2023 January TEMPO

TEMPO

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The New Jersey Music Educators Association is a state unit of the National Association for Music Education and an affiliate of the New Jersey Education Association. It is a nonprofit membership organization.

TEMPO (ISSN 0040-3016) is published four times during the school year: October, January, March and May.

It is the official publication of the New Jersey Music Educators Association.

The subscription rate for non-members is $20.00 per year. The subscription for members is included in the annual dues.

A copy of dues receipts (Subscriptions) is retained by the NJMEA Treasurer. Inquiries regarding advertising rate, closing dates, and the publication of original articles should be sent to the Editor.

Volume 77, No. 2, JANUARY 2023

TEMPO Editor - William McDevitt

C/O NJMEA, 300 W Somerdale Rd, STE C, Voorhees NJ 08043

Periodicals Postage Paid at Lakewood, NJ 08701 and additional entries

POSTMASTER: Please forward address changes to: NAfME 1806 Robert Fulton Drive Reston, VA 20191

Editorial

Please go to nafme.org to record email and address changes.

President's Message

Scotch Plains - Fanwood School District mallette.njmea[at]gmail.com

Happy 2023! It is hard to believe that the school year is at the halfway point. As we embark upon this second half of the year, it is important to remind yourself of the resolutions you made to yourself when the school year began.

One of the resolutions that NJMEA made was to be a resource for our membership throughout the state. One of the core ways we intend to do that is through our State Conference.

New Jersey All-State in November

This November, the New Jersey All-State Mixed Choir and Orchestra, as well as the All-State Jazz Band and Jazz Choir, had their first in-person performances since 2019. It was truly well worth the wait. I would like to thank the division chairs, managers, Atlantic City chaperones, and students. Without you, this experience would not be possible.

NJMEA State Convention

This February, I am excited to welcome you back to Atlantic City for our 2023 NJMEA Convention. This year, our conference theme is Ignite Your Passion: Reimage the Possibilities. Many school programs are still working to recruit new students and regain lost ground from the pandemic. This conference is designed to help you recover the passion for teaching that propelled us into a career in music. We must not only recover that passion, but we must discover new and engaging ways to connect with the student body that resides within our schools. Reimaging what is possible with our students is one of the strongest ways to igniting the passion within!

I look forward to seeing all of you again in February!

NFHS Award

This year, NJMEA has awarded Kason Jackson of Carteret High School the National Federation of State High

School Association (NFHS) Outstanding Music Educator award!

Each year, NFHS recognizes outstanding high school music directors, educators, supervisors, and adjudicators. Nominees must exemplify the highest standards of ethical conduct and carry the endorsement of their state’s high school association. Kason is a passionate educator who is a champion for diversity and equity. He is committed to his students and goes over and above to provide his students with a top-notch musical experience. Congratulations Kason!

NAfME Eastern Division Conference

April 13-16th, the Bi-Annual NAfME Eastern Division conference will take place in Rochester, New York. This conference promises to be an exhilarating experience. On behalf of the entire NJMEA, I would like to congratulate two New Jersey Ensembles who have been accepted to perform at the Conference.

Congratulations to: Clearview Vocale Ensemble (Romel McInnis, Director) and Monroe Township High School Honors Percussion Ensemble (Yale Snyder, Director)

These students and their teachers have worked so hard to achieve this amazing accomplishment. NJMEA couldn't be prouder to have them represent our state at this conference!

Music Educators, I look forward to seeing you all at the State Convention. Be well, and thank you all for what you do for the students of your school. Take care of yourselves, and each other! Best!

Wayne Mallette

2023 NJMEA High School and Middle School/Junior High School Orchestra Festivals

High School Middle/Junior High School

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Tenafly High School

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Fernwood Middle School, Egg Harbor Twp

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Fernwood Middle School, Egg Harbor Twp Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School

Registration Fee: $150 per ensemble. Registration deadlines: HS - January 2nd; MS/JH - January 16th.

Any NJ school orchestra is eligible to perform. School directors must be an NJMEA/NAfME member.

Applications available on the NJMEA website at: https://njmea.org/festivals/orchestra-festival/

21st Annual NJMEA State Marching Band Ratings Festival

The 21st Annual NJMEA State Marching Band Ratings Festival was held on October 15th, 2022, at Wayne Hills High School. The evening was a tremendous success due mainly to the spirit and performances of the fifteen bands in attendance and one of the most beautiful October nights ever! “The shows presented showed an incredible variety of performance styles and the creativity was amazing. The enthusiasm and energy of the bands provided a great atmosphere, and the cooperation of the directors was fantastic,” said festival coordinator Matthew J. Paterno.

Performing bands included: Dover HS, Belleville HS, Emerson HS, Ramapo HS, North Hunterdon HS, PCTVS, Whippany Park HS, Bergenfield, Montgomery HS, Pompton Lakes HS, Garfield HS, Indian Hills, Hopatcong HS, Midland Park HS, Lakeland, Bergenfield HS and Wayne Hills HS. Each band received quality feedback from our team of “Evaluators” and a rating of Bronze, Silver or Gold. Bands also received awards for the most outstanding musical contribution and most outstanding visual contribution to their show. A special thank you to our knowledgeable and enthusiastic evaluation team: Gary Mallison, Tom Seibenhuhner, Cliff Bialkin, Bobby Jones, Fred Moreno and Jackie Sarracco.

The weather was incredible for mid-October and the support each band gave to their fellow performers was equally warm and inspiring. The band members and directors of each group deserve a special thank you for both their performances and willingness to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of each group.

Mark your calendars for next year’s Festival on Saturday, October 21st , 2023. Sign-ups begin on March 1st, 2023. Please email Matt Paterno at mpaterno[at]wayneschools.com if you are interested in performing. Traditionally there has been a waiting list by June so please sign in early!

If you are interested in hosting a festival in South Jersey, contact Bill McDevitt at wmcdevittnjmea[at] gmail.com.

The Crescendo Foundation is a Not For Profit Corporation initially formed by leadership of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, who serves as the registered agent. The Association’s mission includes the advancement of music instruction in New Jersey’s educational institutions at all levels that provide in-service and enrichment opportunities for music educators, as well as sponsoring various festivals and All-State performing groups for K-12 students. As a result, the Foundation’s goal is to provide financial support to underserved students and communities to create access to the aforementioned festivals and performing groups. In this first phase of giving, funds will go to a scholarship model geared towards students aspiring to participate in All-State ensembles.

The Scholarship Framework

Through data assessment, it has been identified that All-State ensemble participation is not reflective of statewide total population demographics when comparing race and socio-economic status. The scholarship opportunities from the Crescendo Foundation gifts will allow students to apply for financial support to assist with any or all of the fees associated with participation including:

• Audition Fee - $25

• Participation Fee - $35

• Housing - $315

As part of the All-State experience and upon acceptance, students are housed together throughout the performance weekend. Scholarship opportunities would be available to cover the entire cost of this invaluable experience. In subsidizing these costs for qualified students and easing the burden of financial access, it is the hope of the Foundation that our All-State programming will become more inclusive, diverse and equitable.

We Need Your Help

We acknowledge that the Foundation’s ability to realize the plans outlined in the Scholarship program will require the generous support of the community. The initial phase of the program will require $50,000 which aims to assist 150 students over the course of the next three years in the areas of All-State Orchestra, Choir, Band and Jazz. All-State ensembles contribute to a total of 6 concerts annually in both Atlantic City and Newark. The vision for the Foundation is to eventually go beyond the scope of All-State ensembles to positively support several aspects of music education programming both at the State and Region levels, making this an important first step.

All gifts are tax deductible and there are many ways and opportunities to support this important effort. We thank you in advance for your support of our state’s students and providing transformative experiences outside of their school programs.

Giving Opportunities

Large Ensemble Concert Sponsorship - $5,000

• All State Orchestra and Mixed Chorus, Atlantic City

• All State Orchestra and Mixed Chorus, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark

• All State Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Treble Chorus, Atlantic City

• All State Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Treble Chorus, NJPAC, Newark

Concert Sponsorship - $2,500

• All State Jazz, Atlantic City

• All State Jazz, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark

Crescendo Giving Level - $1,000

Sforzando Giving Level - $500 Arts Advocate - $250

Friends of the Arts - $100

Other $_____________

All gifts and giving levels will be recognized in programs for that school year and program cycle, including concerts listed above, as well as NJMEA conference materials.

All gifts are tax deductible. Checks should be made payable and sent to:

The Crescendo Foundation 300 W Somerdale Road, Suite C Voorhees, NJ 08043-2236

Please include contact information and appropriate name listing for program printing.

News From the Board of Directors

Administration

Alfred Hadinger alfred_hadinger[at]nplainfield.org

Greetings NJMEA members! The New Jersey Music Administrators Association is excited for what is already underway as part of our 2022-23 calendar. The theme of our October meeting was Supporting and Retaining New Teachers in the Post-Covid Classroom , focused on the challenges faced by both current college students and recent graduates. Featured speakers included Dr. Nicholas McBride from The College of New Jersey, and Allan Daleus of the Harrington Park School. Our December meeting featured Dr. James Frankel speaking on Technology in the Music Classroom: Finding the Balance . Our next meeting will be on February 10, with a focus on Culturally Responsive Arts Education. Membership in the New Jersey Music Administrators Association is open to any school administrator whose responsibilities include oversight of a music program. We welcome any principal, assistant principal, or supervisor who would like to network with other colleagues from around the state. More information regarding membership can be found on our website, www.njmaa.org.

Finally, I would like to thank Dennis Argul for his years of service to NJMAA and NJMEA. On behalf of the NJMAA, I look forward to working with this organization to support and encourage excellence in music education across the state.

Advocacy

Libby Gopal lgopal[at]ewrsd.k12.nj.us

Music Advocacy Survey 2022-2023

Help NJMEA track our covid recovery, diagnose the needs of music programs, and guide our school districts in supporting the implementation of music programs by filling out our NJMEA Advocacy Survey. Originally designed by SJBODA President Lori Ludewig, we are now expanding the survey to the rest of our state so that we can get a comprehensive view of our covid recovery efforts. Your input will be greatly appreciated. Scan the QR code below to take the survey:

Elementary survey

Secondary survey

News From the Board of Directors

Band Performance

Megan Alexander meganalexander160[at]gmail.com

Happy New Year and welcome back to your classrooms! I hope you had a restful and rejuvenating winter break. All-State Band auditions are quickly approaching and I am excited to confirm our conductors for this year: Dr. Emily Threinen, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at the University of Minnesota School of Music in the Twin Cities, will be conducting the All-State Wind Ensemble. Dr. Matthew Brunner, Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music and Director of Athletic Bands at the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University, will be conducting the All-State Symphonic Band. Both directors are excited to work with our amazing students and NJMEA is looking forward to the excellent experience these esteemed conductors and their expertise will provide for our students. NJMEA has been making extra efforts to ensure future program repertoire is more representative and reflective of our wonderfully diverse students. We are thrilled with the varied choices Dr. Threinen and Dr. Brunner have made.

All-State auditions are scheduled for January 21st at JP Stevens High School with a snow date of January 22nd. All-State Band weekend will occur Thursday, February 23rd through Sunday, February 26th. As in previous years, the experience will culminate with a performance at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) on Sunday, February 26th. We are pleased to announce the addition of a performance for the bands and Treble Choir at the NJMEA Conference in Atlantic City on Saturday, February 25th! What better way to enhance the students’ experience than to have another performance opportunity, and to give another chance for New Jersey educators to observe two true masters of their craft at work in front of two ensembles of the best New Jersey has to offer? Updates will continue to be posted to the NJMEA website and via TEMPO Express emails as we move forward towards these events.

As we return to the classroom after winter break, I encourage you to check in with your students not only as a music teacher, but also as a caring human. Many students will be thrilled to share all the presents they received and the exciting things they did over break (we can only hope if their parents bought an instrument without consulting you that it did not come with white gloves!). However, let us not forget that not all of our students are so fortunate. Check in on the student who has a single parent working three jobs to put food on the table; the student who cannot afford to rent an instrument so you or your school have graciously provided for them; the student who does not receive emotional support at home; or the student who only feels truly safe in your classroom. Do not forget in the day-to-day struggles and exhaustion of being an educator that you mean so much more than you know to your students, even if they do not have the words to tell you. Good luck in the new year as we approach festivals and spring performances!

Choral Festivals

Donna Marie Berchtold firesongwed[at]gmail.com

The 68th NJMEA Middle School – Junior High Choral Festival dates are scheduled for the spring of 2023. Donna Marie F. Berchtold, chairperson, along with Karen Blumenthal will co-coordinate and host the Middle School Choral Festivals again for this year.

The festivals are currently scheduled to be held at two separate locations.

• The first event (South Site) will take place at Rowan University on Thursday. March 16, 2023. (Event time: 9:15 AM – 1:30 PM). A SNOWDATE has been scheduled for Friday. March 17, 2023. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, February 9, 2023.

News From the Board of Directors

• The second event (North Site) will be held at Rutgers University on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Event time: 9:15 AM – 1:30 PM). The deadline for applications is April 11, 2023.

The application forms are on the NJMEA web site; however, they can also be found in this January edition of TEMPO Magazine. A maximum of ten (10) registrations will be accepted at each site. The Registration Fee per school group will be $150.00 for either site. Each participating choral group will receive written and aural evaluations by the adjudicators, along with a plaque from NJMEA which recognizes the commitment and involvement by the school, its chorus, and the director(s).

Any schools interested in participating in either of these events in 2023, should be sure to complete the application form in this January issue of TEMPO magazine, or online at www.njmea.org.

