is a Professor of Music at Anderson University, SC, where he serves as Music Department Chair, Director of Music Education, Director of the Anderson University West African Ensemble, and teaches courses in music education. As Music Chair, Dr. Perry presented in panel discussion sessions on Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century Student and Building Relationships with Upper Administration at the respective 2017 and 2019 National Association of Schools of Music Conferences. He is a published author in the Journal of Research in Music Education and the Grove Dictionary of American Music (2nd ed.). Dr. Perry served as President of the Higher Education Division of the South Carolina Music Educators Association, with publications and presentations in teaching diverse musical practices, recruiting prospective music teachers, and commercial music curriculum. Dr. Perry presented sessions at the 2010, 2014 and 2017 SCMEA Conferences with the Anderson University West African Ensemble, a student ensemble that has performed in local, regional, and national venues. As a music teacher in the public schools, Dr. Perry taught band, orchestra, chorus, and general music over a span of 21 years in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, and served as staff orchestra director for a large church in Mesa, Arizona. Dr. Perry remains active as a clarinetist in faculty recitals, local orchestras, and as a freelance musician.

Matt Taylor

• Choral Settings of Wendell Berry’s Poetry: An Annotated Survey Matt Taylor is the Director of Choral Activities and Music Education at Lipscomb University. A passionate educator and conductor, Matt spent five years as an Associate Choral Director at Wando High School in Charleston, SC. He currently serves on the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts as director of the Governor’s School Chorale. He has worked as a conductor for district and university honor choirs in South Carolina, and has directed high school and church choirs across the southeast as a guest conductor. Matt made his international conducting debut in 2022 with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, where he was selected as one of five emerging guest conductors from across North America. Matt has performed in collegiate, community, and professional choirs as a vocalist, and is an active instrumentalist and composer. He has performed in symphonies, chamber groups, and jazz ensembles as a double bassist. He has been a career-long member of the American Choral Directors Association, and has served twice as a member of the ACDA Southern Region Conference Committee. Matt holds degrees in music from Samford University (BM - Composition) and Louisiana State University (MM - Choral Conducting), and is currently finishing coursework for his DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Georgia.

Anhvu Tran

• Social Justice: From Call to Research to Presentation at GMEA Anhvu N. Tran is the current orchestra director at Jean Childs Young Middle School in Atlanta, Ga. He previously taught in Gwinnett County. A public school educator for seven years, Mr. Tran received his Bachelor of Music Education from Georgia State University in 2015 and Master of education in 2020, where he studied double bass with Emory Clements. Mr. Tran regularly freelances as a double bassist performing with various groups, including the Gwinnett Symphony, the Northeast Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, Gwinnett Ballet, and Georgia Philharmonic. In addition to performing, he served as a founding member and co-conductor to the Metropolitan Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra, located in Southwest Atlanta. He also works with the Atlanta Music Project, an El-Sistema based program operating in Southwest Atlanta. Born in Vietnam to South Vietnamese refugee parents and raised in Georgia, Mr. Tran began studying music in the Metro-Atlanta area. He currently resides in Atlanta.

W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Performing GROUPS

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2023

Performing Groups Academy for Classical Education Junior High Men’s Choir The Academy for Classical Education (ACE) Junior High Men’s Choir is a non-auditioned ensemble of 7th and 8th grade tenor and bass singers. Founded in 2017, the group has grown from 9 to 40 voices. During the school day, the chorus rehearses in two separate sections. One class serves as a beginning chorus for tenor and bass voices new to choir and the second consists of advanced returning students. In addition to performing TB works, the advanced men’s choir combines with the ACE treble choir to perform SATB selections. This combined group recently performed at the Georgia ACDA state conference. Over the last few years, the men’s chorus has consistently received superior ratings in both sightreading and performance at LGPE appearances.

Addison Elementary School – Addison Accents Addison Accents is the premier performing ensemble at Addison Elementary School in Marietta, GA. This non-auditioned group is open to any 4th or 5th grader who would like to participate. Accents, under the direction of Dr. Michele Sampson, performs at many events throughout the school year including Christmas at Piedmont, International Night, and STEAM Night.

Allatoona High School Advanced Women’s Chorus The Advanced Women’s Chorus is the premier performing choral group at Allatoona High School and consist of students in the 10-12 grades. Reformed and revitalized in 2022, this group is one of three choirs at Allatoona High School and admission into this group is through audition only. Receiving superior ratings in both performance and sightreading, the Advanced Women’s Chorus captivated both the audience and the judges with their 2023 LGPE performance. Among the ladies in this group are AllState and Honor Chorus singers, GHP nominees, Shuler Award nominated performers, GHSA One Act state champions, and athletes. They are a group of talented, gifted, and amazing young women who are a blessing to all who hear them sing.

Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra Celebrating its 50th season, the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra (ASYO) provides metro Atlanta’s most talented and dedicated student musicians with a community outlet for ensemble music-making. Since its inception in 1974, the ASYO’s programming has proudly balanced symphonic masterworks with new music, including multiple commissions. The ASYO is a program of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), granting participants direct access to the ASO professionals in the form of sectionals, masterclasses and side-by-sides as well as use of the ASO’s Symphony Hall. The ASYO music director is also member of the ASO as a performer or associate conductor. When asked for his thoughts on 40 plus years as Conductor of the ASYO, Jere Flint says, “It’s thrilling to see something come alive, to watch the playing improve from week to week, to draw it all together for the performance, and to have fun doing it. Plus, this gives them a good opportunity to meet other musicians - their peers from other schools - and to play music together.” The ASYO represents 8th through 12th graders from over 20 metro area school districts with the 120 chairs auditioned from 400 applicants. ASYO students consistently perform in GMEA All-State ensembles and are accepted into national summer music programs. In 2022, more students were selected for the National Youth Orchestra from the ASYO than any other youth orchestra in the country. Thousands of alumni continue to represent the arts as performers, music educators, arts administrators, donors, and patrons. W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Performing Groups Big Shanty Intermediate School – Big Shanty Eagle Chorus The Eagle Chorus is a non-audition 4th and 5th grade Chorus from Big Shanty Intermediate in Kennesaw, GA. The director, Erika Brown, has been with the Eagle Chorus since 2006. Under her direction, the students have routinely earned high level scores at both GMEA LGPE events and at Elementary Music Festival and they are represented yearly at District XII 5th Honor Chorus and Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus. You can find the Eagle Chorus performing at various all over the community of Kennesaw and Marietta.

Buford High School Advanced Treble Ensemble The legacy of choral singing at Buford High School spans for decades and continues daily through the music of our four choirs: Bel Canto Chorale, Freshman Chorale, Tenor/Bass Chorus and the Advanced Treble Ensemble. The BHS Chamber Chorus is an auditioned group of 30 singers which meet daily and perform advanced music for the high school level. It is led by Mr. Taylor Greer, who is in his sixth year at Buford High School. BHS Advanced Treble members are annually involved in a variety of individual and group performances including regularly scheduled concerts, civic and community functions, seasonal performances, district Honor Chorus, district Large Group Performance Evaluation, All-State auditions, GHSA Literary Meet, and the annual Spring Variety Show, which has become a school and community tradition. Over the decades, our Choral Music Department has made four appearances at the GMEA In-Service Conference. The group has also been invited to perform at Piedmont Conservatory’s Lessons and Carols Service as the featured high school ensemble and in a collaborative concert with the Metro Youth Symphony Orchestra. They also were invited to sing in the London International Choral Festival in January 2024. The BHS Advanced Treble Ensemble has consistently received superior ratings at GMEA’s LGPE in performance and sight reading. In the past 30 years, BHS students have won 21 Region (19 consecutive) and 15 State team championships (13 consecutive – setting a new GHSA all-time record). Students from this group presently hold the state championship in Trio class 7A.

Cambridge High School Wind Ensemble Since its establishment in 2012, Cambridge Bands has proudly developed and maintained lasting traditions and spirit throughout the school and in our community which is so supportive of the arts. With our extraordinary feeder programs at Hopewell and Northwestern Middle Schools, we have built a strong foundation for future Cambridge Bands. Each year, we have the incredible opportunity to push our level of excellence and expectations even further. The curricular ensembles include Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. Our co-curricular offerings include a Jazz Program, Cambridge Indoor Drumline, and Winter Guard. In addition to our ensemble success, individual members of the Cambridge Band have been members for County, District, and All-State Honor Bands – as well as several local honor ensembles including the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, Rialto Jazz Ensemble, and many others.

