sessiongrid

Drum Circle - Elementary Applications (9 - 11 a.m.) - Middle School Applications (1:30 - 2:30) - Thomas Maioriello, clinican

As the popularity of drum circles rise, they have become an important part of many educators' lessons. As educators, our first battle will be instrumentation and how to acquire the proper sounds and resources. In this workshop we will first discuss many different percussion instruments and options, even if your particular district has a very limited amount of percussion instruments.

As we dive into performance techniques and lesson examples, we will focus on many elements such as pulse, rhythm related to pulse, and body movement, along with percussion, improvisation, authentic African and Brazilian rhythms, and performance ideas. Most importantly, we will relate and discuss drum circles in relation to the N.J. music standards and how to incorporate ideas into your weekly lesson plans.

Tom Maioriello received his BA in Jazz Performance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 1996. In that time, he had the opportunity to study with many of the areas top percussionists. After completing his BA he worked as a performer while he started teaching many of the area's percussionists in both private and group settings. In 2001, Tom started teaching at Clearview Regional High School and Middle School in Mullica Hill, NJ. Along with Tom’s percussion and Marching Band responsibilities he was assigned to teach Middle School general music. In this setting, Tom was able to combine many of his percussion and drum set experiences and techniques to offer students a practical, fun and educational way to incorporate drum circles and percussion into the classroom. Tom has also recently received his MA in Music Education from Boston University.

Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs (10 - 11 a.m.) - Maureen Butler, clinician

Music teachers have seen an increase in the number of special needs students who participate in their classroom. This workshop will present an overview of various disabilities, strategies for including special students in the general music class, and sample activities and lessons that may be used in both mainstreamed and self-contained music classes. The specific needs of deaf and hard of hearing students and children with autism will be discussed.

Maureen Butler received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and Performance at Jersey City State College (now New Jersey City University) and her Master of Arts degree in Creative Arts at New York University. She has taught music for thirteen years at the Lake Drive School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children in Mountain Lakes, where she has designed and implemented a curriculum for students with a hearing loss. Her article, “How Students with Hearing-Impairments Can Learn and Flourish in Your Music Classroom,” appeared in Teaching Music Journal in August of 2004. A former church music director, she currently free-lances on organ and piano in northern New Jersey.

Arranging Band Music for Beginners (2:30 - 3:30) - Lois Lanzalotti, clinician

This is a hands-on workshop that will enable you to arrange popular and “classical” music so even your 1st year students can participate in concerts with your more advanced band students, performing music that they would not otherwise be able to play.

Lois Lanzalotti is an instrumental music teacher in the Howell Twp Elementary Schools and has taught instrumental, vocal and general music at the elementary and middle school levels. She has served NJMEA and CJMEA in many capacities during the past 30 years, and is currently coordinator of the NJMEA Middle School Band Festival.

Hands-on Tips: Sibelius, Finale, Band In A Box (9 - 11 a.m.) - Rick Dammers, clinician

Spend time in our lab with independent guided explorations of Sibelius, Finale and Band In A Box.

Rick Dammers is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Rowan University. He completed his Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of Illinois. Prior to teaching at Rowan, he was a music teacher (band and technology) and the Fine Arts Facilitator in the Ladue School District in suburban St. Louis. Rick has presented at several state, national, and international conferences including the Association for Technology in Music Instruction, Bergen (Norway) Interactive Music Conference, Delaware, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Music Educators Associations. He is the President of the New Jersey Chapter of the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME)

Student Recruitment and Retention in the Middle School Band (2:30 - 3:30) - Chris Pinto, clinician

This workshop is designed to help band directors increase the number of students participating in their band program. Even more importantly, getting them to stay once they have joined! Topics will include recruitment ideas and strategies within various school structures (everyday rehearsal, pull-out programs, after or before school rehearsals, etc.). A frank discussion of reasons why students normally drop band and ideas on how to counter them.

Session will end with an open discussion in which participants will be encouraged to share what works and what doesn't work in their own programs. Whether your participation rate is 100% or 0%, there will be something you can learn or share!