NJMEA OPERA FESTIVAL

The annual NJMEA All State Opera Festival was reborn in October 2022 after a three year hiatus. The purpose of the festival is to provide equal opportunity for students across NJ to experience the world of opera through excellence in performance, creativity and education, stimulating them to develop an appreciation for opera and to achieve their highest potential in vocal performance. Many music programs in NJ are still recovering from Covid and were not able to participate in a festival of this nature. But although the in-person festival day at Seton Hall was canceled, there were students from across the state that submitted videos of operatic arias and ensemble performances for adjudication by our guest artists, Mr. Ronald Naldi and Mr. Louis Otey. These students received scores, feedback, and some wonderful swag from one of our sponsors, The Metropolitan Opera!

Winners are listed below:

• Governor’s Award in Arts Education for Opera (Highest Scoring Student) - Kathryn Radcliffe, New Jersey Homeschool Assn.

• Honorable Mention (Second Highest Scoring Student) - Cecilia Soheily, Hawthorne Christian Academy

• Madame Paunova Small Ensemble Award (Highest Scoring Small Ensemble) - Tyler Kriney and Luke Mitchell, Hawthorne Christian Academy

Thank you to the Opera Festival Committee for their many hours of work over the past year: Anne Paynter, Jason Tramm, Dan Marshall, Brenda Pillari, Wayne Mallette, Bill McDevitt, Colleen Sears

Choral Performance

Ken Bryson kennethbryson[at]gmail.com

Happy New Year to all! Before we look at the incredible things ahead of us for the new year we need to look at the immense successes of our past year. One of our greatest triumphs was the return to normal for our AllState Mixed Choir. Their work and attention to detail in the music under the brilliant hands of Dr. Amanda Quist, could not have been better. Both performances at Boardwalk Hall and NJPAC were electrifying. It marked the true return of such a powerful musical staple for our students and educators with a resounding - New Jersey All-State Choir is back!

Of course there is a small army of individuals behind the scenes that made our Mixed Choir the success it was. Special thanks to Matt Lee and Matt Wolf for their brilliant leadership as choir managers. Paul Conrad for his exquisite piano playing. Katy Akinskas, Matt Lee , and Barbara Retzko for preparing the choir as rehearsal conductors. Joe Cantaffa for being the genius behind all the production operations. Nancy Dickinson for her tireless and brilliant work as Housing Director. Bill McDevitt for all his work behind the scenes to make sure everything runs as smoothly as it does. Wayne Mallette for his continued guidance and leadership as our President. Lastly, an immense thank you to all of you who chaperoned and gave of your time, we could not have done it without you.

The 68th Junior High/Middle School Choral Festival Application Form

School Name: School Phone:

School Address: City: Zip:

Director’s Name : Home Phone : Home Address: City: State: Zip: Email:

NAfME Membership #: Expiration Date: _______________ (Please include a photocopy of your NAfME card)

Name of performing group:

Voicing: Number of singers: Number of rehearsals per week: Please check the appropriate category below: (during school: (evening): (before school): (after school):

Will participate at Rowan University, (South Site) March 16, 2023: 9:15 - 1:30 pm: (Snow date: March 17th) Will participate at Rutgers University, (North Site) May 23, 2023: 9:15 - 1:30 pm: We can arrive at: We must depart no later than: Proposed Program (Time limit: Not to exceed 10-12 minutes, no more than 3 titles) THIS SECTION MUST BE COMPLETED AT THIS TIME! Please Print or Type Legibly Selection (Maximum of 3) Complete Name of Composer/Arranger Voicing 1. 2. 3. (If any of the above titles are folk songs, please indcate country or region of origin)

FEE: $150.00 per group (non-refundable)

DEADLINES: Wednesday, February 9, 2023 for Rowan University

FESTIVAL DATES: (Limited to the first TEN (10) Groups on each date)

Thursday, March 16, 2023 (Snow Date: March 17, 2023) Wednesday, April 11, 2023 for Rutgers University

SEND TO: Donna Marie Berchtold, Registrar 545 South Buffalo Avenue

South Site: Rowan University TIME: 9:15 - 1:30 pm

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 Galloway Township

North Site: Rutgers University South Egg Harbor, NJ 08215-1720 TIME: 9:15 - 1:30 pm

EMAIL: firesongwed@gmail.com

FESTIVAL HOST: Donna Marie F. Berchtold & Karen Blumenthal firesongwed@gmail.com Other information including directions and schedules will be mailed.

ALL INCOMPLETE FORMS WILL BE RETURNED! MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO NJMEA (Do not send cash) CHECKS MUST ACCOMPANY ALL REGISTRATION FORMS Purchase Orders Are NOT Accepted BE SURE TO INCLUDE A PHOTOCOPY OF YOUR NAfME CARD

News From the Board of Directors

Now we can turn the page on 2022 and look ahead to 2023. We continue our preparations for more exciting performances and look with great anticipation to our All-State Treble Choir under the direction of Argine Safari . Rehearsals have been sounding amazing so far and we eagerly await their work and performances in February at Atlantic City and NJPAC respectively.

The Choral Procedures Committee has also been hard at work with preparations for All-State 2023-2024. Building off of the success of last year's newest solo introduction Deep River, we decided we wanted to continue exploring new possibilities in our repertoire and bring them to our choirs. We feel it is important for us to highlight pieces that more accurately reflect the makeup of our choirs. After much consideration and conversation the committee has unanimously agreed to add Te Quiero as our solo for 2023-2024 auditions. Te Quiero is a Spanish piece composed by Argentine composer Alberto Favero with words by famed Uruguayan journalist and poet Mario Benedetti. We are very excited to add this new solo to our repertoire. We realize that this solo is a departure from our traditional English language text, but we feel confident that the tools and resources we will provide to everyone to learn the text, will make the process very streamlined and easy. Be on the lookout for more information, including the 2023-2024 All-State Chorus Audition Bulletin , which details our solo and other exciting changes and additions to our NJ All-State experience.

Lastly, I hope that you continually check our website www.NJMEA.org for more information about all our incredible programs. If you are new to New Jersey or have just not yet participated in any of our All-State programs, I hope that you do so this year. As always, thank you for your continued support and amazing energy. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2023!

Inclusion/Diversity/Equity/Access

Katy Brodhead Cullen njmea.idea[at]gmail.com

The IDEA Committee hopes to see you at the NJMEA State Conference in February! We are hosting several sessions focused on IDEA topics. Join us to learn updates from region and state representatives, discuss how to select and teach diverse repertoire, and to share your experiences and expertise!

In addition to professional development opportunities, the IDEA Committee is creating a statewide student conference to encourage student leadership and provide opportunities for students to engage in diverse musical experiences. This high school event will debut in the fall of 2023 and include components such as leadership, music technology, non-standard performing ensembles and more. See you in Atlantic City!

Orchestra Performance/Festivals

Susan Meuse

susanmeuse[at]gmail.com

It feels great to be able to congratulate the 2022 All State Orchestra and Mixed Chorus on two fantastic performances in November! It was wonderful having the groups rehearse and perform together in person. I hope that many of you had the chance to hear these talented students perform. The Orchestra Procedures Committee would like to congratulate all of the students involved in the All State Orchestra, as well as thank all of the volunteers who worked very hard to make both concerts possible. First, we would like to thank our conductor, Jim Millar. We would also like to thank our Manager, Alex Dadon Ogrodnik, as well as our Percussion Coordinator Chris Janney. Thanks to all of the sectional coaches, rehearsal hosts, and chaperones for helping the students have a positive All State experience.

News From the Board of Directors

I’m happy to report that we will be having three different orchestra festivals in February and March. There will be two high school festivals on February 7 at Tenafly High School and February 9 at Fernwood Middle School in Egg Harbor Township. There will be two middle school festivals on February 9 at Fernwood Middle School and March 9 at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School. The registration links can be found on the NJMEA website.

The 2023 All State Orchestra auditions (both Intermediate and High School) will be taking place on Saturday, March 18. As always, if you’d like to get involved with ASIO or ASO, please feel free to reach out to me!

Retired Members/Mentorship

Kathleen Spadafino kspadeb[at]aol.com

As the rest of you musicians finish up your holiday concerts and Region activities are in full swing, we retirees are resting and dieting after the holidays! If you are recently retired, we would love to have you join us! We have been busy this fall, observing teachers who were nominated for Master Music Teacher, and we have chosen Dr. Missy Strong. Please see her bio in this issue, and come see her receive her award at the February NJMEA conference on February 23 - 25, 2023 in Atlantic City. Dr. Strong will also be one of our presenters on elementary music education at the conference.

NJRMEA will be having their General Membership meeting at the conference Friday morning, February 24. Please come and join us as we will have an extended meet and greet and gather ideas for our organization moving forward. We usually have a large turnout at this meeting, and I hope you can join us. If you want to be involved but can’t make it, please email me at kspadeb[at]aol.com or our President Ron Dolce at rdolce561[at]aol.com. Our next General Membership meeting will be Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - place TBD. I look forward to seeing you all!

Special Learners

Maureen Butler maureenbutlermusic[at]gmail.com

As a new calendar year begins, we can take the opportunity to reflect on the first four months of the school year and consider how our special learners are faring. Have we been able to successfully include them in our classes? Are all our students developing the music skills that will enrich their lives? Is there more that we can do to facilitate this? One of our resolutions at the start of 2023 may be to develop deeper insight as well as new strategies and techniques to reach all of our students. If so, join us next month at the annual conference in Atlantic City, where several excellent sessions will focus on this important topic. Our annual Roundtable Discussion will feature a panel of teachers who are expert in this field, who will be available to answer your questions and concerns. The conference is always a valuable networking opportunity where we can support and learn from each other.

In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns about any of your students, please contact me at the email listed above.

Who's Who at the 2023 NJMEA Conference Technology Academy

Shawna Longo Durban Avenue School, Hopatcong, NJ shawnalongo[at]gmail.com

If you haven’t ever attended an Academy on Thursday of the NJMEA Conference, this year just might be the year you do! One of the best reasons to attend - you can pick and choose workshops from different academies. You aren’t “stuck” in one strand all day…the day is what you make of it! There are two strands of Music Technology Academies: one for Elementary/Middle School General Music and one for HS Music Production. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “techie,” this year’s line-up of presenters are nationally recognized and/or homegrown NJ music teachers that will share practical ideas for integrating technology into any music class. They are seasoned music educators with a passion for technology and are all still practicing in a classroom of some variety!

In case you still aren’t convinced or you need evidence to back a request to your administrator to give you the extra day to attend on Thursday, let’s meet our featured Technology Academy presenters! And if you still aren’t convinced or need help getting the “extra” day - reach out to me… I’m more than happy to assist!

Elementary/MS General Music Technology Academy

Presenter: Gillian Desmarais

Gillian Desmarais is the K-12 Music Production and Engineering Teacher at Maplewood Public Schools in Maplewood, MN. As a former music technology graduate student at New York University, she continues to perform research in collaboration with Dr. Alex Ruthmann, Director of the NYU MusEDLab, for developing curriculum, new music ensembles, and web applications. Gillian has been nationally recognized by the National Association for Music Education for her work in electronic composition and routinely presents at all-state conferences and universities. Learn more via her website: https://www.soundteched.com/

Session 1: Teaching Music Production with Soundtrap

Engage and excite your students with Soundtrap, a web-based digital audio workstation. This session provides a basic overview of the workstations controls, recording features, virtual instruments, and audio effects. Explore interdisciplinary lessons, essential key terms and projects as well as Soundtrap’s administrative controls for adding users and creating assignments.

Session 2:

Teaching Digital Music Composition with Noteflight

Learning to write music with digital notation can be challenging for

young students. This session merges music production and music theory pedagogy to outline a series of engaging and relevant lessons for beginning composers. Learn how to utilize Noteflight’s key features, navigate admin controls, and integrate with music production web-apps.

Presenter: Steve Giddings

Aside from his regular gig as a public school music teacher, Steve is a regular columnist in the Canadian Music Educator Journal where he writes on topics including popular music education and creativity, and is author of the award-winning book, Rock Coach: A Practical Guide for Teaching Rock Bands in Schools, and Creative Musicking: Practical, Real-Life Ideas to Get Your Learners Creating Their Own Music. He also just released his third book called, Technology for Unleashing Creativity, through Oxford University Press. He has been a long-time advocate for creative musical practices and a conduit for pushing the envelope in music education throughout Canada and across the world. He is owner and operator of StevesMusicRoom.com, a music education blog and resource hub. Follow him on socials @StevesMusicRoom.

Session: Exploring Creative Music Technology: Chrome Music Lab Unleash creativity with music technology through Chrome Music Lab. In this session, attendees will explore Chrome Music Lab and its "hidden" abilities. Attendees will be led through various projects and activities using CML suitable for learners in grades K through 12. Exploring and playing during this session are highly encouraged.

Presenter: John Mlynczak

John Mlynczak offers an extensive range of experiences in music education and the music industry and is a frequent national clinician. Mr. Mlynczak is Vice President of Music Education & Technology for Hal Leonard, and Past-president of the Technology Institute of Music Educators. John also teaches online Graduate courses at VanderCook College and Boston University Online, and is a Google Level-2 Certified Educator. Mr. Mlynczak is a passionate advocate for music education and technology, serving on the NAMM State Advocacy Coalition, the NAfME Advocacy Leadership Force, and is Advocacy Chairman for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. Mr. Mlynczak holds an undergraduate degree in music education, and graduate degrees in both music

performance and educational leadership. John Mlynczak has presented hundreds of sessions at international, national, and state conferences. Learn more at www.johnmlynczak.com

Session: Music Tech Moving Forward

After years of rapidly integrating new technologies, we have a new perspective on "music technology" and how it is affecting school curriculums and how products and services are developed for schools. This presentation will discuss Hal Leonard's approach to music tech and how new products have evolved to support the future of music technology.

