Created for school orchestra and band instructors and pre-service music education students, and open to all music teachers. Bring your instrument and play in a lab ensemble as veteran colleagues present repertoire at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, discussing how and why each piece works with students and sharing rehearsal techniques that get them through it. Dinner and time to talk shop are included.
Register · $25Presenters lead a lab ensemble, made up of you and your colleagues, through pieces at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.
For each piece: what it teaches, where students struggle, and why it earned a place on the list.
Rehearsal strategies and scaffolding you can use with your own ensemble the next morning.
Dinner is included. The conversation between teachers is half the point.
Middle and high school band directors, orchestra teachers, elementary and general music teachers who run ensembles, pre-service music education students, and studio teachers who want to see how experienced directors choose and teach repertoire. Bring your instrument and play in the lab ensemble, or come and observe.
An annotated repertoire list with level and teaching points for each piece, rehearsal techniques you can use the next morning, a room of colleagues who do what you do, and dinner. October's orchestra session sent teachers home with a "Top 30" annotated list; February's band list will work the same way.
The band repertoire list will be announced closer to the session and sent to registrants before the event. Additional presenters may be added.
Mark taught music in Madison schools for more than 25 years, retiring as Orchestra and Band Director at Madison East High School. A founding director of the Madison Wind Ensemble and the Madison All-City Honor Band, he now directs the Madison New Horizons Band and holds music education degrees from UW–Madison.
Concert Orchestra Conductor since 2000, Christine has taught band and instrumental music in Madison since 1997 and has served as a WSMA judge and clinician. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from UW–Madison.
A former Alabama Symphony bassoonist, Andrew taught high school orchestra in Elkhart, Indiana, served as Music Director of the Alabama Youth Symphony, and was most recently Superintendent of the McFarland School District. He holds music degrees from Indiana University and Temple University and a PhD in Educational Leadership from UW–Madison.
Steve Kurr and Carl Davick led a lab orchestra through Night Shift (Meyer), Pepperoni Pizza Rock (Balmages), Legend (O'Fallon) and The Pinery Boy, with Mark Saltzman and Michelle Kaebisch. Teachers came from as far as Milwaukee.
“More of these sessions would be great! This is the type of PD music teachers want!!”
“Learning rehearsal techniques, seeing teaching from others' perspective to see how others scaffold and strategize.”
“It was great to have pro teachers share their tricks and new rep. I'm always looking for more ideas + inspiration.”
$25 covers the session and dinner. Tell us your instrument and whether you'd like to play or observe, and we'll have a seat and a folder ready. Doors open at 5:00. Park in the WYSO lot (the second lot east of the building; next door is Avis) or on the streets of the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood behind us.