Chris Pinto is the Band Director at Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School. He teaches four middle school bands, a visual and performing arts class and directs the Lab (Jazz) Band and the High School Marching Band. In nine years under his direction, the band program at NBC Middle School has grown to include over 30% of the school's students. Mr. Pinto is a proud graduate of Trenton State College (changed to The College of New Jersey during his senior year) and holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. He has previously taught at Immaculate Conception School in Trenton and Willingboro HS. He serves as the Vice-President of the Pemberton Township Board of Education. Mr. Pinto was honored to be chosen by the South Jersey Band and Orchestra Director's Association as the 2005 All-South Jersey Region Middle School Blue Band Conductor, and served as a clinician at the 2007 NJMEA convention. The clinic was on band curriculum in a 5 rehearsal days per week schedule.

Elementary School Part Singing (10 - 11 a.m.)

From warm-ups and sight-singing drills to tuning techniques and repertoire selection, this one-hour workshop focuses on successful part-singing at the elementary and middle school levels. Help build your choral program by fostering strong, independent singers with an awareness for the group as a whole.

Stephen Esche has been actively working in music for ten years. As director of choral music at Howell Middle School South for the last five years, he has had the pleasure of watching the choral music program grow in quantity and quality, producing competent, self-sufficient musicians. Stephen has not only worked with vocal ensembles, but has also conducted small instrumental ensembles as the pit orchestra conductor for various community theater and high school productions. A graduate with a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, Stephen remains an active performer as a professional singer with the West Jersey Chamber Music Society. He resides in Toms River, NJ with his wife, Sarah Thiffault.

Mutlicultural Music in the Classroom (11 a.m. - 12 p.m.) - Megan Zerfyoulis, clinician

This workshop will explore the possibilities and advantages of using multi-cultural music to advance your music program. We will address both sides of this fusion: injecting multi-cultural sounds into a non-diverse district, as well as using multi-cultural sounds to connect with students in a diverse district. Also to be discussed are new and exciting interdisciplinary ideas; which may help to gain support and positivity towards your music program.

Megan Zerfyoulis is an active collaborative musician and conductor in the NJ/NYC area. She has been an Artist in Residence at several New Jersey school music programs.

Off-Broadway: Chuckleball: Jailhouse Jocks (MD and pianist). Regional: Papermill Playhouse, New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). Accompanist: Pittsburgh Ballet, Pittsburgh CLO, Mile Square Theatre, Carnegie Mellon Drama and Music. Two of her standout performance experiences were first as the pianist for Broadway star Lenora Nemetz's cabaret, and most recently as the musical director of the ASCAP Workshop Winner, Dani Girl by Kooman and Dimond. At this workshop, Stephen Schwartz (composer of Wicked, Pippin, Enchanted, etc.) and other reigning Broadway professionals personally worked with the Dani Girl company.

Teaching: Carnegie Mellon Piano Preparatory School, Midori and Friends NYC, musical/vocal director at Hoboken, Memorial, and Bayonne High Schools. Choral Director of Rutherford High School March-May 2007. Education: Carnegie Mellon University B.F.A. High University Honors in Piano Performance; minors in conducting, piano pedagogy, and K-12 music education (urban specialty). As a soloist and conductor, Meg has studied in the studios of Sergey Schepkin (Bach specialist), John Corrigan (Juilliard) and Dr. Robert Page (Grammy-winning conductor). Meg aspires to continue a varied career in Musical Theatre Direction, collaborative piano, and music education outreach. She is a member of Local 802 American Federation of Musicians NYC.

Show Choir - How To Successfully "Show" Your Choir (1:30 - 2:30 p.m.) - Regina McAllen, clinician

Show Choir can be a powerful tool for recruitment and community awareness. Whether performing at a senior citizens home, singing at your school board meeting, or onstage in your auditorium, this kind of ensemble is very appealing to students, parents and your community. It can also be a great tool to challenge your students in developing their skills as all around performers beyond the traditional choral program. This seminar will focus on strategies to make your group shine and look their best. Ideas on movement, costumes, repertoire and promotion will be presented, and a small ensemble will demonstrate some ideas for choreography and design.