HS Music Production Music Technology Academy

Presenter: Richard McCready

Richard A McCready teaches Music Technology, Piano, and Guitar, at River Hill High School in Clarksville, Maryland, and is also the Resource Teacher for Music Technology for Howard County, MD. Richard studied tuba performance, vocal performance, composition, and music education at the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, England), Manchester Metropolitan University’s Didsbury School of Education, and at Towson University (Towson, Maryland).

He was awarded the 2013 TI:ME Mike Kovins Teacher of the Year Award, the 2013 Howard County Music Educator of the Year Award, and also the 2014 Maryland Outstanding Music Educator Award. He was also recognized by School Band and Orchestra as one of their “50 Directors Who Make A Difference” in 2017, and was a Grammy Music Educator Award semi-finalist in 2015. Richard has written curriculum for the International Baccalaureate (Den Haag, The Netherlands), the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the State of Maryland, Howard County, and Baltimore’s Reginald F. Lewis Music of Maryland African American History and Culture.

He is the author of “Making Music With GarageBand and Mixcraft” (Cengage, 2010) and “Make Your Own Music: A Creative Curriculum” (Hal Leonard, 2015). His work at River Hill High School was featured in the School Band and Orchestra "A Glimpse Into The Future of Music Education" cover article by Eliahu Sussman in April 2013. He is also the series editor of the Oxford University Press “Prestissimo” series of Music Tech guides and was featured in the “Music Technology Cookbook” by Adam Patrick Bell (Oxford, 2020). Learn more about his classroom at https://www.riverhillmusictech.com/

Session: So You Got A Launchpad

- Now What?

Kids absolutely love using Novation Launchpads to create music. Launchpads are a new type of MIDI device that allow students to trigger sounds in software such as Ampify Studio and Ableton Live, and students are very engaged by the immediacy of recording, composing, producing, and DJing their own music. Richard McCready has used Launchpads for many years in his teaching, with high-energy results and motivation. Launchpads are ideal for any classroom or one-on-one situation and Richard has had great success using these devices with all populations of students, from inclusion classes to GT classes, from elementary school to high school, from "getting your Fine Art credit" to music major. Come and see what all the buzz is about and experience the magic of the Launchpad for yourself.

Presenter: Vincent Du Beau

Dr. Du Beau is the Director of Bands and Choirs for Delsea Regional HS. He also serves on the faculty at Rowan University where he has taught instrumental music, wind conducting, music history, and music appreciation. Dr. Du Beau has worked extensively with concert bands, marching bands, pep bands, jazz bands, and pit orchestras. Over the past 10 years, he has developed an advanced music technology course that focuses primarily on the fundamentals of live audio solutions as well as principles of mixing within digital audio workstations. He has presented clinics on wind band programming and literature as well as music technology, and also serves on the NJMEA Music Tech Expo Committee.

Presenter: Scott McCarron

Mr. McCarron is in his 34th year as a music educator, having taught in the Voorhees and Palmyra School Districts, as well as the past 30 years in the Delsea Regional High School District. Mr. McCarron has taught high school concert band, jazz band, and middle school band. He currently teaches AP Music Theory, Exploring Music in Theory, Music Tech 1, Music Tech 2, and Instrumental Lessons at Delsea HS and Instrumental Lessons at Delsea Regional Middle School.

Mr. McCarron is a past member of the Executive Board and Board of Directors of the South Jersey Band and Orchestra Directors Association, having served over 20 years as Senior High Auditions Chair, Auditions Procedures Chair, President-Elect, President, Past President, Historian, and Webmaster. He also served six years on the New Jersey Music Educators Association Board of Directors, eight years on the All-State Band Procedures Committee, and was a manager for the 1997 All-State Wind Ensemble. Mr. McCarron is also a member of the NJMEA Music Tech Expo Committee.

Session: Mixing Round Robin: Purposefully Mixing Collaborative Works of Chance Collaborative music composition using Soundtrap and Bandlab? Yes! While this session will feature two freemium online DAWs, the concepts apply to any DAW or mixing situation! Watch students do live-mixing of loop-based compositions using freemium software available to students and educators. A discussion of the project will follow the mixing. Time permitting, attendees may try it for themselves as well in a BYOT setting!

Presenter: Zachary Gates

Zachary Gates is the Music Production and Piano teacher at East Brunswick High School. As a graduate of Westminster Choir College, he has performed choral works with the New York Philharmonic, Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic, as well as the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is a published author with Oxford University Press on integrating STEM with Music Technology in the classroom. Zach is a music technologist, electronic synthesist, studio musician, and music producer for multiple artists in and around New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, and has presented on music technology across the country.

Session: Understanding and Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in the Music Classroom

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Cloud. What do these things have in common? Is it that my grandparents are confused and frightened by them? Yes, but also these are all incredibly powerful tools already accessible to the music classroom. How can educators and students best use these tools without them consuming us? Come to this session to find out.

Presenter: Bob Habersat

Bob Habersat is a high school guitar, music tech, and theory teacher and co-founder of shedthemusic.com. He has presented clinics on music technology, guitar, and jazz at conferences and festivals across the country. Bob is the author of Rewire Guitar, Rewire Theory, and the Production Through Performance music technology curriculum. When he is not teaching, Bob loves going on adventures with his wife Kristin and their children Lee and Brooke.

Session: MIDI Keyboard Jam

Learn how to use MIDI keyboards as performance instruments in a music tech, piano, music theory, or modern band class. These devices allow students to perform in silent ensembles, augment acoustic instruments in traditional groups, and present their original music in new ways. Participants will brush up on their key drumming, bass line realization, and chordal playing using MIDI keyboards to play pop music as a group.

Bring a laptop with your own MIDI keyboard to join the jam! There will be a limited amount of keyboards available to use during the workshop provided by IK Multimedia.

Shawna E. Longo is the General Music (Music Technology) teacher and Arts Integration Specialist at Durban Avenue School, Hopatcong, NJ. She is also a published author with her book, "Integrating STEM with Music," with Oxford University Press. Additionally, she serves as a Practice Advisory Board Member for The Center for Arts Education & Social Emotional Learning, K-12 Educational Technology & Innovation Through Music Chair for the NJMEA Board of Directors, the Arts Integration & STEAM Specialist for TMI Education; Lead Consultant for Essential Elements Music Class (Hal Leonard); and an Ambassador/Consultant for The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, Music First and Jamstik. She is an internationally recognized clinician and consultant for music education, music technology, social emotional learning, arts integration, and STEAM. She is also a recipient of the 2021-2022 Sussex County Teacher of the Year, 2021 New Jersey Arts Educator of the Year, 2021 Governor’s Educator of the Year for Durban Avenue School, 2019 Mike Kovins Ti:ME Music Technology Teacher of the Year, 2019 New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education, 2019 Teach Rock Star Teacher Award from The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, 2018 NJMEA Master Music Teacher Award, and 2016 Governor’s Educator of the Year for Hopatcong Middle School. Mrs. Longo also serves on the Morris Plains Board of Education.

Strengthen your school’s Music. Honor. And Society.

Starting a Tri-M ® Music Honor Society chapter will help show the value of your music program to the school. It will also benefit your students by allowing them to: •Build an impressive record for college •Grow as leaders in music

their community

Riverwalk Plaza 34 Ridgedale Avenue East Hanover, NJ 07936 (973)428-0405

Riverwalk Plaza 34 Ridgedale Avenue East Hanover, NJ 07936 (973) 428-0405

276 Morris Avenue Springfield, NJ 07081 (973)476-4888

276 Morris Avenue Springfield, NJ 07081 (973) 476-4888

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

Elementary Presenters

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!

NJMEA 6-12 Grade String Academy and HS Band Academy

Libby Gopal

East

Windsor Regional School District

lgopal[at]ewrsd.k12.nj.us

The goal of the NJMEA 6-12th Grade String Academy and HS Band Academy, a Music Advocacy Grant Initiative, was to empower students through a positive and meaningful ensemble experience. Through this free inclusive and equitable event, our goal was to help prepare our string and band students for successful auditions, whether it was for their local community orchestra or band, Regions, All-State, or college auditions. Christine Sweet (strings) and Lawrence Liggins (band) graciously hosted the event at Arts High School in Newark, NJ.

The 6-12th Grade String Academy had 56 string students and 9 teachers from 8 different schools from Central and North Jersey present: Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy, New Brunswick High School, West Essex Regional School District, Passaic High School, Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, Arts High School, Brooklawn Middle School, and Woodrow Wilson Middle School. The guest clinician, Martha Mooke, from NJCU along with her graduate assistants demonstrated how to perform electric and multi-style strings. Thanks to the hard work of Larisa

Skinner and Arvin Gopal, the students were able to attend a variety of sessions ranging from Audition Tips and Tricks to practicing scales, sightreading skills, and exploring repertoire.

The HS Band Academy had 41 students and 5 teachers from 5 different schools from Central and North Jersey present: New Brunswick High School, Cicely Tyson Performing Arts High School, Whitney Houston Academy, Arts High School, and Plainfield High School. The guest clinician, Dr. Oscar Petty Jr., planned a wonderful day of sight-reading accessible band repertoire that highlighted underrepresented men and women composers.

On Saturday, January 14, NJMEA and NJ-ACDA will partner to offer the Elementary/Middle School/High School Choir Academy at Rutgers University. This urban outreach advocacy initiative is focused on removing barriers for students who are interested in participating in any New Jersey Honors Choral Ensemble. For more information or to register for this free event, please email Libby Gopal at lgopal[at]ewrsd.k12.nj.us

Teaming Up for a Concerto

Jayson Martinez Arts High School - Newark jmarti37[at]webmail.essex.edu

New music video? Check! A trifecta of GuitarFests? Check!

What’s next..? How about performing with a Grammy® Award winning classical guitarist!

The 2021-22 school year was, in my opinion, the apogee of NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensembleperformance and achievement.

First, the talented guitar ensemble collaborated with the NJGO to record another music video: Sailing Home, by Mark Houghton. The composer was so enamored by the wonderful rendition that he is showing his gratitude with a new commission. This new work, specifically dedicated to the NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble, is expected to premiere in late 2023-24. Special thanks to the Augustine Foundation and the Virtual Guitar Orchestra (VGO) team for their ongoing support of our projects.

Secondly, our NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble made history by performing in a trifecta of GuitarFests, both in and out of NJ.

This past April, the ensemble, along with the NJGO, performed at William Paterson’s annual GuitarFest, hosted by renowned guitarist and educator Seth Himmelhoch. In May, both groups performed at the Long Island Guitar Festival, which highlighted various high school guitar ensembles from across the country. The LIGF also featured international soloists, whom presented workshops and recitals. Additionally, it gave prominence to a new world-premiere commission, Air and Lamentations, performed by the NJGO. Needless to say, our students were fortunate

and excited to perform at this historical event and meet their classical guitar heroes.

A few weeks later, the NJMEA had the distinct honor of kicking Kean University’s inaugural GuitarFest. It was very exciting to experience the student performances from various NJ high schools, local music establishments, colleges and universities. These performances led up to a fantastic set by our NJMEA Guitarists.

Finally, we rounded off our season by opening for the United States Guitar Orchestra at the illustrious Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Center in NYC. This event was graciously hosted by the Aaron Shearer Foundation. The concert featured new works by Michael Hedges and Mark Charles Smith. Conductor, Dr. Kami Rowan, led the USGO on a tour through Spain following the successful Merkin Hall premiere. Many of our NJMEA HS Honors Guitar students plan to audition for the USGO next season, in the hopes that they can further their talents and perform internationally.

So what’s next for the guitar students for this new school year? I am honored to announce that the NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble and the NJGO will perform a concerto on June 17th, 2023 at Enlow Hall. This monumental event will feature the Grammy Award winning classical guitarist William Kanengiser as the star soloist! So, save the date and we hope to see you there!

Solo Concerto featuring our NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble and the New Jersey Guitar Ensemble

2023 NJMEA MASTER MUSIC TEACHER

Missy Strong

Fleetwood Elementary - Mount Laurel

In a career spanning 28 years, Dr. Missy Strong has taught general, choral, and instrumental music at the preschool, elementary, and middle school levels. She currently teaches elementary general and vocal music at Fleetwood Elementary in the Mount Laurel Township school district. Missy is currently the Host and Executive Producer of the Music Ed Amplified podcast and is the former Executive Producer and Host of The Tuneful, Beautiful, Artful Music Teacher podcast from 2018-2020. She is Adjunct Professor at Rowan University, Montclair State University and University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and has also taught courses at Colorado Mesa University and Toccoa Falls College. A frequent clinician, she presents education workshops, webinars, district PD, conference sessions, and courses at the international, national, regional, state, and local levels.

In 2003, she earned her Master’s in Music Education from Rowan University, and in 2012, a Doctorate in Music Ed with an emphasis in early childhood development from Rutgers, New Brunswick. Her early research interests centered on infant/toddler music processes and finding ways to help primary caregivers feel more comfortable making music at home with their young children. Her most current work centers on the intersection of neuroscience and music as well as issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in Music Education. Missy’s major music education teachers have included John Feierabend, Lili Levinowitz, David Elliott, and Marissa Silverman.

She served as Music Education Consultant and Curriculum Writer for the Rafiki Foundation, helping design music curriculum for schools in several African countries. During her doctoral work, she was the Senior Research Assistant for Music Together, LLC, and later served as Director of Children’s Music Education at the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for a decade. Missy was an Endorsed Teacher Trainer for First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege through the Feierabend Association for Music Education, for which she was also a Founding Member, Vice President, and President.

Dr. Strong is a published author and editor with articles in state and national music education journals. She is a contributing author and co-editor for the book Feierabend Fundamentals from GIA Publications, and is also a contributing author in Using Technology with Elementary Music Approaches from Oxford University Press. Missy has recorded webinars for the National Association for Music Education, been a podcast guest, and has written pieces for online music blogs and for the Philadelphia Orchestra School Concert Collaborative Group.