Chattahoochee High School Chamber Orchestra Under the direction of Lori Buonamici, the Chattahoochee High School Chamber Orchestra has been recently making a name for itself in the greater Atlanta area. For the past 15 years, they have consistently earned Superior Ratings at the Georgia Music Educators Association’s Large Group Performance Evaluation in both Performance and Sight Reading. In the last two years they have given multiple “Giving Bach” concerts, an educational performance concept conceived by Richard Meyer where the students go to elementary schools and nursing homes, performing popular music and sharing details about each string instrument and its function in the orchestra. They have also performed at multiple elementary school fall festivals and spring carnivals. In April of 2023, the Chattahoochee Chamber Orchestra was invited to perform at the illustrious John’s Creek State of the Union Address given by the Mayor of John’s Creek, John Bradberry. They collaborated with the choral program, under the direction of Jennie Fabianski, and performed “God Bless America”. This year, the orchestra also commissioned and performed a world-premiere of Michael Hopkins’ full orchestra version of “Delube” with the Chattahoochee Mastery Band, under the direction of Nicholas Garofalo and Matt Crisman. 74

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2023

Performing Groups Chattahoochee High School Wind Ensemble The Chattahoochee Wind Ensemble has been consistently received top ratings at GMEA LGPE under the seventeen-year tenure of Nick Garofalo. The members of this audition-only group comprise the core of the Chattahoochee Band Program. Students from the Chattahoochee Wind Ensemble audition and receive placement every year in GMEA All State Band, The Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, The Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra, The Rialto Youth Jazz Orchestra, and several other local honor ensembles. Members of the Wind Ensemble actively combine their participation in concert band with a leadership role in the award-winning Chattahoochee Marching Band, Jazz Band, student-run chamber ensembles, The Chattahoochee High School Symphony Orchestra, and a great number of additional musical endeavors. Acceptance into the ensemble comes with the expectation that members will attend local concerts, audition for placement in the GMEA All State Band, and actively pursue private lessons to assist their playing. The musical culture of the students at Chattahoochee High School is the center of the band programs and is a true necessity for an ensemble to be as successful as it has been.

Collins Hill High School Percussion Ensemble The Collins Hill Percussion section is made up of two classes at the school. The Wind Symphony percussionists prepare for two percussion ensemble concerts every year in addition to their duties in band class. The percussion techniques class is made up of the younger students and is solely based on their needs. They prepare music in the spring and perform in the percussion ensemble concert. The percussion students perform in other ensembles as well including AYPE, AYSO, marching band and indoor drumline.

Columbus State University Schwob Philharmonic Orchestra Acknowledged as one of the finest ensembles in the Southeast, the Schwob Philharmonic Orchestra presents a rich diversity of orchestral repertoire under the direction of Maestro Paul Hostetter, the Ethel Foley Distinguished Chair in Orchestral Activities. The Philharmonic is comprised of undergraduate and graduate student instrumentalists drawn from 22 countries around the world and it regularly works with guest conductors such as Yoel Levi, David Lockington, Robert Spano, Nathalie Stutzmann, George del Gobbo, as well as guest soloists including international pianist Jon Kimura Parker, cellist Wendy Warner, Charlie Vernon (Bass Trombonist of the Chicago Symphony), Alexander Kobrin (Van Cliburn Gold Medalist), Henry Kramer (Avery Fischer Career Grant recipient), the French Horn section of the Metropolitan Opera, Marianne Gythfeldt (clarinet soloist), David Krause (Principal Trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera), and many others. The core repertoire of the Philharmonic spans a broad range of eras and styles. With a strong commitment to new music, the orchestra has premiered works by composers including Pulitzer Prize winner Lewis Spratlan, James Ogburn, Nathan Hudson, Jelani Surpris, and John Link. They have presented new works by women composers including Liliya Ugay, Unsuk Chin, Joan Tower, Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon, and Stacy Garrop. This is in addition to core repertory with recent performances of Copland’s Symphony No. 3, Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and Miraculous Mandarin, Ravel’s La valse, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Stravinsky’s Petrouchka, Symphonies by Hadyn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich, and choral works by Mozart, Orff, Bach, Honegger, and Vaughan Williams.

Dekalb School of The Arts - HighLeit HighLeit is the premiere mixed choral ensemble at the DeKalb School of the Arts. It is an auditioned ensemble comprised of 9th-12th grade students. It is a highly sought after performing choir in the Atlanta metro area. The group performs a wide variety of repertoire from classical choral music to vocal jazz. Members of this choir are consistently chosen to represent DSA at GMEA All-State Chorus and the Governor’s Honors Program. The group consistently receives superior ratings at the GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluations.

W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Performing Groups Denmark High School Chamber Choir The Denmark High School Chamber Choir is an auditioned group of singers from all grades. Formed in 2018 when Denmark High School, the Chamber Choir has had many wonderful concerts and successful LGPE performances. Members from this ensemble have won GHSA State Championships in Solo, Trio and Quartet.