Regina McAllen is currently the Vocal and Choral Director at the Freehold Regional Performing Arts program in Howell. Originally from Canada, Regina spent a year at the Vienna Conservatory of Music in Austria before moving to the United States to attend Westminster Choir College where she graduated magna cum laude with degrees in Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy and Music Education. She has worked extensively with Show Choirs at the Middle School and High School level, and her choirs have performed in Montreal, Bermuda, Florida, the Bahamas, Washington, Lincoln Center, and the MENC convention in New Brunswick. As a former elite gymnast, dance instructor and musical theatre performer, she frequently incorporates movement into her choral repertoire to create visually interesting and appealing performances. She has been the President, Vice-President, Secretary and accompanist numerous times for the All Shore Chorus Association, and is currently the NJ ACDA Repertoire and Standards Chair for Male Choirs. She is an AP Music Theory Faculty Consultant, a member of the NATS, and has been nominated five times for “Who’s Who in American High School Teachers” and “Who’s Who in American Women”. Additional studies include the Julliard School of Music and the American Institute of Italian Studies in Florence, Italy.

Breathing Techniques - Brass Section (10 - 11 a.m.) - Nick Santoro, clinician

Just say "OH..." Improving the sound, intonation and response of your brass section... and your band...will be the focus of this clinic. Easy-to-achieve concepts will be presented which will immediately improve tone production, intonation, articulation and phrasing in your brass section. You will also learn how these same concepts can be transferred to all the sections of your band. Be sure to bring your horn for this one!

Nicholas Santoro is Supervisor of Fine Arts for the South Orange Maplewood School District in New Jersey. He has held administrative positions in East Brunswick, Newark and for the NJ Department of Education and was a high school band and orchestra director for 13 years prior to his administrative positions. He is Past President of the New Jersey Music Educators and Music Supervisors Associations and was Secretary for the National Council of Supervisors of Music Education. In 2004 Mr. Santoro received the Governor’s Awards in Arts Education.

In 2005, Mr. Santoro was asked to develop and present two full-day workshops for the Bureau for Education and Research (BER) specifically for band directors, Practical Strategies for Improving the Performance of your Band, Grades 6-12 and Practical Strategies for the Improving your Band Program Grades 6-12. He has also presented workshops at the MENC National Conference in Salt Lake City, the Eastern Division conferences in Providence and Baltimore and at the NJMEA State Conferences on four occasions.

Mr. Santoro received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and his Masters and supervisory certificates from Trenton State College (now The College of NJ). He studied trumpet with Alfred Weissman, Scott Whitener and Vincent Penzarella. He is the founder and conductor of the Central Jersey Wind Ensemble and Music Director for the Rutgers Alumni Wind Symphony. Active as a guest conductor, he has conducted the NJ All-State Brass Ensemble, NJ Region II Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Bands and various other ensembles throughout New Jersey.

Bring Your Own Project (10 - 11 a.m.) - Rick Dammers, clinician

Work in our lab, or on your laptop, on a music technology project from your teaching. Projects can include notation, sequencing, recording, video conferencing, blogging, websites, and social computing. Please note - pre-registration required...

Lab Basics: Getting Started With Technology in Your Music Program (11 - 12) -

Jim Frankel, clinician

This session will focus on how to begin planning for a music technology lab. Everything from funding, to classroom design, to recommended software and hardware will be discussed.

Dr. James Frankel is the new Managing Director of SoundTree, the industry leader in music, audio and video technology solutions for educators. Before taking the helm at SoundTree on January 1st, James was the instrumental and general music teacher at the Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes, NJ for nearly 11 years. Dr. Frankel earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Montclair State University in 1993, where he studied the tuba as well as composition. In 1996, Dr. Frankel completed his Masters Degree in Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University where he completed his doctoral studies in 2002. The focus of both his Masters Degree and Doctorate was the role of the standards, assessment and technology in the music classroom. Dr. Frankel is an Adjunct Faculty member at both Teachers College Columbia University and Montclair State University where he teaches courses on music technology. Dr. Frankel has published over 50 articles in various state, national and international journals of music education. He is also the author of Teaching Classroom Music in the Keyboard Lab, published by SoundTree. He has presented clinics and workshops at the statewide and national level. He has appeared on the MENC Television program Tempo, where he discussed the role of technology in the music classroom. Recently, he was included as a contributing author in Strategies for Teaching: Technology, and Spotlight on Technology, both published by MENC. Dr. Frankel is on the Board of Directors for TI:ME where he also serves as the Vice President/Secretary and the Editor of the TI:ME E-mail Newsletter. In addition to his work with the TI:ME National Organization, Dr. Frankel recently served as the President of the TI:ME New Jersey State Chapter.