Missy was born and raised in South Florida. She is an avid traveler, loves books and movies, and is a fan of Afternoon Tea, especially if it is taking place in England. She and her composer/pianist/audio engineer husband, Jeremy, live in South New Jersey with their four grown(ish) children, Ethan, Owen, Lorelei, and Jackson.

The New Jersey Music Educators Association State Conference

Atlantic City Convention Center

T. Andre Feagin Keynote Speaker Dr. Tim Lautzenheizer Keynote Speaker

2023 NJMEA State Conference Registration

Full Conference - Members- $180

Full Conference - Collegiate and Retired Members - $50 Single Day -Members- $145.

Full Conference - Non-members- $360. Clinicians- $89. (All clinicians MUST register.) Add $10 for On-site registration. (There will NOT be a membership luncheon on Friday and the Friday Gala Concert is free, as usual.)

To Pre-Register

The Pre-Registration process will also be the same this year as last. You can follow the link below to our website and the Eventsquid page. You will need to know your NAfME log-in to start the registration process. Your NAfME membership must expire no earlier than 2/25/23. Please renew prior to registering to avoid problems!

Payment

There are three forms of payment. You will see forms of payment listed and you check one.

You may pay by:

Credit Card - Upon completion of the form you will be asked if you want to “Finish and pay later or Pay Now". For credit card you select, "Pay Now" and you will be directed to the payment page. A $10 process fee will be added to all credit card registrations. If you need a receipt, either for you own records or to show your school, please print out the invoice page upon completion of registration.

Check – Upon completion of the form, you will choose the “Finish and Pay Later” button. You will not be charged the $10 processing fee. Print out the invoice, and send a check, made out to NJMEA, for the correct amount, with a copy of the invoice to:

NJMEA

300 W Somerdale Road, Suite C Voorhees, NJ 08043

Purchase Orders – You MUST register online first, choose the “Finish and Pay Later” button. Print out the invoice, give it to your Board Office and then have your school send the PO w/the invoice to the above address.

Pre-registration will end on Friday, February 10, 2023. The site will SHUT DOWN on that date.

ALL PO’s MUST BE RECEIVED IN THE OFFICE NO LATER THAN Friday, February 10, 2023. There will be NO REFUNDS after Tuesday, February 17, 2023.

To register: https://www.eventsquid.com/event/17559

Preliminary List of Sessions

The list below is a preliminary list as of 11/15/22. The list will continue to be updated on the NJMEA website.

Google Drive for Band Directors Clinician: Spencer M. Brooks

MIDI Keyboard Jam! Clinician: Bob Habersat

Collaborative Songwriting in the Chat Clinician: Drew Coles

Examining Flow State in Music Educators Clinician: Megan Reilly

Cruising the European & US Rivers Clinician: Robert Cardaneo

Staying Philosophically Grounded in The High School Band World Clinician: Erik Lynch

Preparing Students for Successful Honors Choral Auditions Clinician: Libby Gopal

Advocacy Roundtable Discussion Clinician: Libby Gopal

Orchestra Rehearsal Techniques Clinician: Dr. Sandra Dackow

So, They Asked You to Do a Musical? Clinician: Kaitlyn Reiser

The Family Folk Song Project Clinician: Kaitlyn Reiser

Intro to Live Audio Clinician: Evan Kempey

Incorporating Singing and Vocalizing for Better Instrumental Ensembles Clinician: Teresa C. Purcell-Giles

Selecting and Teaching Diverse Repertoire: Reading Session Clinician: NJMEA IDEA Committee

Selecting and Teaching Diverse Repertoire Clinician: NJMEA IDEA Committee

Science of Learning Clinician: Sergei Panov

Enhance Rehearsals with the forScore App Clinician: Derek Rohaly

Strategic Plan Roundtable Clinician: Wayne Mallette

Clarinet Refresher- Let's play! Clinician: Beth Rohaly

New Jersey Band Association: Roundtable Discussion Clinician: Joseph Higgins

The Band Directors Guide to Teaching Orchestra Clinician: Dr. Julia Baumanis

Inspiring Interpretations: Practical Score Study Strategies for the Busy Teacher Clinician: Joseph Higgins

Updates on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Clinician: Katherine Brodhead Cullen

The Magic of Middle-Level Strings Clinician: Betsy Maliszewski

Hands On Conducting for Music Educators Clinician: Sandra Dackow

The Senior Music Education Seminar-Not Just A Lecture ! Clinician: Joseph Akinskas

Copyright, Arranging, and Self-Publishing Clinician: John Mlynczak

Meaningful Assessment with Technology Clinician: John Mlynczak

Music Tech Moving Forward Clinician: John Mlynczak

Reframing the Band Rehearsal: How Access Informs Performance and Content Clinician: Dr. Vincent S. Du Beau

The Inclusive Music Classroom: Universal Design for Learning and Adapting Music Notation Clinician: Angela Guerriero

Mixing Round Robin: Purposefully Mixing Collaborative Works of Chance Clinician: Dr. Vincent S. Du Beau

Crash Course: Special Music Education Clinician: Sarah Perry

Inspiring Musical Play in General Music Through Loose Parts Clinician: Vanessa L. Bond

Skoogs and Skwitches: Activities for an Inclusive Music Classroom Clinician: Sarah Perry

Come on everybody, Let’s Sing! Routines and Rituals Songs for the Elementary Music Classroom Clinician: Sarah Perry

Lean on Me: Collaboration Techniques to Make the Choral Classroom Less Lonely Clinician: Chris Sabol

Stop! Or I'll Say Stop Again: Classroom Management Made Painless Clinician: Amanda Clarfield Newell

Beatboxing in the Classroom Clinician: Amanda Newell

¿Dónde está Mi Gente? Reggaetón and its Position in Music Education Clinician: Marjoris Regus

Access and Retention of Underrepresented Communities Within Collegiate Music Programs Clinician: Jason Geary

Learn Violin Fast Method Clinician: Sergei Panov

So You Got A Launchpad - Now What? Clinician: Richard McCready

Matching Pitch - Let's Make it Fun! Clinician: Amy Paz

Legacy of Popular Music: Activating Culture in Music Classes Clinician: Latasha Casterlow-Lalla

Launching an Impactful Music Technology CTE Program in High School Clinician: Latasha Casterlow-Lalla

The Power of Hip Hop- Connecting Music and Literacy for Self Expression Clinician: Latasha Casterlow-Lalla

HEAL - Using the Power of the Arts to Support Social Justice Learning Clinician: Latasha Casterlow-Lalla

Engaging Lessons for Middle School General Music Clinician: Melissa Clark

From Practicum to Podium: Mentoring the Novice Conductor Clinician: Dr. Brian P. Timmons

Engaging Orchestra Activities for Ensembles Clinician: Melissa Clark

Music Production in General Music: Songs, Games, Activities and Creative Projects for Learning the DAW Clinician: Gillian Desmarais

Orchestra Program Ask Me Anything: No Question Denied! Clinician: Betsy Maliszewski

Teaching Digital Music Composition with Noteflight - Tech Academy Clinician: Gillian Desmarais

Passing the "Audition": Strategies for Applying and Interviewing for Teaching Positions in Music Clinician: Jonathan Harris

Teach Music Theory and Creative Composition Concepts through Coding! Clinician: Teresa M. Nakra

Teaching Music Production with Soundtrap - Tech Academy Clinician: Gillian Desmarais

Exploring Creative Music Technology: Chrome Music Lab *Tech Academy Session* Clinician: Steve Giddings

Folk Dancing with a Twist: Adding Modern Music to Your Folk Dance Repertoire. Clinician: Missy Strong

Contemporary A Cappella: From Starting Out to Reaching the Next Level Clinician: Thomas Paster

The Chorale Curriculum: Using Numbers to Ignite our Students' Musicianship Clinician: Eric Laprade

Strengthening the Relationship Between Music Educators and Administrators Clinician: Alyssa Morgan

Make your Software Sing! Best Technology for the Choral Classroom Clinician: Robin Hodson

Technology in Your Class in a Post-Pandemic World Clinician: Robin Hodson

Do Your Students Really Know What You Think They Know? Clinician: Robin Hodson

A More Complete Music Education Experience: It CAN Be Done! Clinician: Robin Hodson

Cultivating All Your Students: Finding, Embracing, and Welcoming Everyone Back to Orchestra Clinician: Betsy Maliszewski

Roundtable Discussion: Focus on Special Learners Clinician: Maureen Butler

Parents and Paras and Teachers, Oh My! Clinician: Maureen Butler

Kindergarten Hit Parade! Tried and True Favorites for Early Elementary Music Class Clinician: Lisa Wichman

Focus on Trombone Technique: Lip Slurs and Their Application to Lyrical Playing Clinician: Gilles Bernard

Tech Tools for Modern Band Clinician: Bryan Powell

Intermediate Ukulele: Approaches and Techniques Clinician: Bryan Powell

El Mundo Es Mi Casa: Bilingual Poetry and Songs for Children Clinician: Laura Koulish

Life in the Key of C: Community of Practice and Social Justice Clinician: G. Preston Wilson, Jr., PhD

The Conservatory at Newark School of the Arts: Building Inclusion in Classical Music Clinician: Dr. Patricio F. Molina, Ph.D., D.M.A.

Town Hall - Using Popular Music in Elementary General Music Clinician: Warren Gramm

Chinese Piano Teacher's Experiences: The Intelligent Piano Technology of Integrated into General Music Education Curriculum Clinician: Angel Anqi Tang

New Jersey Young Composer's Competition Finals Clinician: Andrew Lesser

Opening Doors: Best Practices for Meaningful Guest Artist Visits Clinician: Allison Russo

“A Joy to Have in Class” Social-Emotional Needs of Musical High-Achievers Clinician: Allison Russo

Alignment Check: Creating a Values-Driven Music Program Clinician: Allison Russo

Bassoon Master Class for Young Players Clinician: Harry Searing

Inclusive Harmony: Meeting your Musicians at Their Level Clinician: Michele Hobizal

Incorporating Queer Theory into Culturally Responsive Teaching Clinician: Tony Rideout

Everything You Wanted to Know about Culturally Responsive Teaching but Were Afraid to Ask Clinician: Tony Rideout

Connecting Universities, K-12 learners, and Programs for Adult Special Learners: Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through Musical Collaboration Clinician: Lyn E. Schraer-Joiner

Understanding the Horn Clinician: Jessie Mersinger

Milking a Song for All Its Worth: Getting the Most from Your Song Repertoire Clinician: Ashley Cuthbertson

More Than Diverse Repertoire: Introduction to Culturally Responsive Music Education Clinician: Ashley Cuthbertson

Culturally Responsive Music Education in Action for General Music Rooms Clinician: Ashley Cuthbertson

Band Warm-Ups: Designating and Implementing Ensemble Skill Development Routines Clinician: Werner Colmon

Understanding and Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in the Music Classroom Clinician: Zachary Gates

A Special Education Primer: Everything You Should Have Learned in Undergrad! Clinician: Krysta Mirsik

Sensory Safety for Students: Predictable Routines in Instrumental Music Clinician: Krysta Mirsik

How To: Teaching Jazz Clinician: Dr. Anthony D.J. Branker

Ways to Improve the Sound of your Saxophone Section! Clinician: Noa Even

Finding Hope and Joy in the Journey-A Music Educator's Marathon Clinician: Ms. Jenna DiSalvio

Possibilities of Notation in the 21st Century using Flat.io! Clinician: Jennifer Jenkins

Mashing Old School and New School Clinician: Jennifer Jenkins

Ask the Kids! Crossing the Threshold into Our Students' Musical Lives Clinician: Sarah Mickle

Improvisation - It's Not Only for Jazz Clinician: Cooper Ford

Different Approaches to Music Listening Clinician: Cooper Ford

There’s More to Jazz Than Meets the Eye Relating Jazz Ensemble Notation to the Aural Tradition Clinician: Dean Sorenson

Bringing South Indian Classical Music into the Orchestra Clinician: Cooper W. Ford

Not Necessarily in the Text Books – Practical Planning Clinician: Joseph Akinskas

Ukulele: An Introductory Approach to Modern Band Clinician: Cody Messersmith

Read Between the Lines: IEP Reading and Goal Setting in the Music Classroom

Clinician: Cody Messersmith

Monetizing Your Music: A Young Person’s Guide to Networking, Learning From, and Surviving the Music Industry Clinician: Cody Messersmith

Adaptations, Modifications, and Creation: A Modern Approach to Teaching Students with Disabilities Clinician: Cody Messersmith

21st Century Practices: Strategies for the Inclusion of Neurodivergent Learners in the Music Classroom Clinician: Cody Messersmith

"Meet Me Down in the Paw Paw Patch"; Creative Dance for Your Special Needs Populations Clinician: Edward M. Easse

Coloring Outside the Lines: Using Nonverbal Communication for Conducting Effective Rehearsals Clinician: Dr. Julia Baumanis

Artistic and Systemic Motivations to Shorten the Learning Curve Clinician: Scott Casagrande

Transitioning From Music Major to Music Educator Clinician: Joe Akinskas

Where Did the Time Go? Clinician: Ralph Venezia

The Certificate of Many Hats Clinician: Jenna DiSalvio

Playful Ensemble Rehearsals Clinician: William Kinne

PROPS to the PROPS! Clinician: Lisa Wichman

Uke Can Do It! Ukulele for Beginning Elementary Students Clinician: Ashley Ferrara

The Neurodiverse Music Classroom: Using Strengths of All Students in Various Learning Environments Clinician: Brian J. Wagner-Yeung