Dodgen Middle School Chamber Orchestra The Dodgen Middle School Chamber Orchestra is a select group of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. Students audition in August for this extracurricular morning ensemble. The Chamber Orchestra rehearses three times a week before school for performances at the school and in the community. The Dodgen Chamber Orchestra performed with the Dodgen 8th Grade Orchestra at the 2011 and 2015 G.M.E.A. In-Service Conferences. The Chamber Orchestra performed alone at the 2018 G.M.E.A. In-Service Conference. In March 2017, the Dodgen Chamber Orchestra earned First Place—Middle School Division at the A.S.T.A. National Orchestra Festival. The Chamber Orchestra performed at the 2020 National Orchestra Festival in Orlando.

Georgia Southern University – Southern Chorale Southern Chorale is the premiere choral ensemble of Georgia Southern University and is directed by Dr. Shannon Jeffreys, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities. Southern Chorale’s membership draws from the most talented vocal students to provide a professional foundation for performance and choral music education majors and a meaningful musical experience for those University students who wish to continue to sing in an elite ensemble. This primarily undergraduate ensemble performs literature from all styles and periods with an emphasis on a cappella repertoire and masterworks with orchestra. In addition to numerous campus and community performances, Southern Chorale has appeared at conferences of the National Collegiate Choral Organization, American Choral Directors Association, and National Association for Music Education. This summer Chorale won the Sing Berlin! International Choral Competition and recently collaborated with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra performing Mendelssohn’s Elijah. The choir won significant prizes in the Anton Bruckner International Choral Competition in Linz, Austria in 2013 and months later earned the highest score given in Sing ‘N’ Joy International Competition and Festival, winning the Spiritual Category. During the summer of 2016, Chorale won the Grand Prize in the mixed category and the spirituals category at the Laurea Mundi, Budapest an in 2019, they earned a gold diploma in the Ave Verum ICC in Baden, Austria and Level I Certificate in the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf, Germany.

Georgia Spirit Barbershop Choir Georgia Spirit Barbershop Choir is a community formed group in the Northwest Georgia area that has existed for 14 years. They have competed at the Barbershop Mid-Winter Youth Chorus Festival 12 of the 14 years and have always come away with an excellent or outstanding score. Barbershop is a unique way of music arranging that draws students in with a wide variety of music styles.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2023

Performing Groups Georgia State University Trumpet Ensemble The GSU Trumpet Ensemble was founded by Dr. Alexander Freund in 2021 and established as an active course requirement within the GSU Trumpet Studio. The ensemble has since then united students from 3 continents; graduate students from the US, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador and Brazil, as well as Undergraduates from Georgia, Michigan and Canada. In 2023, the ensemble was selected to perform live at the National Trumpet Competition in Boulder, Colorado. Frequent performances at the GSU concert series, as the Brassapalooza Chamber music recital and the Christmas Gala have exposed the ensemble’s versatility and ambition for high quality music-making.

Jones Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Tenor Bass Choir Since its opening in 2004, Jones Middle School has boasted a vibrant choral program. While the school has always had strong opportunities for cambiata and tenor-bass singers, the choral department first began to offer curricular tenor-bass ensembles in 2022. The 7th and 8th grade Tenor-Bass Choir at Jones MS is made up of over sixty young men who meet during their daily Connections time. Most of them have participated in Chorus since the 6th grade. These students have consistently earned Superior ratings in both performance and sight reading at the District XIII Large Group Performance Evaluation. Many students also participate in the extracurricular JMS Elite Choir, the auditioned mixed ensemble at Jones Middle. The Jones Middle School choral department currently has over 500 middle school students enrolled in Chorus, offering several outstanding treble and tenor/bass choirs in each grade.

McIntosh High School Bella Voce Bella Voce is a group of auditioned 10th - 12th grade women from McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, GA. Bella Voce is a versatile group of 35 plus singers and regularly performs both formal choral literature and contemporary music. Bella Voce consistently receives superior ratings at GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation in both performance and sight-reading. As one of the top choirs in the choral program at MHS, Bella Voce has been recognized as an outstanding ensemble with many invitations to perform for special community events throughout the year. Students in this ensemble have been selected to participate in GMEA All State Chorus, GMEA District Honor Chorus, and the Governor’s Honors Program. Outside of Georgia, Bella Voce has performed throughout the Southeast, as well as New York City and Europe.

North Atlanta High School Philharmonic Orchestra The North Atlanta High School Philharmonic Orchestra was formed in the fall of 2011 when Stephen Lawrence came to North Atlanta High School. This ensemble consists of the most advanced students and represents a third of the complete orchestra program. In recent years students in this ensemble have participated in GMEA All-State Orchestra, Atlanta Public Schools Honor Orchestra, Spivey Hall Chamber Orchestra and other various honor ensembles. Ensembles have consistently earned superior ratings at GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation under Mr. Lawrence’s leadership.