Music Through Technology: Technology-based Secondary General Music Classes (1:30 - 3:30) - Rick Dammers, clinician

This session will focus on technology resources for secondary general music classes. Advantages of technology-based classes will be discussed and examples of student work will be shared.

Keeping The Percussion Section Busy (12 - 1:00) - Alex Bocchino, clinician

The workshop will cover strategies to keep your percussion section busy. In today's

band setting having an abundance of percussionists doesn't have to spell trouble. Get your percussionists involved in keyboard percussion , traps, percussion ensemble and more.

Alex Bocchino currently teaches middle and high school band in the Summit Public School District. A graduate of William Paterson University (BM, MM) and graduate study at Teachers College, Columbia University. Has recorded and performed throughout the U.S. and Europe with the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble. Concert appearances; Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, NJPAC, and Harvard and Princeton Universities. Recent conductor of the inaugural performance of the CJMEA intermediate percussion ensemble.

Refining The Lesson-Rehearsal Planning Process (10 - 11 a.m.) - Joe Akinskas, clinician

One of the more significant issues for new teachers is honing one's planning and organizational skills. Bring your school activity calendar and/or your your lesson plan book for a hands-on session, utilizing the UBD (Understanding By Design) process to more efficiently plan your activity and instructional year.

Joe Akinskas is an Assistant Principal for Fine, Performing, and Applied Arts at Carusi Middle School in Cherry Hill N.J. Joe received his B.A. and M.A. in Music Education, and Principal’s certificate, from Glassboro State College. Joe began his teaching career in the Westville Public Schools (K-6) and taught secondary instrumental music at Overbrook Regional Jr. High School, Millville Senior High School, and Haddonfield Memorial High School where he was also Supervisor of Fine and Performing Arts. Joe is in his twenty fifth year as founding Director of the Cumberland County College Jazz Band and Wind Symphony, and is an adjunct Professor of Music Education at Rutgers University Camden. Joe is currently immediate past President of both the N.J. Music Educators Association and N.J. Music Administrators Association. Joe participated as a Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholar traveling to Japan in November 2001, and over the past three years presented at the European Music Educators Conferences in Treviso Italy and in Garmisch-Pantenkirchen Germany, and at the MENC National Conferences in Salt Lake City and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joe was recently appointed to the Advisory Board of The Haddonfield Symphony, and is a proud participant on the Imagination Award review panel of the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education convening in October 2006 and January 2008.

A Cookie For Your Thoughts (11 a.m. - 12 p.m.) - Joe Akinskas, clinician

An interactive no-agenda discussion to brainstorm the issues confronting today’s Music Educators. You will be fed for your thoughts.

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Surviving the First Year (9 - 10 a.m.) - Andrew Lesser, Clinician

Congratulations! You have been offered a position as a music teacher which you have accepted, and you can't wait to get started. However, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed and even lost as this is your first experience alone without the proverbial safety net. Whether you are teaching General Music, Choir, Band, Marching Band, Theory or even Music Appreciation, you undoubtably have questions and concerns on how to make a good first impression on your students, your colleagues, and your administration. This seminar discusses the aspects of not only surviving, but thriving in your first year without driving yourself crazy in the process. The seminar will include suggestions on how to make good contacts with your fellow staff, work productively with your music parents, develop a plan for the development of your program, and manage your time effectively. If you are a college student or recent grad looking for your first teaching position, t his se minar will be most helpful.

Andrew Lesser is the Music Director of Lindenwold High School, where he directs the Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Combo, and Marching Band. Before his inception at Lindenwold High School, he was the Director of Bands and General Music at Lindenwold Middle School. Mr. Lesser earned a Bachelors of Music Education and Performance at the Mason Gross School of the Arts of Rutgers University, and subsequently earned his Masters of Music at the University of Maryland, where he studied clarinet with Loren Kitt, Principal of the National Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his role as an educator, Mr. Lesser currently performs as Principal E-flat clarinetist of the South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble, in addition to having performed with such artists as Eugene Corporon, H. Robert Reynolds, Peter Boonshaft, and Ray Charles. Mr. Lesser is also a published composer; his works are available through the publishing companies of Musica Propria and Grand Mesa M usic. Mr. Lesser is a member of MENC: The Music Educator's National Conference, ICA: International Clarinet Association, and ASCAP: American Society of Composers, Arrangers, and Publishers.