Breaking Free The Transformative Power of Music
Friday–Saturday October 16–17, 2026 Conservatory of Music
FRIDAY, OC TOBER 16, 2026 2 – 2:50 pm, Dean’s Seminar Instrumental Rehearsal Hall Title: Mastermind Your Life in Music Presenter: Christian Howes How can musicians build a life in music that reflects their values and vision for their lives, even as it changes? Drawing on his experience as a performer, educator and founder of Creative Strings, Howes leads a conversation about creating opportunities, building relationships and connecting musical skills with meaningful service. Students are invited to consider their own goals, question assumptions about what a music career can look like and identify practical next steps. 3:30 – 5 pm, Up Close Workshops (choose one) Title: Play-Along Practice Party: Improvisation, Harmony, Groove, and Arranging in Eclectic Styles Presenter: Christian Howes Location: Instrumental Rehearsal Hall Come ready to play. Howes guides participants through three practical approaches to improvisation and creating accompaniment parts across a variety of styles. Through grooves and chord progressions, musicians explore harmony, arranging and rhythmic feel while making music. Activities combine readingbased exercises with approaches that require no reading or scale knowledge, with additional challenges for experienced improvisers. Open to all instruments, this supportive workshop offers a focused practice experience and tools to expand musical confidence and freedom. Title: Discovering Music Therapy in Correctional Settings Presenter: Dr. Peg Codding Location: Buck Hall #113 Join us as Dr. Codding describes her work as a music therapist in correctional settings and learn how the therapeutic use of music can change the trajectory of people’s lives. 7 – 9 pm, Redemption Time, documentary screening and Q&A Faye Spanos Concert Hall Directed by David Gonzalez, the 70-minute multimedia performance film features jazz violinist Christian Howes and poet Jimmy Santiago Baca. Poetry, live jazz, personal testimony, and cinematic imagery bring their experiences of incarceration into a conversation about recovery, responsibility, human dignity and the possibilities opened by artistic expression. A Q&A with Howes follows the screening, inviting all participants to reflect on the film and the causes and experiences it brings to light.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2026 Acclaimed violinist and educator Christian Howes, along with a panel of musicians and music therapists, explores the transformative potential of music improvisation. The day culminates with a concert featuring Howes and Pacific’s jazz faculty and students. The symposium will feature presentations from boardcertified music therapists, educators, and musicians. A total of 5 Continuing Music Therapy Education credits will be available for eligible participants. 8 – 8:45 am, Registration Faye Spanos Concert Hall lobby 8:45 – 9 am, Opening Remarks Faye Spanos Concert Hall stage 9 – 9:50 am, Session #1 Faye Spanos Concert Hall Title: Improvisation Fundamentals: A Guided Play-Along Workshop Presenter: Christian Howes This participatory workshop introduces practical ways to begin improvising and making musical choices in real time. Christian Howes guides attendees through accessible exercises in listening, rhythm, melody, and accompaniment, showing how simple musical materials can produce varied and expressive results. Participants will experiment with improvisation, harmony, and groove in various styles, and leave with concrete practice ideas to develop further. Bring an instrument if available; the session welcomes different levels of musical and improvisational experience. 10 – 10:50 am, Session #2 Faye Spanos Concert Hall Title: Redemption Time: Art, Agency, and Possibility Presenter: Christian Howes What can artistic expression make possible in a person’s life? Drawing on his own experience of incarceration and the creation of Redemption Time, Christian Howes explores the role of music, storytelling, relationships, and opportunity in personal change. This conversation invites participants to consider dignity, responsibility, and the perspectives of people affected by incarceration, and to reflect on how artists, educators, and communities can create space for voices and stories that too often go unheard.
SATURDAY, OC TOBER 17, 2026 11 – 11:50 am, Session #3 Faye Spanos Concert Hall Title: Making Connections: The Transformative Power of Music Therapy in Correctional and Forensic Settings Presenters: Peg Codding, Ph.D., MT-BC, Alelih Galvadores, MT-BC, and Taryn Weber, MT-BC This presentation will define the role of music therapists working in correctional and forensic settings, highlighting the unique role music plays in the process of healing and change. 12 – 1 pm, Lunch Instrumental Rehearsal Hall and Conservatory grounds Title: Introduction to College Life and Music Presenters: Fred Peterbark, Assoc. Dean for Conservatory Admissions 1 – 1:50 pm, Session #4 Conservatory grounds Title: Workshop: The Art and Science of Clinical Improvisation in Therapeutic Settings Presenter: Maya Zebley, MA, MT-BC, Alelih Galvadores, MT-BC, and Taryn Weber, MT-BC This workshop will highlight the fundamentals of clinical improvisation. Presented by a panel of music therapists, attendees will be encouraged to experiment with music-making in a spontaneous and meaningful way. 2 – 2:50 pm, Session #5 Conservatory grounds Title: Workshop: Hip-Hop and Songwriting Across Settings Presenter: Jelani Brown Learn about the art of hip-hop and songwriting for clinical, educational, and performance settings. Feel free to explore beats, lyrics, and beyond. 3:30 – 5 pm, Closing Concert Faye Spanos Concert Hall Performers: Christian Howes, Pacific Jazz Studies faculty, students, and friends The concluding concert features violinist Christian Howes alongside Pacific jazz artists. Join us for a celebration of musical collaboration, improvisation, and the connections at the heart of the weekend.
PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES Jelani Brown completed his bachelor’s degree in music management at University of the Pacific, where he studied violin under Anne Miller. Brown is an artist with a passion for creativity, songwriting, and education. His passion for education has taken him on a unique journey. From elementary to higher education, Brown has put on several hip-hop workshops throughout the Central Valley and Bay Area. Outside the classroom, he works as a hip-hop expert and director for a nonprofit soul orchestra, Stockton Soul. Peg Codding, PhD, MT-BC, is Professor Emeritus of music therapy at Berklee College of Music, Boston, and former director of music therapy at Ohio University. Her work in music therapy includes program development and clinical care, presentation, research, and publication across a variety of clinical settings, including corrections, refugee and trauma survivors, and persons having severe visual loss. Her teaching experience is international and diverse. While at Berklee, she co-taught Floology, original poetry combined with musical improvisation, among musicians. Codding continues to write and publish poetry. She has served on numerous arts and music therapy councils, boards, and committees. She was consultant to the Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Ohio where the state's initial music therapy program, implemented in a residential treatment unit, won the governor's recognition award for best new Ohio program. Alelih Galvadores, MT-BC, is a board-certified music therapist currently working with The Pacific Resiliency Center for Psychology, Wellness, and the Arts, P.C., while earning a graduate degree at University of the Pacific. She currently serves as a graduate assistant in the Music Therapy Program at University of the Pacific.
PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES Christian Howes is a violinist, educator, composer, and founder of Creative Strings, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding music education through improvisation, harmony, arranging, and contemporary styles. He was voted No. 1 Rising Star violinist in the DownBeat critics poll, named among the top three jazz violinists by JazzTimes, and nominated for Violinist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. He has served as a U.S. Department of State cultural ambassador in Ukraine and Montenegro. Through workshops, school visits, online curriculum, and hundreds of free play-along lessons, Howes helps musicians develop their own voices and greater freedom in music-making. He was given the Artist Teacher award in 2026 by the American String Teachers Association. Taryn Weber, MT-BC, is a board-certified music therapist currently working toward a graduate degree at University of the Pacific. She currently serves as a graduate assistant in the Music Therapy Program at University of the Pacific.
Maya Zebley, MA, MT-BC, is a board-certified music therapist and a neurologic music therapist (NMT) who works with children, adolescents, and adults with behavioral and mental health disorders. She earned her Bachelor of Music in songwriting from Berklee College of Music, then completed the music therapy equivalency program at California State University, Northridge. Zebley received a Master of Arts in music therapy from University of the Pacific. Her master's thesis focused on the role of music while coping with cancer. She is an assistant professor of practice in the Music Therapy Program at University of the Pacific.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES COURSE OBJEC TIVES
CBMT BOARD CERTIFICATION DOMAINS
Attendees will describe one way to incorporate music improvisation into clinical practice.
Knowledge 3A-7 Task 19
Attendees will describe one way that music-based interventions and strategies address the needs of correctional and/ or forensic clientele in a meaningful and purposeful way.
Knowledge 2D-1,2, 5, 7, and 9 Tasks 23, 25, 26, 28, and 29
FEES AND POLICIES Fees: There is no charge to earn CMTEs for qualified individuals. Attendance requirements to claim CMTEs: Participants must attend all five (5)sessions (sessions #1 through #5) during the symposium in their entirety to claim five (5) CMTEs—no partial credit will be awarded for attending a portion of the day. No prerequisites: There are no prerequisites to attend/participate in “Breaking Free: The Transformative Power of Music Improvisation.” Cancellation and Grievance Policy: If this course is canceled for any reason, contact Dr. Eric G. Waldon (ewaldon@pacific.edu) for information about a refund. Participants taking CMTE courses provided by University of the Pacific may file a grievance regarding: promotional and marketing materials, stated learning objectives, instructor qualifications, course schedule, course format, and course fees or policies. Grievances must be submitted in writing to Continuing Education Director Eric G. Waldon, Ph.D., MT-BC (ewaldon@pacific.edu) within thirty (30) days after the course has ended. The written grievance must include: the title of the course, the presenter’s name, the date of the course, and the reason(s) for the grievance. One may expect a response within thirty (30) days following receipt of the grievance. The CMTE participant may file an appeal of the response (via email) within thirty (30) days. The appeal must include: a description of the original grievance, the response to that grievance, and reasons for the appeal. University of the Pacific will respond to this appeal within thirty (30) days. In the event that the grievance cannot be resolved satisfactorily, participants have the right to have the grievance reviewed by the Continuing Education Committee of CBMT (cbmt.org). Statement of Relationship: “Breaking Free: The Transformative Power of Music Improvisation” is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for five (5) units of Continuing Music Therapy Education credits. The University of the Pacific (#P-139) maintains responsibility for program quality and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A special thanks to the sponsors of "Breaking Free: The Transformative Power of Music" Kong Family Music Therapy Endowment Conservatory of Music, University of the Pacific Cal ASTA Stockton Section San Joaquin Delta College Jazz
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