Elementary And Early Childhood Sessions At NJMEA! , Amy Burns

Amy Burns Far Hills Country Day School aburns@fhcds.org

As an NJ elementary and early childhood music educator, I am so excited to see the featured presenters, and the numerous local elementary and early childhood music educators, listed to present at NJMEA this year. As you might have seen on the cover and in the pages of the October issue of Tempo, Denise Gagne, The Amidons, and Dr. John Feierabend are all featured presenters at NJMEA this year. Denise is the author of Musicplay, which is a curriculum for grades preschool through six that in addition to the written materials, hosts a terrific online supplemental program that has numerous fieldtested resources. The Amidons are contributors of the popular New England Dancing Masters Series, as well as numerous music books and recordings. Dr. Feierabend is the author of the First Steps in Music series and Conversational Solfege, both are research-based, field-tested approaches to helping students to become tuneful, beatful, artful, as well as teaching students to decode, read, and create music.

In addition to these wonderful featured presenters, there are numerous sessions that elementary and early childhood music educators can attend to learn something new or rejuvenate their teaching. The list of sessions is found on NJMEA’s website (https://njmea.org/wp-content/ uploads/sites/3/2019/11/SessionsPerformances.pdf). I read through the descriptions and did my best to categorize them for early childhood music educators, elementary general music educators, and elementary choral educators. The categories are as follows:

• John Feierabend’s Sessions • Denise Gagne’s Sessions • Sessions Focused on Movement/

Dance in Elementary and Early

Childhood Music • Sessions focused on Elementary

Choral Reading and Elementary

Choirs • Sessions Focused on Elementary

Recorder • Sessions Focused on Special

Learners in Elementary Music: • Sessions Focused on Early

Childhood and Preschool: • Sessions Focused on Elementary

Songs and Games • Sessions Focused on Music

Literacy, Improvisation, and

Composition • Orff Schulwerk Sessions for

Younger to Older Elementary

Grades • Little Kids Rock Sessions • Music Technology Integration in the Elementary Music

Classroom • Mindfulness/SEL/The Whole

Musician in Elementary Music • Jazz and Elementary Music • Global Connections and

Elementary Music • Cross-Curricular Connections in Elementary Music: • Urban Elementary Music

Education: • Other Sessions Featuring

Elementary Music

Since the list of sessions can change before the conference, I have created this link found at http://bit. ly/34KTmTZ that have all of the current titles listed beneath the categories, so that I can make necessary changes as they occur. In addition, if you are a presenter and I have mistakenly left your session off this categorized list, please contact me at amywillisburns@gmail.com and I will update the list.

It will be a very exciting conference for NJ early childhood and elementary music educators!

Here's your chance to conduct some of New Jersey's finest young choral musicians.

Current NAfME members in good standing. New Jersey Choral Educators.

1) Submit a video of your Choral Conducting not to exceed 12 minutes or FIVE Selections (Please include a list of these selections). For suggested Conducting example choices, please consult the NJ-ACDA High School Required Repertoire list on the All-State Choir Audition Page of www.NJMEA.org

2) A Proposed Mixed or Treble Chorus program not to exceed 35 minutes of music. Find Past NJ All State MIXED Chorus programs at www.rhschoirs.net

3) Your resume and a letter of intent which states why you feel you are the best candidate for this position.

Helen Stanley, Selection Committee Chairperson 540 West Avenue, Pitman, NJ 08071 Or submit your video and material via email hstanley326@comcast.net

Please use your best judgment when submitting materials for consideration. Do NOT include CD’s or MP3’s only send DVDs, Flash Drives, or digital videos files. Please TYPE all materials – letter of intent, program and resume.

We need to see you conduct, so make sure your video includes considerable evidence of your conducting! The panel cannot assess your conducting if your group is filmed from the rear of an auditorium and all that is seen is your back! Please submit a video with no more than FIVE varied selections; no more than 12 minutes in length. You may submit work representative of different ensembles in your school, but NO MORE THAN FIVE selections.

Also, the choir performances you use may be your own school choir, but you can also use material from an Honor Choir or Community Choir that you have conducted.