W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Performing Groups North Gwinnett Middle School Orchestra North Gwinnett Middle School Orchestra has established a tradition of excellence since the school opened in August of 2009. The orchestra consistently receives Superior ratings at GMEA District 13 LGPE, was awarded the GMEA Exemplary Performance Award for the 2009-10 school year, 2014-15 school year and the GMEA Exemplary Program Award in 2017-18. NGMS Orchestras have been selected to perform at the Georgia In-service Conference in Savannah, January 2012, Midwest in December 2013, and Carnegie Hall in April of 2017. North Gwinnett MS is well represented at county, district and state events including, Kendall and GCYS Honor Orchestras (Gwinnett County), Solo and Ensemble, MYSO, ASYO, and All-State. Students are also active in playing for various school and community events, including marching in the Suwanee Day Parade and performing at the Governor’s Mansion. North Gwinnett Middle School is located in Sugar Hill, Georgia (Gwinnett County). School enrollment is approximately 2,200 with over three quarters of the population involved in orchestra, chorus, band or guitar. The orchestra program has over 550 students participating in grades 6-8. The orchestra benefits from an active community and parent presence as well as the on-going support of the faculty, staff and administration of North Gwinnett Middle School.

North Gwinnett Middle School Symphonic Band There are over 440 students currently enrolled in the band program at North Gwinnett Middle School. Bands from North Gwinnett Middle have earned superiors over the past 15 years in the Large Group Performance Evaluations sponsored by the Georgia Music Educators Association as well as earning superiors for the Seventh and Eighth Grade Jazz Bands in the GMEA Jazz Performance Evaluation. The North Gwinnett Eighth Grade Symphonic Band performed at the 2011 and 2016 University of Georgia Middle School Band Festival, the 2013 and 2016 GMEA In-Service Conference, the Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival in 2016 and 2019, 2023, and has commissioned five band pieces. Students have been selected to the GMEA District 13 Honor Bands, participated in Solo and Ensemble Performance Evaluation, and have been selected to the GMEA Middle School All-State Bands each year since the school opened. The NGMS Percussion Ensemble was selected to perform at the 2015 Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, part of the Music for All National Festival presented by Yamaha and performed at the GMEA In-Service Conference in 2017. The NGMS Fine Arts Department was recognized by GMEA as the “Music Program of the Year” for the state of Georgia for the 2017-2018 school year.

Northview High School Chamber Orchestra Northview Chamber Orchestra has performed at many prestigious venues across the United States and Europe. They have been invited to play at the Midwest Clinic in 2004, 2010, 2015, and most recently in 2022. We are most proud of our invitation to perform at GMEA in 2004, 2008, 2013 and 2017.

Northwestern Middle School 8th Grade Chorus The Northwestern Middle School 8th Grade Chorus, under the direction of Suzanne D. Grant, is a non-auditioned SAB choir. They regularly perform for the Milton Community and sing a variety of repertoire including traditional choral music, world music, jazz, pop and Broadway. They consistently receive superior ratings at GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluations. The Performing Arts Department consisting of Band, Chorus and Orchestra serves approximately 600 students, with just over 200 of those participating in chorus. Many of the chorus members have been selected to participate in All-State Chorus, ACDA National Honor Chorus, District Honor Chorus and Sixth Grade Statewide Honor Chorus. The 8th grade chorus is excited to perform for the 2024 GMEA In-Service Convention.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2023

Performing Groups Ola High School Guitar Ensemble The Ola High School Guitar Ensemble was founded in the Fall of 2020, in the middle of Covid at the start of the hybrid year. The students who established the program are now seniors. This concert shows how you can start from nothing and grow to excellence in four short years. The Guitar Ensembles at Ola High School are comprised of three different levels: beginners who start the year off with no experience, intermediate, and advanced musicians who are mastering their craft. The Ensembles have received an overall superior rating every year at Giocoso Guitar Day (Guitar LGPE) since their inception.

Orpheus Men’s Ensemble The Orpheus Men’s Ensemble of Georgia (OMEGA) is the premiere men’s chorus of North Georgia. This ensemble is composed primarily of music educators and church musicians from the metro Atlanta area and beyond. Collaboratively founded in 2015, the members share responsibilities within the ensemble, including repertoire selection, direction, finance, publicity and production. This model allows members to share their knowledge and diverse experiences with the ensemble, allowing for “masterclass” sessions at each rehearsal and performance. Orpheus offers several concerts annually, typically hosted by churches and colleges in North Georgia. Many of the singers are members of professional organizations, including NAfME, GMEA, and ACDA. Members have served in leadership positions in these organizations, including serving as President and other offices of Georgia ACDA, District and State Choral Chairs of GMEA, Organizers of GMEA All State and District Choral events, conductor/clinicians for GMEA District Choruses and other leadership opportunities. Several members have had their ensembles selected to perform at Georgia ACDA State conferences, the GMEA In-Service Conference, and ACDA Regional Conferences and members consistently send students to All State Chorus, All State Reading Chorus and the Governor’s Honors Program for Voice. Recently, Orpheus has been featured on several music conference programs, including the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference (2019), the Georgia chapter of the American Choral Directors Association State Conference (2021) and the American Choral Directors Association Southern Regional Conference in Raleigh, NC (2022).