Orchestra for All: Adapting the String Program for a Diverse Range of Learners Clinician: Brian J. Wagner-Yeung

Music for All: Developing Music Instruction for Students with Higher Support Needs Clinician: Brian J. Wagner-Yeung

Engaging All Learners: Tools & Techniques to Reach Different Types of Learners in the Music Classroom Clinician: Brian J. Wagner-Yeung

Behavioral Strategies: Approaches & Techniques for All Students in Musical Environments Clinician: Brian J. Wagner-Yeung

Flute Sound: Navigating the Challenges Clinician: Carol Shansky

What’s New for Jazz Ensemble - A New Music Reading Session Clinician: Joseph J. Verderese, Jr

Finale 27 for Your Classroom Needs Clinician: Stephen Goss

Empowering Your Students-Addressing SEL Clinician: Stephen Goss

SmartMusic: Your Ultimate Sight Reading Tool Clinician: Stephen Goss

SmartMusic Tips Every Teacher Needs to Know Clinician: Stephen Goss

Method Book Madness Clinician: Stephen Goss

Tools for your Multi-Style Strings Teaching Toolbox Clinician: Martha Mooke

Building a Music Production Studio on a Budget Clinician: Mark Richardson

History of Rock n' Roll using Ukuleles Clinician: Mark Richardson

An Effective Approach for the Small Wind Section in the Marching Arts Clinician: Phil Hamilton

Interrupting Racism in Our Music Classrooms Clinician: Amy T. Hairston

Developing Musicality in Every Orchestra Classroom Clinician: David Pope

Creating a Successful, Engaging, and Fun Beginning String Class Clinician: David Pope

Strategies for Developing Intonation in the Orchestra Classroom Clinician: David Pope

Targeted and Effective Warm-Ups for the String Classroom Clinician: David Pope

Religion, Resolve, and Ransom: Dimensions of Justice in Select Extended Choral Works by Black Women Composers Clinician: Khyle B. Wooten

How to Choose Authentic and Engaging repertoire Through a Culturally Responsive Lens in the Music Classroom. Clinician: The Equity Project

Music and the Movement Clinician: The Equity Project

Bridging the Gap: Creative Adaptations of Ensemble Fundamentals Clinician: Stephen Meyer

Rehearsing the Band: Universal Lessons from Extraordinary Directors Clinician: Stephen Meyer

Yes, It Does Matter! Simple Conducting Fixes to Improve Ensemble Sound Clinician: Stephen Meyer

MORE Innovative Uses of Technology in the Orchestra Rehearsal Clinician: Joseph Brennan

We All Perform on the Same Stage - Improving the Ensemble Skills Of Your Secondary String Players Clinician: Joseph Brennan

Introduction to Music Directing Clinician: Holden Maiorana

Teaching with TikTok: Incorporating Popular Music into Ensembles Clinician: Holden Maiorana

Immersive Technologies and Their Place in Classroom Music Clinician: Kate Hargreaves

Stay in the Game! Clinician: Kate Hargreaves

Why are We Learning This? Clinician: Kate Hargreaves

A Musicians Guide to Pop Music in the Guitar Classroom Clinician: Bob Habersat

Real World Theory: Relevant Music Theory for Music Production, Piano, and Modern Band. Clinician: Bob Habersat

Mini Maestros: Using the Principles of Movement to Improve Individual and Ensemble Musicianship Clinician: Patricia Cornett

Performing Social Justice: Instrumental Music Education as Artistic Citizenship Clinician: Marissa Silverman

The Continuous Process of Becoming: Techniques and Suggestions for More Effective, Productive, and Musical Rehearsals Clinician: Thomas McCauley

A NEW model - Subscription Printing for General Music Clinician: Shawna Longo

Effectively Using Free Tech Resources in General Music Clinician: Shawna Longo

Foster Literacy, SEL, and IDEA Through Children’s Books Clinician: Shawna Longo

Build a Badge Clinician: Shawna Longo

Keys & Kingdoms: Bringing Gaming and Education to a Whole New Level! Clinician: Graeme Winder

Solfege Basketball Game: Makes Teaching Solfege a Slam Dunk! Clinician: Mark Filoramo

"I'm not your clock!" Expressive Conducting for Teachers Clinician: Meredith S. Boyan

Learner Centered Practices in the Secondary School Clinician: Tina Beveridge

JAMM Bands: Joy, Audiation, and Music Making Clinician: Robin Giebelhausen

Do You Hear What I Hear? Audiation and the Music Classroom Clinician: Robin Giebelhausen

Where Are My Lady Composers? Clinician: Robin Giebelhausen

Just Gender: Creating and Implementing Affirming Spaces at all Levels Clinician: Ær Queen

Just Gender: Pathways to Inclusivity in Elementary School Clinician: Ær Queen

New Jersey Young Composer's Competition Finals Clinician: Andrew Lesser

The Art of Facilitation: Navigating Race and Culture in the Music Classroom Clinician: Dr. Marshaun R. Hymon

2023 NJMEA State Conference Friday Night Gala Concert

Naturally 7

Certain experiences burn themselves in your memory from the very first encounter. The jaw-dropping audio pyrotechnics that Naturally 7 put on display every night absolutely belong in that category. “A capella group” so vastly underplays what they create onstage that they had to coin a phrase - “Vocal Play” - to more accurately depict what they do. Naturally 7 is more than a tightly orchestrated collection of great singers. They transform their voices into actual human instruments, effortlessly producing music of any genre. Their vocal choreography is so perfectly interwoven that they compelled the musical maestro himself, Quincy Jones, to declare that “Naturally 7 is the future of vocal music!!” Their sonic mastery was on full display in a series of unforgettable performances on “The World’s Best” TV show, which premiered on CBS immediately following Super Bowl LIII. Hosted by comedian and “Car Karaoke” collaborator, James Corden, Naturally 7 reigned supreme as the world’s “Best Group”, and cemented their singular status among the planet’s musical elite.

This was only icing on the cake of a still-vibrant 20-year career, which includes 3 world tours - nearly 500 shows - with the incomparable Michael Bublé, shared billing with global phenomenon Coldplay - including a sold out show at the Barclays Center - and owned the spotlight in a pair of national Cheerios commercials. In addition to Bublé, Naturally 7 has shared the stage with numerous icons, including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Quincy Jones, Sarah Connor, Lionel Richie, Ludacris, The Roots, and more. Counted among their world-famous fans are President Barack Obama, Will.I.Am., Ellen DeGeneres, Craig Ferguson, Bill and Melinda Gates, Jay Leno, Allan Titchmarsh, Mo’Nique, Jools Holland, and Arsenio Hall, along with countless others.

With the release of their latest project, 20/20, Naturally 7 comes full circle, adding a fresh spin on 20 fan favorites, hand selected by fans the world over. This, their eleventh studio album, celebrates their 20th anniversary in the music industry, giving music lovers all they could hope for, and then some. For the members of Naturally 7 - “Ricky“ Lee Ricardo Cort, Rod Eldridge, Kelvin “Kelz“ Mitchell, Sean Simmonds, Dwight Stewart, Roger Thomas, and Warren Thomas - it’s a privilege to do what they love and bring so much joy to the hearts of their fans each and every night. It’s exactly what you would expect. When something is pure magic it’s destined to withstand the test of time. Naturally…

Naturally 7.

2023 NJMEA State Conference

Keynote Speakers

T. André Feagin serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music at Coastal Carolina University (CCU). In addition to his responsibilities with University Bands, he teaches applied clarinet and courses in the jazz/commercial music curriculum. Prior to his arrival at CCU, Feagin served as Associate Director of Bands at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) where he was conductor of the Symphony Band and Director of Athletic Bands. In addition, he served as Director of Bands at Watkins Overton High School (TN) where his program was a consistent recipient of the Tennessee Bandmasters Association (TBA) Sweepstakes Award.

Feagin was one of three nationally selected conductors to perform as guest conductor with the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America and the United States Academy Band at West Point with the National Band Association and West Point Conducting Workshop, respectively. He has appeared with numerous All-state and regional honor bands throughout the United States, Canada, and Southeast Asia. He has presented clinics on conducting at the Arizona Music Educators Association State Convention, The Savannah State University Conducting Workshop (GA), and the Universiti Teknologi MARA in Selangor, Malaysia.

Feagin’s publications include serving as a contributing author in four volumes of the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series as well as the Instrumentalist. His doctoral research studies Spanish wind composer Bernardo Adam Ferrero and his wind composition Homenaje a Joaquín Sorolla. Professor Feagin did his doctoral study in wind conducting at the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music and has done post-graduate work in conducting at the University of North Texas. He holds a master of music degree (wind conducting) and a bachelor of music degree (performance) from the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. His conducting mentors include Gregg Hanson, Eugene Migliaro Corporon, and Kraig Alan Williams. His clarinet teachers include James Gholson, Denise Gainey, and Steven Cohen.

Feagin has instructed the United States Army All American Marching Band (2009-2015) and was appointed the head director by NAfME in 2012, 2013, and 2018. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the proclamation of “Professor T. André Feagin Day” from the Mayor and City Council of El Paso, Texas and the Golden Apple Teacher Award. Professor Feagin’s teaching experience in Drum Corps International (DCI) expands nearly two decades having served as brass caption head for the six-time World Champion Santa Clara Vanguard (CA) and The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps (AZ). Feagin served four years as conductor of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps and was the recipient of the Jim Jones Leadership Award (2000) and the DCI Division III Director of the Year Award (2007). Feagin continues his involvement in the marching arts serving actively as a music arranger and visual designer for some of the nations finest high school, university and drum corps programs.

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 inservice 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 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).

He holds degrees from Ball State University and the University of Alabama; in 1995 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the VanderCook College of Music. He continues to teach as an adjunct faculty member at: Ball State University, Indiana-Purdue/Ft. Wayne University, and Butler University. In addition, he is a member of the Midwest Clinic Board of Directors and the Western International Band Clinic/American Band College Board of Directors. He is presently the Chair of the National Association for Music Education Music Honor Society (Tri-M).

7 Cool Things You May Not Know About Song Maker

Steve Giddings Ontario, Canada steve[at]stevesmusicroom.com

This article adaptation was originally published as a blog post on StevesMusicRoom.com and reprinted and approved for publication in the 2022 book, Technology for Unleashing Creativity, from Oxford University Press.

Chrome Music Lab’s full potential is often overlooked by music teachers and non-music teachers as a fun playtime tool. However, it has loads of potential as a cross-curricular STEAM resource and has gained popularity in recent years. One app in particular—Song Maker—is the most versatile app on Chrome Music Lab and it is certainly up there with one of the most useful tools on the internet, but few people know this. There are many unknown tricks and perks to this amazing little piece of software to keep your learners creating and arranging their own music. Here they are:

Find Pitch and Tune

Press the ‘Mic’ button at the bottom of the Song Maker screen and let it access your microphone. Once you do, you will see a microphone icon appear at the side of your screen, try singing or playing an instrument to see if it can guess right. It’s almost like a MIDI input device but without the controller. The more in tune, the easier it picks up your sounds.

Possible Applications

1. Have learners input notes using only their voice or an instrument of their choice. Once they have their choices, play it back in a loop (it will do this automatically) and play an accompaniment that fits while the loop is playing. If you are working in a particular key, this could work really well for reinforcing that particular key signature.

2. Help reluctant singers find their pitch by seeing if they can make one of the colours light up. It could work for helping singers stay on pitch or for pitch training. Use an external microphone with an interface in noisier settings.

3. Have learners sing or play a simple melody to see if it will catch the notes, then arrange them rhythm to fit.

4. Have your group of recorder players (or any instrument) playing the same pitch to see if they can keep their notes in the centre. Then, compose a piece of music together using the Mic function.

5. For ukulele or guitar players, have learners input notes into the app using their instruments, then find a chordal accompaniment to fit.

6. After inputting the notes, create a simple beat to go with it.

Export as MIDI to a Notation Software

All notation software has the capability to read MIDI, but they all interpret them differently. Finale, for the most part, is pretty good at what was intended.

To do this, start by clicking on the ‘Save’ Button to see the options. click ‘Save’

Click on ‘DOWNLOAD MIDI’

When you click ‘DOWNLOAD MIDI,’ it will begin to download the file in .mid format to your device’s drive. When you go to your notation software, click on ‘import’ and then import MIDI. You may be able to select the file type from the ‘open’ menu in your notation software or there may be a devoted MIDI import option. Once it opens in your notation software, it will be rendered in European staff notation and you can manipulate as you see fit. Many times, it will be rendered into two tracks (rhythm and melody).

Possible Applications

1. After learners compose a melody, import it to notation software and add another part to complement the original.

2. If learners are working on particular scale concepts, have them set those parametres in Song Maker, compose, and export to a notation software.

3. It can be used as a really good introduction to how MIDI works or how European staff notation works. For younger learners, simply having them go through the process of exporting then importing is a useful musical technology skill.

Export as MIDI to a DAW

Song Maker uses what’s called MIDI piano roll notation, which is a standard notation within any Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) when composing with MIDI. Like the notation software, every DAW can read imported MIDI but they all render them differently. What is different about using a DAW over notation software is that you have the ability to add loops, other MIDI instruments and beats to your melody.

Possible Applications

1. The original melody can also be changed within the MIDI Editor on most DAWs.

2. Learners can be asked to create a melody in Song Maker and then asked to add a beat to it in a DAW.

3. They can add loops to the MIDI part and try to match tempos.

4. Create a MIDI part that complements the imported track using a MIDI controller or virtual instrument within the DAW.

Generate a Link and Share

Generating a link in Song Maker is the software’s way of being able to save for later and makes it an easy way to send to someone else. Every piece created in Song Maker has its own unique URL. To do this: Click ‘Save’ again and then click on ‘Copy Link’.

after clicking on ‘Copy Link’ the link will automatically be saved to your device’s clipboard, all you have to do to release it is select where you want it to go and then paste it (Ctrl+V on a PC and most laptop devices).

