Check Out Our Sessions for IMES 2025!

In this session, participants will learn about the benefits, strategies, and logistics for regularly and effectively using small group instruction, centers, and independent practice time in their upper elementary or middle school general music classroom. This presentation will especially focus on incorporating instruments as a way to foster independent musicianship. First, I will present an overview of the logistics of building a classroom environment that fosters independent and small group learning. Then I will share various activities and strategies so that participants can see real life examples of what these practices look like during class time.

Teaching elementary music is a deeply rewarding profession, but the demands of lesson planning, performances, classroom management, and administrative tasks can lead to stress and burnout. Maintaining one's mental health is essential—not only for teachers’ well-being but also for the success and engagement of their students.

What happens when students take the lead in the creative process? This session explores a student-driven approach to music-making that empowers learners to engage with their community, tell meaningful stories, and compose original music—all while developing essential musical and creative skills.

This presentation advocates for a practical, sound-first approach to rhythmic teaching in ensemble rehearsals, emphasizing the importance of a consistent syllable system for fostering rhythm literacy. The overabundance of rhythmic teaching methods and the lack of a standardized system can confuse both conductor-teachers and students.

In a 1959 Esquire article, writer Ralph Ellison stated that “the jam session is…the jazzman’s true academy, ” referring to the legendary jam sessions at Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem during the early 1940s. Ellison explained that at the time, jam sessions were where jazz musicians learned “tradition, group techniques, and style.” Jam sessions have continued to exist since then and have branched out into other styles, like blues, classic rock, and funk, but are now better known as “open jams.” But unlike jazz in the 1940s, musicians can now learn popular music at a school.

In this session, you will explore how elementary music educators can support students’ mental health—no background in music therapy required. Music class naturally provides opportunities for self-expression, stress relief, and social connection, all of which can positively impact students' emotional well-being.

This session will focus on simple, p

I will be sharing character education choral music that I composed and created for the Be Kind Children's Choir on Youtube. My songs have been produced and arranged by Masa Fukuda, director of One Voice Children's Choir, the most watched children's choir on Youtube with over a billion views. Over the past 6 years, Masa Fukuda has produced/recorded 25 of my original songs, My session is to inspire other music teachers, to give them choral repertoire choices that will raise students' self-esteem, give hope, nurture kindness/leadership, and encourage young people to make a positive change in the world.

A Winning Ensemble Program is all about the importance of student-run ensembles in your music program. The focus will be on students leading their ensembles from finding members, deciding what instruments they’ll be playing or singing/rapping, deciding what music to learn, obtaining or writing their parts, running rehearsals, and lining up performances. Meanwhile the teacher is merely a coach on the sideline guiding and answering questions when necessary.

Orff Schulwerk, and Global Citizenship Education are holistic approaches that are inclusive and transformational. Through integrative experiences, students develop skills and strategies that foster a sense of belonging to a common humanity through empathy, communication, and collaboration. Global Citizenship Education is the foundation for our 21st century curriculum and should be integrated into all learning. Planning and implementing an integrated approach to Global Citizenship Education through the Orff Approach can feel overwhelming. This session will guide participants in planning and implementing an arts integrated approach to UNESCO's Sustainable Development Goal #16 Peace using the Orff media - singing, playing, moving, and playing.

Bring the exciting music of Southeast Asia to your classroom this year! In this session, you will explore songs and instruments from a variety of Southeast Asian countries. Discover ways to bring this music into your classroom through culturally informed teaching strategies.

You got the job! Now, how can you tackle everything that goes with it? Lesson planning, grading, IEPs, 504s, teacher evaluation, concerts, data, and more! With one prep a day, does it feel like there isn’t enough time for it all? This session will focus on tips and tricks for streamlining all of this work so that you will be able to focus on creating engaging lessons. Time management and organizational strategies will be discussed, with specific examples related to the music classroom.

In this session, K-12 music educators will gain clarity about what culturally responsive music education is (and what it is not) by exploring the most common misconceptions and key components of the framework for Culturally Responsive Music Education as well as practical strategies for implementation.

Are you ready to take your conducting skills to the next level? This engaging session will provide wind band conductors—whether seasoned professionals or emerging leaders—with essential tools to approach score study with clarity and confidence.

Since COVID, music teachers have utilized a variety of technologies in their classrooms. Sometimes the technology works great, and sometimes it’s a disaster, leading the music teacher to drop the technology altogether. There are always ways that technology can be used in every music classroom to make teaching more efficient, effective, and engaging for students and educators. This session will help music educators understand some ways in which technology can help streamline and organize their teaching and complement lessons to maximize student learning in any music classroom, from elementary general music through high school ensembles.