Pace Performers – Kay R. Pace Elementary School of the Arts

straight superiors in performance as well as sight reading.

Pace Performers is the premier performance choir from Kay Pace Elementary School of the Arts. The school was founded in Jonesboro, Georgia in 2018. Pace Performers consists of students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades who meet weekly after school to rehearse. The choir has appeared as a special guest for Stilwell School of the Arts. They have performed at the Atlanta Hawks, Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, as well as various other locations around the community. They were also invited to perform for the 2020 GMEA Elementary Statewide Honor Chorus. Pace Performers received first place in the Festival’s Edge Music in the Parks Treble Choir Elementary division competition. In 2023, Pace attended their first Large Group Performance Evaluation. They received

Parkview High School Wind Ensemble The Band Program at Parkview High School has a rich tradition and heritage of performance excellence! From our first band in 1976, there has always been something extraordinary about the musicians and leadership of this inspiring program. Our vision is to spread kindness through our school and community using the power of music. Our mission is to provide our students with life-changing learning opportunities, and the opportunity to develop their character, identity, and leadership through creating, learning, and performing music at the highest level in a respectful learning environment.

W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Performing Groups Pope High School Wind Symphony The Pope High School Band Program is comprised of three concert bands, two jazz bands, marching band, percussion and chamber music ensembles, and a vibrant color guard and winter guard program. The Pope High School Marching Band was named a recipient of the prestigious Sudler Shield of Marching Excellence by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The Pope High School Wind Symphony has had a rich tradition of excellence, performing at the GMEA In-Service Conference, Music for All National Concert Band Festival, University of Georgia ‘JanFest’, and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Honor Band Festival in the recent past.

Rainey McCullers School of the Arts – Rainey Singers The Rainey Singers were founded in the 2021-2022 school year. They earned the honor of singing for the State Super Intendents meeting in June of 2022 and the Georgia Legislators in December of 2022. The Rainey Singers have earned straight Superiors at both of their showings at LGPE. They won the Grand Champion Award at the Southern Star Music Festival in Atlanta in April of 2023.

Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts Advanced Guitar Ensemble Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts is a fine arts academy and full magnet school within Muscogee County School District in Columbus, GA, serving students in grades 6-12. The RMSA Classical Guitar Studio offers students the opportunity to engage in a progressively sequenced and vertically aligned multi-year course of study in guitar. Rainey-McCullers Advanced Guitar Ensemble students have participated in the GMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble, conducted virtually for 2020-21 and 2021-22. Based on their performances in these events, three outstanding RMSA guitar students were invited to participate in a special US-wide virtual ensemble, bringing 36 students from more than a dozen state MEA’s together into collaboration with recent Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition winner, Bokung Byun, for a premier of a new work written by composer Joanna McDonald, which was aired in November of 2022. As soloists, RMSA guitar students have been recognized in state and local performance events, most recently taking top prizes in middle and high school divisions of the 2023 Troy University Guitar Festival and Competition.

Reese Road Leadership Academy Guitar Club and Singers Welcome to Guitar Club, the guitar ensemble of Reese Road Leadership Academy! Comprised of talented 4th and 5th graders, we are a group of young musicians who share a passion for guitars and a love for playing the songs we adore. Guitar Club is a vibrant and exciting place where we come together to learn, grow, and have fun. As the only elementary guitar ensemble in our school district, we take pride in our unique musical journey. By encouraging our members to take on leadership roles within the ensemble, we instill qualities such as responsibility, organization, and mentorship. These skills not only benefit our members during their time in Guitar Club but also lay a strong foundation for their future endeavors. In our sessions, we create a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone feels encouraged to share their ideas and learn from one another. Lead by Dr. Ines Thome, our passionate music teacher, we not only focus on the foundations of guitar playing and musicianship, but also on teamwork and leadership skills. Our Roadrunner Music Ensemble is a dynamic group that pushes boundaries with innovative arrangements. Combining the melodic sounds of guitar and ukulele, the rhythmic beats of Orff and percussion, and the captivating performances of singers and dancers, we create a musical experience that delights audiences (and performers) with its creativity and vibrancy.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2023