You can paste it anywhere: in an e-mail, a text message, on social media, in a Google Doc, etc. Anyone who can view your composition can edit it too, so they could pass it back and forth with different versions each time.

Possible Applications

1. Ask learners to create an A section and get someone else to create a B section by sending it through e-mail or text.

2. Ask learners to create an entire ABA piece, send it to someone and ask them to change one thing to make it better.

3. Ask learners to create a melody or harmony part and send it to someone else to add a rhythm part.

4. Every piece of music ever composed on Song Maker has its own unique URL, so as long as you have the link, you can always go back to it. Save them in a portfolio on Google Doc or a Google Site (discussed later). You can save the screen to your clipboard by pressing ‘PrtScn’ key on your keyboard. Ctrl + V releases it to wherever you would like it to go.

Uses the Chromatic Colour System (the same as Boomwhackers)

Yep, I just blew your mind. Think about it! The Chromatic Colour System is a legitimate standardized notation system first theorized by Isaac Newton in 1702 and adapted by many. Yep, that Isaac Newton. Think about how many other instruments or notation systems use these same colours.

Of course, this is useful knowledge because your learners can now compose music for boomwhackers and a plethora of other instruments. And if you memorize the colours, you can transpose it to any instrument without having to export it to notation software. HINT: C is always red, D is orange, etc…

Change Key, # of Bars, Metre, and Scales

Here are the parameters you can work with:

Embed it Into a Webpage

You can embed it to a web page like a Google Site to collect all of the compositions in one place like a portfolio. Then when the page is published it will appear right there and you will be able to play it from within the web page and edit it as you see fit. If you are editing it you will have to embed it again to save the new version. When you click ‘Save,’ this time select “Embed Code.” If you are embedding to a Google Site, you can use the embed code or the URL.

Conclude

Just using this simple app, there are loads of possibilities for music making. Learners can make something that sounds great almost instantly and it can boost confidence in their own musicianship. Not to mention that it is way more versatile than most folks give it credit for. In the end, I hope you find something useful in these 7 cool things!

Until next time, Happy Musicking!

Please check out the link to the blog post to check out video walk-throughs of each of these awesome functions: https://www.stevesmusicroom.com/ post/7-cool-things-you-may-not-know-about-song-maker

Relevant Music Theory or Rewiring Music Theory for the Modern Classroom

Bob Habersat Oak Lawn Community High School bob[at]shedthemusic.com

In 8:00am Freshman Theory, I remember sitting in the front row with a crew of music education majors. We were loud and enthusiastic, running to the board to attempt part-writing exercises and sweating the difference between supertonic and subdominant after class. There was a non-music ed student in the corner of the room who always slept through class, ignoring our complaints about parallel fifths and secondary dominants. “He is not going to make it through the semester,” we’d tell ourselves. “He wasn’t putting up a fuss like the rest of us!” That was until we had our first exam—the dude aced everything, the nerve! It turns out that he was a jazz major, and he had a very different relationship with the material than we did. He wasn’t working on developing a theoretical understanding of music principles: He had a functional understanding of them.

Beyond the Page

The issue that I had as an undergrad was that I lacked context and connection for the material that we were learning. Mozart didn’t speak to me, and I didn’t give a Johann Jospeh Fux about counterpoint. It took me until I graduated and tried to make it as a gigging guitarist to REALLY understand what is going on beyond the page. I transcribed guitar parts from recordings to get their sound into my playing, I arranged tunes for different groups, and I started writing my own charts. I developed a deep relationship with the fundamentals of music because I was applying them to the music that I loved in creative ways. Once I had this level of understanding, classical music theory made sense; Haydn string quartets were fun to analyze, I couldn’t get enough of Beethoven’s harmonies, and counterpoint was finally cool.

It has been my goal as a music educator to empower my students with this relationship. Why can’t we get students hooked from the beginning using the music that they listen to? The V chord in the key of Bb major has the same notes in it whether it’s Brahms or Bieber. Why can’t we open up music theory to students who aren’t just in the traditional band/choir/ orchestra track at our schools to make understanding music accessible to everyone?

In order to do this,I had to REWIRE the way I taught theory. REWIRE is an acronym for a framework for constructing theory lessons. By following the framework, students develop all aspects of musicianship:

Read + Play

Ear Train

Write

Improvise

Record

Evaluate + Analyze

In order to REWIRE theory this way, we need to address (1) what order we teach the topics and (2) how in-depth we teach them. The topics in my theory classes are sequenced:

1. Time + Rhythm 2. Drums 3. Bass 4. Chordal Parts 5. Melody 6. Form

This sequence allows students to scaffold their understanding and mastery of principles, so they are able to apply them in musical situations at every point in the curriculum.

When students learn about subdivisions in the first unit, they find examples of subdivision shifts in the hi-hat of trap music, improvise using subdivision syllables, and transcribe original examples that are in modern styles. In the drum unit, students use their mastery of subdivision to aid in the writing, transcription, improvisation, reading, and recording of drum grooves in various styles using the piano keyboard to trigger drum instruments in a DAW. This results in students gaining a comprehensive understanding of all the elements in pop music and gives them the ability to apply them along the way, creating context for their understanding- it’s also very fun!

The second variable is depth. Let’s look at it in relation to scales. In a traditional band setting students are taught major scales as a mechanism to develop technique on their instrument. Ask a high school clarinet player about the Bb major scale, and they might be able to play it in different permutations, but they get stumped when they are asked to apply it in any other context. If they were asked to play the sixth scale degree,

voice lead chords for a progression, or to improvise over changes in Bb, they will have to get out a piece of paper and figure out the part while not having much fun. I call this WORKING music. When a student has a deep understanding of the scale, they can rely on mental muscle memory and PLAY the music without thinking. With the REWIRE framework, once students can spell their major scales, they apply this skill to different musical contexts by playing bass on the piano keyboard or on their instrument. If the bass line uses only roots, students only have to worry about the scale degrees—it’s a great way to get students to play theory simply. The first task is to play along with pop tunes they like. It gives them an immediate sense of ownership over the knowledge, and it makes them want to learn more to be able to PLAY music. Here are a few examples of chord progression analysis of some pop tunes.

Save Your Tears (THE WEEKND): I / / / | vi / / / | iii / / / | V / / / |

Original Key: C Tempo: 118 BPM

Shake It Off (TAYLOR SWIFT): ii / / / | IV / / / | I / / / | / / / / |

Original Key: G Tempo: 80 BPM

Heat Waves (GLASS ANIMALS): ii / I / | vi / V | IV / I / | vi / V / |

Original Key: B Tempo: 81 BPM

Say what you will about the simplicity of these progressions, but they make it very easy for students to have fun with theory. The first day I taught major scales this semester in a beginning piano class, I had students with no previous music experience playing these songs with the original recording using a piano keyboard. At the end of the class students were able to play these songs in different keys and in a small ensemble while other students played drum grooves. The best thing is that everyone was having fun, this is the power of applied music theory!

Once students have mastered bass lines, we move on to chordal playing. Everyone learns how to spell diatonic chords and invert voicings for smooth voice leading. In piano and theory class we do this by working on playing chords to pop tunes, in guitar class we invert triads on the top three strings and play Motown tunes. In classes with horns, students learn how to use voice leading to write harmony lines and eventually to write their own harmonized horn figures. The horn players in the modern band that I direct know how to write their own parts. Once the group chooses a tune to arrange, the rhythm section will start working on gluing the groove together and the horn players will get to work in a practice room to write their own lines. First they figure out where the pads, punches, and ostinatos are going to be in the song's form, then they choose the rhythm for the line by improvising and verbalizing over a drum loop, and finally they find their notes by experimenting with different voicings and voice leading. Did I mention that they are having a blast along the way and that the musical discovery that they are achieving is highly organic. They are making the same connections to theory that I did post undergrad.

Below is an example of a graphic organizer I give to horn players to help them plan their voice leading. They sometimes write their parts using piano roll notation as well. They are far more accurate with the attack, sustain, and release of notes by seeing them this way. I find that when students write their parts down in notation, their brains sometimes go into ensemble auto-pilot. Using chord tones and non-standard notation allows them to think off the page, scaffolding their ability to conceptualize theory for application purposes.

I teach this methodology in all of the general music classes at my high school (piano, music tech, guitar, music theory). We host a session every Friday during a resource period called: Jam Friday. Anyone can come to the jam and select a song to play. We listen to the tune once, and I give students time to ear out the numbers. Once students come to a consensus about the chord progression and key, we start playing. Since everyone has experience playing all of the instruments in the rhythm section using either acoustic instruments or MIDI keyboards, we never have to worry about instrumentation. After we play through it a couple of times, participants can switch roles: bass players become drummers, drummers become chordal players, and anyone can sing. We had a staff member come into the room during a jam of Where The Streets Had No Name by U2 this semester. It was her favorite song and she belted out a few choruses with the band, quite well might I add. After the last note, she asked how long we practiced the song because it sounded great and it looked like we were having fun, the response- we didn’t!

Pop music is a great entry point to understanding and mastering music theory principals. Take some time out of the concert cycle this year and make some of these important connections with your students. It can be as simple as playing a bass line, or as complex as having students write their own horn parts. Don’t be afraid of getting outside of your comfort zone and trying some of these things yourself as well. Who knows, you might change your relationship with music theory.

Learn more about REWIRE theory at shedthemusic.com or at the NJMEA conference this year. Bob Habersat will be presenting a session on his theory curriculum, guitar method, and he will also be hosting a MIDI Keyboard Jam as part of the music tech academy.

Lakeland Regional High School

Matthew Testa, Advisor

My chapter has been very busy the past year. Each year we try to highlight 3 projects. One to serve music, one to serve our school, and one to serve our community. This past year we were very successful on all fronts. To serve music, we performed an outdoor recital at Ringwood State Park, featuring students performing in small groups and solos with accompaniment. This was also done in conjunction with our sending school's Tri-M chapter so we were able to create closer ties with our feeder program. To serve our school we took a big role in a recent remodeling project that gave us a refreshed auditorium and band room, complete with a full reorganization of our 1000 piece music library. To serve our community, the students independently organized an instrument drive, which resulted in the donation of over a dozen instruments to the music program at the Haledon School.

CHAPTER SPOTLIGHTS

members are ushers and house managers for all school events held in the auditorium. We decorate the auditorium for the Winter holiday concert season. In 2017, we had a service project called the “Stand Project”: they organized student volunteers (both Tri-M and non-Tri-M) where the group fixed up and spray painted PMHS letters on the orchestra room and band room stands. For the second part of the project, they assembled new stands to use for concerts in the then newly renovated auditorium.

Our chapter fundraisers are a sub sale for the Super Bowl, candy grams at Winter concerts, and selling roses for cast and crew members during the school musical. This money is used for the annual senior scholarship and senior alumni card and pin. Starting last year, our administration has provided the pink music honor cord for our seniors to wear at graduation. The 2021-2022 chapter wanted some of the fundraising money to go towards instrument repair (planned for the 2023 school year).

The induction ceremony is held in February where new members need to have the required mid-year service hours and participate in the ceremony with a solo performance. All choir members in Tri-M lead in singing the National anthem during the ceremony. Each officer has a speaking part during the ceremony - we use a tweaked version of the template provided by NAfME.

River Dell Regional High School

Jeff Wilson, Advisor

Pennsville Memorial High School

Lisa Anderson, Advisor

The chapter was started in 1986 and I have been the advisor since 2014. The group has held an annual open mic night coffee house to raise money for Pennsville Public Library since 2013: We have performances by chapter members, members of school music ensembles, an the student community. Pre-Covid, we have performed at local nursing homes - we hope to start that up again next year. For the school community, our

River Dell Regional High School, Chapter 4876, has been a part of the Tri-M community since 2005. Each year, our members organize two in school recitals: Classical Night, which is held in January, and Pops Night, which is held in May. All members of our chapter, which usually averages around 35 students, prepare, and perform pieces for these recitals. All performances must pass a jury, which is overseen by myself and the group’s officers. In addition to these two performances, our chapter hosts monthly coffee houses and open mic nights, where non-members are welcomed and encouraged to perform, and an annual battle of the bands and jazz night. All of these events are free, and open to the public. Our members also perform at nursing homes, our public libraries, and in events in the Oradell and River Edge communities, and we put together virtual recitals and concerts that are shared with our communities. For our induction ceremony, we share the spotlight with our school’s other honor societies. During the

Lakeland Regional Instrument Drive

NJSMA

North Jersey School Music Association www.njsma.com

Greetings to all of our colleagues! I hope that your year is going well and all of your winter/holiday performances were successful. We are now about to embark on our busy season that will take us through early Spring. Thanks to the continuing work of our Diversity & Inclusion Division we were able to continue our fee waiver program this year.

To get things started this year on October 10th, our NJSMA Elementary Music Fall Workshop featuring guest clinician Amy Abbott was a huge success! Thank you to all participants, committee members, guest performers (The Chanteurs - NJ Choral Society ensemble) and our sponsor (Music is Elementary) for the participants' tote bags and giveaways. We were also very happy to offer the High School Chorus Festivals this year and would like to thank our adjudicators Dr. Heather Buchanan, Dr. Barbara Klemp, Dr. Nick McBride and Dr. Brandon Williams for working with our choirs. We would also like to thank our host schools; Montclair State University, Mountain Lakes High School, and Chatham High School.