Join us for an insightful and engaging presentation that delves into the powerful intersection of hip hop culture, neurodivergence, and music education. This session aims to explore how hip hop can serve as a transformative tool for engaging neurodivergent learners, fostering creativity, expression, and social connection. With its rich cultural roots and dynamic, expressive nature, hip hop has proven to be an inclusive medium that resonates with diverse learners, including those with autism, ADHD, and other neurodivergent traits. This presentation is ideal for music educators, special education professionals, art therapists, and those working with neurodivergent individuals.

Today’s music classroom is becoming increasingly diverse at the same time when teacher's available resources and planning time is becoming more and more stretched. This workshop will help teachers discover many easy and fun ways to add diverse, multicultural and multilingual music to their classroom studies. Without requiring teachers to spend hours researching world cultures and finding authentic resources, we will look into many ways to bring these valuable and valued world music traditions into music class in a way that is respectful and meaningful…and also fun and educational.

Many music teachers are becoming increasingly overwhelmed due to a greater focus on student testing, post-pandemic pressures, and a greater need to attend to student and teacher mental health. Therefore, it is vital for music teachers to take a step back and determine what they believe and how they can best utilize their time and resources. One way that has worked for me is to streamline my program by focusing on the program’s mission, vision, and identity. It is important to realize what is essential to the success of the program and what is extraneous.

Teaching recorder is an acquired taste, but a lot of it depends on your approach. If you hate teaching recorder, have you stopped to think that maybe it isn’t the kids that are making it so difficult, but rather your approach? If that hurts a bit to hear, then maybe you are in the right place! In this session, you will experience new ways to teach recorder without headaches. I will give you classroom management techniques for larger classes, instrument options for differentiation, lesson plan ideas, and so much more!

When directors rehearse their ensembles, they assess a sea of information: pitch, intonation, posture, rhythms, and much more. After the cut-off, what is the first thing to address? In this session, Dr. Russell Greene will share research on how expert band directors evaluate performances and what novice teachers can do to avoid common distractors.

As music educators, we shape not only the musical skills of our students but also their understanding of the world. Our classrooms have the potential to be spaces of inclusion, critical thinking, and social responsibility. This workshop will explore how Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) can be meaningfully integrated into music education—not just through socially conscious repertoire, but in the way we present, discuss, and engage with music.

The music classroom can easily be an environment that provides multiple ways for all students to have access to high-quality music-making. While focusing on engaging students who have higher support needs, the same strategies can be used to enhance learning for everyone at the same time. By incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL), task analysis, assistive technology, multisensory learning, and a strength-based model - participants will see how ALL students can find success musically.

"Creating a Supportive Classroom Environment" is a pedagogical presentation designed to empower music educators with strategies for fostering inclusive and engaging learning spaces. This session highlights the essential role of the teacher in shaping a culturally responsive classroom, beginning with the concepts of being "Culturally Caring," which explores building strong student-teacher relationships and proactive behavior management through culturally affirming practices. "Curricular Choices" delves into auditing and replacing problematic repertoire, equipping educators with frameworks and resources to select authentic, culturally respectful music.

In this session, we will explore a growing challenge within the music education community: the difficulty faced by schools that wish to expand their course offerings but are unable or unwilling to hire additional faculty. We will discuss strategies for effectively managing the responsibilities of two positions within the time, space, and compensation constraints of one individual. While this may seem daunting, it is entirely achievable and can lead to rewarding outcomes.

The session will explore innovative ways to incorporate AI tools into your music classroom to enhance teaching, creativity, and student engagement. The session will highlight AI tools such as ChatGPT, Deep AI, and other AI Tools that can be used for music education. The session will begin by demonstrating how to access each tool and the basics they work. The session will provide examples of how each tool can be used for lesson planning, music analysis, composition, and personalized learning, saving time while enriching student experiences.

This session explores the process and essential considerations involved in composing and arranging for concert band, aimed at both novice and experienced educators. It begins with reflective questions to engage participants in thinking about their own teaching contexts and experience with composition. Attendees will explore the many benefits of composing, including fostering a deeper connection between conductor and ensemble, learning instrumental tendencies and techniques, and enriching the educational experience for students.

This session explores how AI may reshape music curricula, transform teaching roles, and prepare student for an AI-integrated music industry. Discover crucial ethical considerations and best practices for navigating this technological frontier while gaining valuable insights into future-proofing your educational strategies. Equip yourself with the knowledge to thrive in an AI-enhanced musical landscape.

Many music teachers are now finding themselves assigned to teaching classes that they have never taught before and for which they have few or no resources. There has also been a sharp increase in the number of social media posts where middle and high school music teachers are asking for ideas for teaching general music and music appreciation classes.

In this session, you will discover the transformative power of three dynamic keys to revolutionize how you teach music theory! The Ultimate Music Theory Revolution empowers educators to seamlessly blend rapid student learning with income growth without adding a beat to their teaching time.