Performing Groups River Trail Middle School Symphonic Band The band program at River Trail is under the direction of Jennifer Compton Lambert. Currently, there are 310 students in the band program. River Trail Band students participate in GMEA Solo and Ensemble, District V Honor Band, All State Band, MidFest at the University of Georgia, and the Middle School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. The River Trail Bands have consistently earned superior ratings at GMEA District V Large Group Performance Evaluation. The River Trail Symphonic Band has performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association InService Conference 2010, 2019, 2024, the University of Georgia Middle School Band Festival 2011, 2023, the Music for All National Festival 2013, and the Reinhardt University Middle School Honor Band Clinic 2018. In 2011 and 2018, the River Trail Symphonic Band received the Exemplary Performance Award from the Georgia Music Educators Association.

Sounds of Bryant Orff Ensemble Created in the 2021-2022 academic year by Ms. Tiphanie McClenton, the Sounds of Bryant Orff Ensemble is comprised of fourth and fifth graders. Students play a variety of instruments and genres of music. The Sounds of Bryant perform at numerous school events and in the community and surrounding areas. As of 2023, the Sounds of Bryant completed their first festival performance, receiving a unanimous gold (superior) rating at the Southern Star Music Festival.

Sprayberry High School Bella Voce Bella Voce is one of Sprayberry High School’s advanced choral ensembles. This treble choir is comprised of students that have had multiple years of high school choir experience, and they perform at all choral concerts that occur throughout Sprayberry’s calendar year. The choral ensembles of Sprayberry High School, including Bella Voce, consistently receive superior ratings at the GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluations, competitions and festivals. In 2022, Bella Voce received the 2nd Place prize in the Treble Choir category of the Southern Invitational Choral Competition and Festival at Georgia Southern University. Members of the Sprayberry Choral Program represent Sprayberry High School and the Cobb County School District at state and district wide events such as the District 12 Honor Chorus, Georgia All-State Chorus, the GHSA Literary Meet, and many other choral events.

Tara Winds Tara Winds is an all-adult symphonic band with membership ranging from college students and first year teachers to retired music educators. The culture of the organization is to promote an environment of musical excellence for networking, mentoring, and collaboration. Tara Winds believes that music enhances the lives of adults and children through the transforming power of great music and that it changes our perspective, to see the world artistically differently. The mission of the organization is to present the world’s finest symphonic band music with passionate and engaging concerts at the highest level of professional standards and provide educational programs and opportunities for young aspiring musicians. The desired outcome of the ensemble is to provide concert experiences that are meaningful, creative, moving, and enjoyable for everyone. “Music: Enjoyment for All Ages” is the motto of Tara Winds to inspire the community with excellence in musical performance. More information can be found at http:// tarawinds.org.

W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

Performing Groups University of West Georgia Chamber Singers The University of West Georgia Chamber Singers is the premier choral ensemble at UWG. The singers perform a cappella music from Renaissance madrigals to contemporary pop and are known for their exciting and energetic performances of African American spirituals. Comprised of both music majors and non-music majors, the Chamber Singers support UWG life by performing for campus events and regularly tour Georgia promoting the university.

Valdosta High School Jazz Ensemble The Valdosta High School Jazz Ensemble is under the direction of Assistant Director of Bands, Mr. Andrew Hill. The band was reorganized by Mr. Hill in 2004 with a focus on the authenticity of jazz music. Over the years, the VHS Jazz Ensemble quickly gained notoriety for their mature, authentic big band sound. The VHS Jazz Ensemble has consistently received rave reviews from festival performances local, state, and regional. These festivals include the Abraham Baldwin College Jazz Festival, The Valdosta State University Titletown Jazz Festival, The Waycross Jazz Festival where they have consecutively received superior ratings, and the 2023 Essentially Ellington Regional Jazz Festival in Nashville, TN at Tennessee State University where they received special recognition for superior musicianship, soloists, and band. In addition to festival performances, the VHS Jazz Ensemble frequently has members who make the GMEA All State Jazz Band. 2023 was one of those years with a representative on 3rd trombone. The VHS Jazz Ensemble has served in the community and local communities with performances such as the Annual Wild Adventures Theme Park Grand Openings, the Valdosta Brown Bag Lunch Concert Series, the Valdosta Workers Luncheons, the Valdosta and Lowndes Teacher Retirement Luncheons, the Valdosta City Schools Teacher Retirement Breakfasts, the Valdosta Country Club Habitat For Humanity Fundraiser Galas, the Indigo Life Magazine Black Tie Galas in Cordele, GA, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Banquets in Tifton, GA.

