The last two weeks have been all about professional development!
On Friday, February 11th, I was able to visit the University of Akron to share “A Special Need for Music” with their OCMEA members. The Ohio Collegiate Music Education Association is a student affiliate organization with 34 chapters in the state. I was fortunate to be with about 30 students for a fun hands-on experience. Everyone got a chance to try out some techniques on the conga drums. We talked about teaching methods that can help students with special needs have a positive experience performing music. I also shared some of my unique experiences so students could understand how my methods evolved from helping one student with Autism to teaching a whole class of individuals with special needs. After the presentation, I had the opportunity to meet some faculty members, too. Everyone was so kind and professional. Audience participation was fabulous. The University of Akron Music Education Department is a great place to be for future music teachers! I am grateful for the opportunity to share with such a first-rate organization.
February first through fourth I attended the Ohio Music Education Association 2023 Professional Development Conference in Columbus. I went as a participant to learn the latest and greatest trends in teaching music. I saw some fantastic presentations, met some talented clinicians, and heard some wonderful young musicians. I left the convention with some new tools to share with my students at East Canton.
On Saturday, February 28th, we presented “A Special Need for Music” at the Ohio Music Education Association District 8 Mini-Conference at Dover High School. This year they titled our session “Reaching the Hard to Reach Through Drumming.” We had some great hands-on experiences with our participants. Hand drums are always a good time!