The Region I High School & Intermediate Orchestra auditions will be held on Saturday, January 7, with a snow date of Sunday, January 8, 2023, at Clifton High School. We would like to thank the staff at Clifton High School for hosting auditions and the band division audition chair, Ms. Michelle Christianson from Parsippany Hills High School. The High School Region Band rehearsals and concert will be held at Parsippany Hills High School. The concert is on January 29, 2023.

We hope to see many of you at the NJMEA State Conference

in February. There is a great slate of workshops planned for every grade level and performance area. NJSMA will be having a membership meeting on Friday, February 24th. Please check the schedule of events for the exact time and location. We are also planning to once again host a social gathering for our members. That info will also be communicated by email once time and location are confirmed.

As we look ahead, our elementary general music division is co-sponsoring a workshop with The New Jersey Youth Chorus on Saturday, April 1, 2023. "It's Elementary, My Dear" will feature a variety of workshops including Folk Dancing with a Twist (popular music), Tinikling and Orff on a Cart. Registration information is on the NJSMA website. The 5th Annual Elementary Choral Celebration will be held on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at Drew University. We are thrilled to welcome our guest clinicians, Dr. Nick McBride (TCNJ) and Sarah Michael (Drew University). Details can be found on the NJSMA website (https://njsma.org/elementaryhome/).

Our Intermediate Chorus Festival is scheduled for Friday January 20, 2023. As always, we appreciate our participating choirs, hosts, and adjudicators.

The Intermediate Band & Chorus auditions will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2023 with a snow date of Sunday, February 12, 2023 at Wayne Valley High School. We would like to thank Mr. Gabe Batiz and Wayne Valley HS for hosting auditions. This year’s High School Region Concert Band Festival will be held March 21, 22, 23. Hosts include Parsippany Hills High School, Hanover Park High School, West Essex Regional High School and Bergenfield High School. The Intermediate Concert Band Festival will be held April 26, 2023. The evening location for this event is Pequannock Township High School.

We will be holding our first Guitar Fest on Saturday, May 13th. More details to follow as they are confirmed. If you are interested in conducting the guitar ensemble, please email diversity@njsma.org directly.

None of our events run without many hands behind the scenes. We are always looking for volunteers with any level of experience to serve as site host, audition chair, manager and executive board member (just to name a few). If you want to be involved, we have a spot and will work alongside you throughout the entire process.

Are you interested in conducting a region ensemble? Please fill out the form on our website. Once completed, it will be immediately sent to your respective division.

Directors who would like to suggest a new high school or intermediate band solo for future auditions are encouraged to do so. The process for having a new solo considered is to contact the band chairpersons and provide a copy of the music for them. Your suggestion will be submitted to a committee for review (NJ Band Procedures Committee for high school solos) and added to the rotation if deemed appropriate.

We are still actively trying to connect with the new teach-

ers in our region and those who have not been active as an NJSMA member. If you are reading this or know someone, please have them reach out to our corresponding secretary (publicity[at]njsma.org) or fill out the contact form on our website. All relevant information about our region is on the website (njsma.org). The calendar section is up to date with all of our confirmed events as of this publication. Contact info for all executive board members/divisions is listed under the officers section.

Thank you for everything you do to provide our students with the best musical education possible. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Christopher DeWilde NJSMA President president[at]njsma.com

CJMEA

Central Jersey Music Educators Association www.cjmea.org

I hope everyone is doing well! By the time you read this we will be in the midst of our Region events for High School and Middle School. I will do a complete report covering all ensembles in the next issue once they are completed. I would like to give my sincere thanks to all our CJMEA Division Chairs for their hard work in planning our auditions and events: Chris Vitale (HS Band), Arvin Gopal (HS Orchestra), Arielle Siegel (HS Chorus), Sandy Olson and Ashlen Udell (K-8 Band), Grace Lee (K-8) Orchestra), and Helen Kernizan (K-8 Chorus). Without these individuals, we would not have such a top-notch region program. Their countless hours of work and dedication is second to none and our students have benefited tremendously from their experiences in auditions and ensembles. I would like to also thank all of our wonderful teachers in Region 2 for their support and in getting all of their students so well prepared. Our Honors Ensembles for Elementary and Middle School is coming up in the Spring. Please check the CJMEA website for information this Winter. I would like to invite everyone to our General Membership meeting at the NJMEA Conference in Atlantic City. This is a great way to get some face time with the CJMEA Board and learn about what each division has in the works. We are always looking ahead to the following year and are in need of our members to become involved in what we do. This meeting is the perfect opportunity to be able to ask questions and find out information.

Our Diversity and Inclusion Division ran a wonderful PD session online on November 15th featuring Vinroy D. Brown on the topic of “Programming Diverse Works For Our Diverse

Student Body”. He will be running a second part to this in the Spring which will take place in person. Thank you to Isaiah C. Mason, our CJMEA Diversity and Inclusion Chair for putting these PD Sessions together.

I encourage everyone to please “like” our CJMEA Facebook Page which will contain updates about all our news and events.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the conference in February. If anyone ever has any questions or ideas, please always feel free to reach out.

Yale Snyder CJMEA President percussion[at]cjmea.org

SJCDA

South Jersey Choral Directors Association www.sjcda.net

Our 65th Annual South Jersey High School Choral Festival will be held at Republic Bank Performing Arts Center at Washington Township High School on January 28th and 29th, 2023. Our Senior High conductor is Joe Zachowski from Washington Twp High School. Our Junior High conductor is Charles Hartung of Collingswood Middle School. Auditions for these choirs will be held on Saturday, November 19th at Clearview Regional High School. We will be having auditions in person this year.

Our 40th Annual South Jersey Elementary Festival Choral Concert will be held at Republic Bank Performing Arts Center at Washington Township High School on March 4th, 2023; the choir will be conducted by Polly Murray who teaches K-5 at Elizabeth Haddon School & JF Tatem School in Haddonfield.

Full concert programs for all three honors choirs as well as bios of our conductors are available on our SJCDA website.

The South Jersey Choral Directors Association offers many opportunities for choral music teachers to participate, and in doing so, expand their knowledge as music educators. We encourage all music teachers to get involved with the honor choirs and take advantage of the professional development opportunities offered. We look forward to another exciting year working with the teachers and students of vocal music throughout South Jersey and encourage you to check our website for the latest updates. www.sjcda.net

At this busy time of year, SJCDA has many people to thank for their generous help and support. First our audition hosts Romel McInnis & Chelsea Franchi and our gracious rehearsal hosts are Brendan Moore of Lenape High School and Dr. Chris Thomas of Rowan University. Amy Melson, Casey Corigliano & Joseph Zachowski at Washington Township High

School will host both the Jr./ Sr. Festival in January and the Elementary Festival in March. Also, we would like to thank our hard working SJCDA Board, managers and directors for all of their time in getting this years in person auditions and performances off the ground.

I would like to also say a big thank you to Cristin Introcaso for all of her amazing work in helping us to get our new registration process started on Jotforms this year. Thank You Cristin!

David Taylor SJCDA President dtaylor[at]nburlington.com

SJBODA

South Jersey Band and Orchestra Directors Association www.sjboda.org

SJBODA will bring in the New Year with two very exciting concerts at Rowan University. On Sunday, January 8th we will present our Orchestra and String Ensemble concert. This is the 68th anniversary concert for the Orchestra which will be conducted by Jiannan Cheng (Rowan University). The Junior High String Ensemble will be conducted by Sue On (Rowan Youth Orchestra). We were still in need of managers at the deadline for this article. The following Sunday, January 15th the Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Band will perform in their 76th anniversary concert. The Wind Ensemble will be conducted by Todd Nichols (Rutgers University) and the Symphonic Band will be led by Patrick O’Keefe (Absegami HS). D. Michael Lynch (Cherokee HS) will be the manager for the Wind Ensemble. We were still in need of managers for the Symphonic Band at the deadline for this article. Our concert host for these performances is Joe Higgins.

These concerts would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of our colleagues. Phil Senseney (Southern Regional Schools, retired) did an outstanding job in providing our students with a positive audition experience and Patrick O’Keefe provided an excellent facility for our students, parents, and membership at the auditions which were held at Absegami HS.

The first rehearsal for these ensembles were held at Cinnaminson HS and hosted by Nick DiSalvio. Nick did a wonderful job in meeting the needs of our students. Our young musicians also benefitted from the efforts of Amanda Lakits Porco (Hamilton Township Schools), our Senior High Band Coordinator and Rhea Fernandes (Eastern Regional HS), our String Coordinator.

The Junior High Band auditions will take place on Saturday,

January 28th at Southern Regional Middle School. Jennifer Hodgson and Andrew Wright will be our hosts. Audition information is available on our website. Jon Porco (Deptford Township MS) and Joe Jacobs (Ventnor MS, retired) are the Junior High audition chairs. Joe Brausum (Berkley Township ES) is our Junior High Band Coordinator. The concert will take place on March 5th at Fernwood Ave. MS. Marc Spatz and Dawn Donchey will be our concert hosts. The rehearsals will take place at Mainland Regional HS with Derek Rohaly as our host. The conductors for the 45th Annual Junior High Band Concert are Bethany Wiberg (Richard M. Teitelman MS) and Pamela Turowski (Burlington County Institute of Technology).

The 15th annual Chamber Ensemble Concert will take place on Wednesday, February 7th at Penns Grove HS with Ken Rafter as our host. Jon Porco (Deptford Township MS) is our Chamber Ensemble Coordinator. Our coaches so far for this year are Noa Even (Rowan University) – Sax Quartet and Jim Mark (Cherry Hill West HS) – Brass Ensemble. We were still in need of coaches for the Clarinet Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Flute Quartet, Tuba/Euphonium Quartet, and the Woodwind Quintet at the deadline for this article.

Registration forms for our 29th annual Concert Band Festival are available on the SJBODA website. The festival, coordinated by Mike Armstrong (Deptford Township HS) and Jon Porco (Deptford Township MS), will take place on Tuesday, March 14th and Wednesday, March 15th at Rowan University. The snow date will be Thursday, March 16th. The adjudicators were not finalized at the deadline for this article. Joe Higgins will host this event.

The 29th annual Elementary Honors Band Festival and our 6th annual Elementary String Festival will take place on Saturday, April 29th at Absegami HS. Patrick O’Keefe will be our host. Sue Moore (Mansion Avenue School) and Christine Macaulay (Clara Barton ES) will be the coordinators for this event. Kate Wyatt (Egg Harbor Township Schools) will conduct the String Ensemble and Howard Isaacson (Dr. Joyce Miller ES) will conduct one of the bands. We were still in need of two additional band conductors at the deadline for this article. Registration forms are available on our website.

The SJBODA Winter Meeting will take place on Friday, January 13th at 10:00 AM at Rowan University. All members are encouraged to attend. Please continue to check the website, maintained by Derek Rohaly (Mainland Regional HS) for the latest SJBODA updates. The SJBODA phone number is 609-457-0590.

Lori Ludewig

SJBODA President sjbodapresident[at]gmail.com

This column salutes the lives and careers of recently departed colleagues. It is the way NJMEA and NJRMEA can express appreciation for the work that they have done and the lives that they have touched. We mourn their passing and salute their contributions, which are the basis for music education in the state of New Jersey.

Josephine Mary Knobloch

Josephine Mary Knobloch of Readington Township, N.J. died Thursday, October 13, 2022 at the age of 100. Born in Westfield, N.Y, daughter of John A Koenig and Johanna Mathey Koenig, she graduated from the West Winfield Central School in 1939, and from the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing as a Registered Nurse in 1942. Josephine served as an Army Air Force Nurse at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, during WWII from 1943 to 1945, where she married Capt Earl T Knobloch of the Air Transport Command. She received her Bachelor’s of Music from Syracuse University as a Voice Major, and her Masters in Music Education and Certificate of Advanced Studies in Music Education. She was a Choral Director and Music Educator for 12 years in New York State, Prince George’s County, Maryland and Morris Plains, N.J. After receiving her Supervisory Certificate from the state of N.J. she was employed by Hunterdon Aging for which she received the Exemplary Program Award for Excellence from the State Adult Education Department.

As the Coordinator of Special Projects for Hunterdon County Adult Education she originated and coordinated the establishment of the Hunterdon County Textile Guild: the Rug Artisan Guild, the Patchwork and Quilting Guild, The Needlework Guild, the Sewing Guild and the Knitting and Crocheting Guild.

In 1976 she coordinated and established Golden Talents, where for 28 year Senior Artisans could market their handcrafted creations and supplement their incomes. During this time she also hosted a series of weekly radio interviews of Hunterdon artisans on “As The Wheel Turns”, sponsored by the Office On Aging.

After retirement she volunteered for 10 years for ESC as Coordinator of Arts and Crafts, where she coordinated with Reverend Richard Mille of the Stanton Reformed

Church, the establishment of the Hunterdon County Baking Guild. She innovated and served as host for 10 years on the TV series “Artistic Talents” of Hunterdon.

Edward L. Krogstad

Music teacher at schools and churches, Staten Island native Edward L. Krogstad, Jr., 72 of Matawan, New Jersey passed away on Friday, October 7, 2022, at CareOne Holmdel. Born November 8, 1949 in Staten Island, New York, he was the son of the late Edward and Anna Krogstad. Edward was raised in the Dongan Hills section of Staten Island, and was a graduate of New Dorp High School. Growing up Edward was a member of the congregation of New Dorp Moravian Church, it was there he would begin a love for music. Edward would then settle in Matawan, NJ. In 1971 Edward would graduate from Park University with a degree in Music Education. Through the years he would advance his education taking multiple classes at the Westminster Choir College. He would put his love and knowledge of music to work, working as a music teacher and director at different schools and churches throughout Central New Jersey. Edward worked at St. Peter's High School, and St. Rose High School, as well as at the Great Kills Moravian Church, Metuchen Reformed Church, Marlboro Interfaith Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Sacred Heart Church, and most recently the Old Brick Reformed Church. Edward was a member of the NJ Music Educators Association and the American Guild of Organists. Edward was an Honorably Discharge member of the New Jersey Air National Guard. He was a member of Jerry Beyer's Bowling team in Matawan. He loved listening to classical music, and enjoyed spending time fixing pipe organs. He was a caring and loving man, who will be missed by all those that love him.