Villa Rica High School Symphonic Band The Villa Rica High School Band has maintained a tradition of excellence since its inception. Led by R. Kevin Brown, this extraordinary group of young musicians embodies the spirit of dedication, hard work, and the VRHS motto of being “Better Today Than Yesterday.” The Villa Rica High School band curriculum consists of two concert ensembles, jazz band, marching band, winterguard, and numerous chamber ensembles. Students participate in Large Group Performance Evaluation, Jazz Performance Evaluation, Solo and Ensemble, and other chamber ensemble events throughout the year. The Villa Rica High School Symphonic Band consists of 56 members. The ensemble has earned consistent superior ratings at LGPE. Several members of this ensemble have earned placement in the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) District 7 Honor Band and the All-State Band. The Symphonic Band Trumpet Sextet and Saxophone Sextet performed at the 2022 GMEA In-Service Conference. Most recently, the Trombone Sextet performed at the 2023 GMEA In-Service Conference. Students in this ensemble have earned placement in independent youth ensembles such as the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony. The Villa Rica High School Band program is very fortunate to have a Private Lesson Institute with a team of devoted and talented teacher artists that enhance the performance skills of several musicians in the entire band program. This is made possible through the support of our booster organization. The VRHS Band program is also extremely well-supported by the local and county administration. Carroll County School System is committed to providing premier opportunities and cherished memories for these young musicians.

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2023

Performing Groups Walton High School Percussion Ensemble The Walton Marching Band has performed in the Macy’s Parade, three times in the Tournament of Roses Parade, twice in the Waikiki Holiday Parade, the National Cherry Blossom Parade and is a perennial Bands of America (BOA) Regional Finalist and three-time BOA Grand National Semi-Finalist. The band was named was named Regional Champion at the 2021 BOA Powder Springs Regional and Class AAAA Champion at the 2022 BOA North Carolina Regional. The Walton Band was awarded the Sudler Shield by the John Philip Sousa Foundation in 2009. The Walton Symphonic I Band performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) Conference in 2011, and the Symphony Orchestra performed at the Midwest Clinic in 2012. The Wind Symphony was invited to the 2020 Music for All (MFA) Southeastern Concert Festival at Georgia State University and performed virtually at the rescheduled event in 2021. The Symphonic Band performed for the 2022 MFA Southeastern Concert Festival at Georgia State University. The Wind Symphony gave a virtual conference performance for the 2021 GMEA Conference and performed live for the event in 2022. The Wind Symphony performed for the University of Georgia JanFest in 2023. The Walton Percussion Ensemble has presented an annual “Evening of Percussion” since 2012, with the exception of the pandemic, and has performed for the Lassiter Percussion Ensemble Symposium and the Southeastern Percussion Ensemble Symposium. The percussion ensemble was also featured in the Wind Symphony concerts for the 2021 MFA Southeastern Concert Festival and the 2021 & 2022 GMEA Inservice Conferences.

Westlake High School Jazz Band Introducing the Westlake High School Jazz Band, a dynamic and talented group of young musicians led by the director, Cedric Young. With a rich tradition of excellence, this ensemble has entertained audiences at school, community events, and jazz festivals. In December 2022, the Westlake High School Jazz Band performed on the Good Day Atlanta “Marines Toys for Tots” morning show. In 2023, the Westlake High School Jazz Band reached new heights, earning a prestigious invitation to the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Regional High School Festival held at Tennessee State University. The Westlake High School Jazz Band has also performed at the renowned Atlanta Jazz Festival. Diversity is the hallmark of the Westlake High School Jazz Band’s repertoire. They delve into various jazz styles, navigating the intricacies of swing, bebop, Latin jazz, and fusion. Their versatility and ability to transition between genres demonstrate the band’s musicianship and adaptability. Unique collaborations with professional jazz vocalists and instrumentalists add more sophistication to the Westlake High School Jazz Band’s performances. Under the guidance of the director, Cedric Young, the Westlake High School Jazz Band has flourished within the Atlanta jazz community. The Westlake High School Jazz Band is a musical ensemble and a source of inspiration and pride for the Westlake community. Prepare to be entertained by the Westlake High School Jazz Band.

W I N T E R 2023 | G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S

"The future of music may not lie entirely in music itself, but rather in the way it encourages and extends, rather than limits the aspirations and ideals of the people, in the way it makes itself a part with the finer things that humanity does and dreams of."

G E O R G I A M U S I C N E W S | W I N T E R 2023

-Charles Ives