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Elementary Music Highlights at the Upcoming NJMEA Conference - Amy M. Burns
Elementary Music Highlights at the Upcoming NJMEA Conference
Amy M. Burns Far Hills Country School aburns[at]fhcds.org
I am so excited to announce that the Thursday Elementary Academy will feature two amazing presenters: Franklin Willis (https://www.fwillismusic.com/) and Dr. Missy Strong (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ missystrong)! These two names are staples in the elementary music education world. Their sessions, podcasts, books, and more, have been used by music educators from around the world.
Please join us from February 23-25, 2023 at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, NJ!
Franklin Willis
Franklin Willis of F. Willis Music has been an educator, author, and leader in music education for over a decade. A three-time CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence (’16, ’18, ’19), Franklin is a trailblazer and catalyst for change in the music education space. A former Elementary Music Coach for Metro Nashville Public Schools, he assisted educators with instructional support and resources to enhance their classrooms. This includes shepherding colleagues and teachers through the reality’s students are faced with around equity, inclusion, and racism. Through his work, he has helped music educators develop a passion that helps them see the best in each child. Willis believes that music education is a vital tool to teach students about other cultures, create community, and inspire a love for learning. He uses his network to provide opportunities for students to utilize their passion for music for all to see. This includes producing music videos and stadium performances at CMA Fest, a four-day music festival in Nashville TN.
Willis has created and taught numerous music educators in various professional development settings. His workshops focus on the importance of music education in our schools as well as developing curriculum that will lead to higher engagement from students. In his new post as Community Impact Director with the CMA Foundation, he paves the way for students to experience equitable access to opportunities in the music industry beyond the classroom. Willis specializes in authentic culturally relevant teaching, empowering student contributions, and finds joy in supporting teachers to reach their full capacity.
Willis has authored numerous teaching materials from his interactive ebooks and paperback books published by F-flat books. He contributed to Party on the Playground Bundle, Lift Every Voice and Sing, and wrote Edward’s Rhythm Sticks, Edward’s Rhythm Sticks Teaching Guide, and his most recent, More Than A Music Teacher, all available from F-flat books (https://fflat-books.com/). He also is a part of Prince Rhythm Company (https://princerhythmcompany.com/), which sells apparel with a message for music advocates, and has a Teachers Pay Teachers store (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/F-Willis-Music).
Franklin’s Sessions
Franklin Willis is presenting three sessions on the Thursday Elementary Music Academy Day. His sessions include the following: • Make The Rhythm Sticks Groove! This session focuses on groovin’ activities with Willis. It will include activities to strengthen students’ rhythm reading, enhance their coordination, and promote active movement. • Books, Beats, and Brilliance – This session shows how to explore children’s books and beats into the elementary music curriculum, while honoring the brilliance of student musicians. • Teach Me About Hip Hop – This session gives educators ideas and provides solutions on how to utilize Hip Hop music to enhance student engagement and cultural relevance in the elementary music classroom. The participants will also learn about the historical context in which Hip Hop was created and how that relates to students today. At the conclusion of the session, teachers will be encouraged to practice the strategies and ideas presented to create more diverse, inclusive classrooms that value the importance of Hip Hop music.
Dr. Missy Strong
Dr. Missy Strong has been teaching music to students in PreK through grade 8 since 1995. She is an elementary general and vocal specialist in the Mt. Laurel, NJ public school district and has been teaching there since 1999. She is also the 2023 NJMEA Master Music Teacher Award recipient!
Strong is known as a lead music educator and clinician in NJ, as well as around the country and world. She has given numerous workshops on how to integrate a variety of techniques and folk dancing into the music classroom, as well as how the understanding of neuroscience assists with young children learning music.
Strong’s podcast, Music Ed Amplified (https://musicedamplified.blubrry.net/) focuses about real life music teaching. She shares the joys and
challenges on her new path of working to create an anti-bias, anti-racist, anti-ableist classroom in which all students are seen, heard, valued, and celebrated. She also strives to amplify the important voices of BIPOC and disabled experts in the field of music education and beyond.
You can join her Facebook group, “Music Ed with Missy” and follow her on Instagram as she supports and encourages music educators from around the world. She shares free activities, resources, and ideas to help students and teachers experience more music, joy, justice, and genuine connection. She also has a YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube. com/c/MusicEdwithMissy) which features her Move Along videos and activities.
However, Strong’s Buy Me a Coffee site membership, along with all of her sales on her Teachers Pay Teachers site (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Music-Ed-With-Missy) fund honorariums for her podcast’s BIPOC and disabled guests. These sites also have a wealth of wonderful lessons, materials, resources, and activities for music educators to use in their classrooms.
Missy’s Session
Dr. Missy Strong will be presenting a session on Thursday titled, “Folk Dancing with a Twist: Adding modern music to your folk dance repertoire.” She will have us moving to some beloved folk dances using Pop, R & B, Disco, and Hip Hop. Adding different genres to the existing repertoire builds fun, engagement, and buy-in to folk dancing, which is already rich in authentic musical opportunities. You will leave the session ready to use these folk dances in your classroom right away.
As you stay for the remainder of the conference on Friday and Saturday, we have some amazing elementary music sessions by fabulous presenters. Here is a list of presenters that are scheduled to present sessions focused on elementary topics. However, please note that schedules are subject to change and the following list might have changed when this went to print. In addition, there are more presenters at the conference than the ones listed below.
Kaitlyn Reiser, Angela Guerriero, Sarah Perry, Vanessa L. Bond, Hayley Ashe, Amanda Newell, Amy Paz, Latasha Casterlow-Lalla, Gillian Desmarais, Steve Giddings, Lisa Wichman, Laura Koulish, Warren Gramm, Michele Hobizal, Ashley Cuthbertson, Jennifer Jenkins, Cody Messersmith, Edward M. Easse, Ashley Ferrara, Brian Wagner-Yeung, Mark Richardson, María Mercedes, Lauren DeLago, Shawna Longo, Graeme Winder, Mark Filoramo, Michelle Gergich, Robin Giebelhausen, Ær Queen, Dr. Marshaun R. Hymon, and many more!
These Friday and Saturday sessions include the following topics. These topics are subject to change and there will be more than just these topics: folk songs, song repertoire, routine songs, ritual songs, music literacy, special music education, teaching students with disabilities, incorporating play in music class, music technology apps, music production, ukuleles, recorders, classroom management, beatboxing, matching pitch, using popular music in class, tried and true favorites of kindergarten music class, bilingual poetry and songs, accessible learning environment, culturally responsive music education, protest music, goal setting, props in music class, solfege, audiation, female composers, gender inclusivity, and many more!
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