Linda Lois MacNamara

Linda Lois (Fox) MacNamara, of Highland Heights, Ohio, formerly of Ewing Township, New Jersey and Newtown, Pennsylvania, died Saturday, July 30, 2022. Linda's life calling was music. Born on June 26, 1932 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania to Cecil and Lois Fox, she was the oldest of three children. As a child she showed great musical talent on the piano and played all of her life. She loved vocal music and inspiring people to sing. In her teens she began her long career as a church organist, which spanned 65 years into her early 80s, providing music for churches in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey. Raised in Portage and Hollidaysburg, PA, she graduated from Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania) and began her career in music education, supplemented by additional graduate work at Penn State University. She was a member of Delta Omicron music honors fraternity. She was also a member of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association and the American Guild of Organists. She married Robert J. MacNamara, Jr., and they had two daughters, Lisa and Laurie. Moving often for Bob's career, she taught music in public schools in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey, including at her alma mater, Hollidaysburg High School. Following Bob's untimely death, she began her long tenure teaching elementary school music at Reed, Parkway, and Antheil Elementary Schools in Ewing Township. She found her church home at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Ewing, where she shared her musical gifts as organist for 42 years. She also served as choir director and Minister of Music at various points during that time.

Priscilla Pollacek

Priscilla Pollacek died Monday, October 10, 2022 at Morristown Memorial Medical Center in Morristown, NJ. She was 82. Pris was born on June 23, 1940, a daughter to the late Ida (Polson) and Edgar Pollacek, in Long Branch, NJ, living in Springfield, NJ before moving to Gillette in 1975.

She was a graduate of Jonathan Dayton Regional High School, and received her bachelors degree from Bucknell University. She worked as a music teacher for 48 years for the East Orange Board of Education before retiring. She was a member of the Somerset County Dog Club, the Watchung Power Squadron Boating Club, enjoyed ceramics and the arts, and loved to travel.

Stephen P. Updegraff

Stephen P. Updegraff, of North Brunswick, passed away Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at home. He was 49. Born in Williamsport, PA he graduated from Westminster Choir College. He lived in Sayreville before moving to North Brunswick 18 years ago.

Stephen was a dedicated music teacher and choir director for 27 years. He taught music at Old Bridge High School and sang with the Opera Festival of New Jersey.

He was a Steelers and Eagles fan and enjoyed comic books. He loved spending time with his children and was a very devoted and loving father.

NJMEA RESOURCE PERSONNEL

Area of Responsibility

Name Email Address

Administrative Matters Wayne Mallette

mallette.njmea[at]gmail.com All-State Coordinator ...................................................... Joseph Cantaffa .................................. jcantaffa[at]rocknrollchorus.com Association Business William McDevitt wmcdevittnjmea[at]gmail.com

Band Performance Chair Megan Alexander meganalexander160[at]gmail.com

Band Procedures Chair

Tyler Wiernusz .................................. twiernusz[at]clearviewregional.edu

Choral Performance Chair Brian Williams williams.brian[at]robbinsville.k12.nj.us Choral Procedures Chair

Ken Bryson ............................................. kennethbryson[at]gmail.com

Composition Contest Andrew Lesser andrew.lesser[at]yahoo.com Inclusion/Diversity/Equity/Access Katy Brodhead-Cullen njmea.idea[at]gmail.com

Jazz Procedures Chair

Miguel Bolivar ........................................... mbolivar.njaje[at]gmail.com Marching Band Festival Chair Nancy Clasen nancyclasen[at]gmail.com

Membership .................................................................... William McDevitt ...................................... wmcdevittnjmea[at]gmail.com

Middle/Junior High Band Festival Manuel Martinez manuelmartinez[at]gehrhsd.net Middle/Junior High Choral Festival Donna Marie Berchtold firesongwed[at]gmail.com NJMEA Historian ............................................................ Nicholas Santoro .................................................... n31b13[at]gmail.com

NJMEA State Conference Exhibits Chair Nancy Clasen nancyclasen[at]gmail.com NJMEA State Conference Manager ................................... Marie Malara ......................................................... malara97[at]aol.com NJMEA/ACDA Honors Choir Kaitlyn Reiser kreiser[at]spfk12.org November Convention – NJEA Nancy Clasen nancyclasen[at]gmail.com

Opera Festival Chair ................................................... Donna Marie Berchtold ....................................... firesongwed[at]gmail.com Orchestra Performance Chair Susan Meuse susanmeuse[at]gmail.com Orchestra Procedures Chair .................................. Craig Stanton & Elisabeth Sato ............................... asoprocedures[at]gmail.com Research Colleen Sears quinnc1[at]tcnj.edu Students with Special Needs Maureen Butler maureenbutlermusic[at]gmail.com Supervisor of Performing Groups

Patrick O’Keefe

patrickaokeefe[at]gmail.com Tri-M David Westawski westawski.njmea[at]gmail.com

REPRESENTATIVES/LIAISONS TO AFFILIATED, ASSOCIATED AND RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

NJ American Choral Directors Association....................... Kaitlyn Reiser kreiser[at]spfk12.org Governor’s Award for

Education Patrick O'Keefe patrickaokeefe[at]gmail.com

mbolivar.njaje[at]gmail.com

harrisj[at]nvnet.org

rdolce561[at]aol.com

andrew.lesser[at]yahoo.com

COMMUNICATION SERVICES/PUBLIC RELATIONS

wmcdevittnjmea[at]gmail.com

CALI IMMERSIVE RESIDENCY PROGRAM

AT MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY

We welcome the greater NJ area community to join us for our second annual reimagined professional residency program at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. The seven week-long residencies include a rotation of top rated artists and ensembles. Each residency will contribute to an on-going exploration of the ever-changing landscape of music today, introducing students and the community at large to amazing events of today and to a future that will be, at times, less traditional.

An exceptional artistic and academic education

Mentorship by internationally acclaimed artists, educators and scholars

Inspiration and preparation to serve the community and enrich society using the transformative power of music

Developing musicianship and professional skills in ensembles, masterclasses, clinical experiences, internships, and teaching

Experiencing the cultural riches of New York City nearby

DEGREES

Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Music, Master of Arts, Artist’s Diploma

Music Education, Performance, Jazz Studies, Music Therapy, Theory/Composition

Graduate String Quartet Residency Program

ROB KAPILOW

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE

VOCES8

RAHZEL JON B.

RHIANNON GIDDENS

CAVANI QUARTET

CAROLINE SHAW

DECODA

NJMEA 2021-2023 Board of Directors

Executive Board

President

Wayne Mallette

Past President

Patrick O’Keefe

Absegami High School patrickaokeefe[at]gmail.com

Scotch Palins-Fanwood District mallette.njmea[at]gmail.com

President-Elect

David Westawski

West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South westawski.njmea[at]gmail.com

NJSMA, President

Christopher DeWilde

Anthony Wayne Middle School president[at]njsma.com

CJMEA, President

Yale Snyder Monroe Township Schools percussion[at]cjmea.org

Executive Director William McDevitt Retired wmcdevittnjmea[at]gmail.com

SJCDA, President David Taylor Northern Burlington Reg HS dtaylor[at]nburlington.com

SJBODA, President

Lori Ludewig

Collingswood/Oaklyn Schools sjbodapresident[at]gmail.com

K-12 Ed Tech and Innovation

Administration

Alfred Hadinger North Plainfield alfred_hadinger[at]nplainfield.org

Advocacy

Libby Gopal East Orange Campus HS lgopal[at]ewrsd.k12.nj.us

Band Festivals/NJEA Liaison

Nancy Clasen

Thomas Jefferson Middle School nancyclasen[at]gmail.com

Band Performance

Megan Alexander meganalexander160[at]gmail.com

Choral Festivals

Donna Marie Berchtold Retired firesongwed[at]gmail.com

Choral Performance

Brian Williams Robbinsville High School williams.brian[at]robbinsville.k12.nj.us

Chorus/Orchestra/Jazz

Joseph Cantaffa Howell High School jcantaffa[at]rocknrollchorus.com

Conferences

Marie Malara Retired malara97[at]aol.com

Guitar/Expanded Ensembles

Jayson Martinez Newark Arts High School jmarti37[at]webmail.essex.edu

Higher Ed./Research/Collegiate

Colleen Sears The College of New Jersey quinnc1[at]tcnj.edu

Music Industry

James Frankel jim[at]musicfirst.com

Orchestra Performance/Festivals

Susan Meuse

Hammarskjold Middle School susanmeuse[at]gmail.com

PreK-8 General Music Amy Burns Far Hills Country Day School aburns[at]fhcds.org

Shawna Longo Durban Avenue School shawnalongo[at]gmail.com Retired

Kathy Spadafino Retired kspadeb[at]aol.com

Special Learners

Maureen Butler Retired maureenbutlermusic[at]gmail.com

GENERAL ADVERTISING RATES

Note: Additional fees will apply if metal plates are required. Ads which exceed the specified sizes will be charged at next ad size.

All Measurements In Inches

1color or black/white 4 color

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EDITORIAL POLICY

Articles may be submitted to the editor of this magazine by anyone who wishes to write about topics related to music or music education. All articles which are selected for publication will be proof read for content, spelling and grammatical errors.

Authors who submit an article to TEMPO Magazine for publication agree to all of the following

1. the editor may edit all articles for content, spelling and grammar.

2. the printing of the article in TEMPO Magazine, the printing date, and placement are at the discretion of the editor.

3. permission is granted to reprint the same article in any National or State Music Education Association magazine on the condition that the author’s name and TEMPO Magazine are to be mentioned in all reprinted articles.

4. no exceptions will be made regarding items 1 through 3 above.

5. the author of the article may submit his/her article to additional magazines for publication.

NJMEA Past Presidents

1924 - 1926 Josephine Duke

1926 - 1930 R.W. Laslett Smith

1930 - Jay W. Fay

1930 - 1931 Wilbert B. Hitchner

1931 - 1933 Thomas Wilson

1933 - 1935 John H. Jaquish

1935 - 1936 Clifford Demarest

1936 - 1938 Mable E. Bray

1938 - 1939 Paul H. Oliver

1939 - 1941 K. Elizabeth Ingles

1941 - 1942 Arthur E. Ward

1942 - 1944 John T. Nicholson

1944 - 1945 Frances Allan-Allen

1945 - 1947 Philip Gordon

1947 - 1949 Violet Johnson

1949 - 1951 Samuel W. Peck

1951 - 1953 Janet G. Gleason

1953 - 1955 Henry Zimmerman

1955 - 1957 Agnes B. Gordown 1957 - 1959 Leroy B. Lenox 1959 - 1961 Elizabeth R. Wood 1961 - 1963 Harold A. Brown 1963 - 1965 E. Brock Griffith 1965 - 1967 Robert C. Heath 1967 - 1969 Edward Brown 1969 - 1971 Rudolph Kreutzer

1971 - 1973 Charles Wertman

1973 - 1975 Stephen M. Clarke 1975 - 1977 Herman L. Dash 1977 - 1979 Buddy S. Ajalat

1979 - 1981 Alyn J. Heim

1981 - 1983 Robert Marince

1983 - 1985 Anthony Guerere 1985 - 1987 Joan Policastro

1987 - 1989 Joseph Mello

1989 - 1991 Dorian Parreott

1991 - 1993 David S. Jones

1993 - 1995 Anthony Guerere

1995 - 1997 Sharon Strack

1997 - 1999 Chic Hansen

1999 - 2001 Joseph Mello

2001 - 2003 Nicholas Santoro

2003 - 2005 Frank Phillips

2005 - 2007 Joseph Akinskas

2007 - 2009 Robert Frampton

2009 - 2011 William McDevitt

2011 - 2013 Keith Hodgson

2013 - 2015 Joseph Jacobs

2015 - 2017 William McDevitt

2017 - 2019 Jeffrey Santoro

2019 - 2021 Patrick O'Keefe

GO DEEPER INTO

THE HEART OF MUSIC EDUCATION

Rowan University o ers a new Online Master of Music Education for busy music educators who want to go deeper into their practice as both musicians and teachers. With a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, the program prepares educators to be change makers who think critically, engage in responsive teaching, and connect theory to practice.

• Online classes allow students to study from anywhere in the country

• A core of asynchronous classes give practicing music educators the flexibility they need

• Courses explore emerging trends in music and education

• Summer intensive session includes active music-making workshops and discussion-based seminars with guest lectures from prominent music education scholars

• Capstone project or thesis options

• Program completion in as little as 22 months or longer if needed

• Up to 6 graduate transfer credits accepted

• No audition or GRE required

Calderone School of Music calderoneschoolofmusic.com 21

Caldwell University caldwell.edu 27

The College of New Jersey music.tcnj.edu Inside Front Cover

Gettysburg University - Sunderman Cons www.gettysburg.edu 9

Montclair State University, Cali School of Music montclair.edu/music 57 New Jersey Symphony njsymphony.org 25

Performing Arts Consultants www.usafest.org 60 Peripole www.peripole.com 23

Rowan University Department of Music go.rowan.edu/music Back Cover

Rowan University Masters Program go.rowan.edu/musiceducation 61

Rutgers University - Mason Gross SOA go.rutgers.edu/musedonline 5

Susquehanna University susqu.edu/music 54 University of the Arts uarts.edu/sms Inside Back Cover

West Chester University - Wells School wcupa.edu/music 6

William Paterson University wpunj.edu/music 7