Music Educator Clinics & Professional Development

Our clinicians are dedicated to building lasting relationships with music programs, focusing on helping directors refine their craft while maintaining a calm, confident approach. We strive to understand your students’ unique needs, delivering our very best each time we visit your campus, ensuring both you and your students benefit from ongoing, high-quality support.

Single or Recurring Clinic Visits

One of our clinicians will come to your campus and work with your concert or marching ensembles to help you prepare for a contest. We can observe rehearsal and share feedback afterward, jump on the podium and rehearse the ensemble, or “tag-team” with the director. Clinicians will provide feedback to students and directors as a part of the visit. You can book a single, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly visit from one of our clinicians. These sessions will focus on developing skills, improving your ensemble over a more extended period, and going beyond just working on contest material.

Director Coaching Sessions

We offer a personalized approach to enhancing your leadership and organizational skills. A dedicated clinician will visit your campus to observe rehearsals and provide hands-on guidance, focusing on improving the delivery and organization of your ideas. These in-person sessions allow for tailored feedback and strategic advice to refine your techniques and elevate your ensemble’s performance. Additionally, we offer flexible Zoom sessions, where you can review lesson plans, analyze recordings, and receive constructive feedback on the next steps for your ensemble. This hybrid model ensures continuous support and development, helping you navigate challenges and achieve your goals with confidence.

Professional Development or Conference Sessions

Enhance your next professional development (PD) day or conference with an expert presentation from one of our experienced clinicians. We offer customized sessions on a range of topics tailored to your needs, from innovative teaching techniques to advanced ensemble strategies. Our clinicians bring a wealth of knowledge and practical insights, delivering engaging presentations that address current trends and challenges in music education. Whether you’re looking to inspire your team or delve into specific areas of interest, our sessions provide valuable learning opportunities and actionable strategies to support your professional growth and enhance your program.

Marching Band: Designing for maximum Audience, Judge, and Student Engagement

How do we design our marching shows to keep audiences, judges, and students engaged during our productions. Often, we perform for diverse audiences who respond differently to stimuli presented during a marching show. We can keep shows accessible and enjoyable will still pushing the limits of intellectual sophistication. Participants in this session will learn strategies on how to select music to support a concept that is engaging for a variety of different audiences.

Recruitment and Retention: Keeping Students From Middle School Band All the Way Through High School Graduation

A clinic that explores strategies to keep kids in band through their time in middle school and high school. Finding a way to make band a home for everyone and providing different opportunities will keep kids engaged. High School Directors spending time at the Middle Schools can hook kids early. Allowing kids to participate in other activities outside of band and finding compromise will encourage kids to stay in music longer.

Fundamentals for HS/MS Band

This session explores a variety of daily drill exercises to build instrumental and listening skills. Directors can build their daily routine in a way that doesn’t just warm-up performers, but develops their ability as musicians. A great “daily diet” of exercises is essential for any student to have the tools to make wonderful music.

One Day at a Time

This session focuses on strategies to manage the pressures and anxieties associated with band for staff and students alike. The pursuit of excellence is worthy but can also become overwhelming for all involved. We are taught to begin with the end in mind to help focus our preparation but there is a great benefit in also learning to break things into smaller pieces. Participants in this session will examine a variety of the challenges associated with middle and high school band, and how to improve longevity through taking the journey one day at a time. Learn more about One Day at a Time.

HS/MS Band Ear Training and Aural Skills from Beginner to Advanced

We know the benefits of sharpening our students’ listening skills. This session looks at the nuts and bolts of working on aural skills with HS and MS students who may not have a background in singing. Participants will learn exercises and techniques to build confidence when first working on singing and how to grow these skills over time.

Sing to Be Musical: The Benefits of Singing with Wind Band Students

We sing to learn musicality and expression so that our instrumental performances may take on the beauty and lyricism of the human voice. This session partners looks at what is possible when wind band students learn to sing expressively as a part of their band experience. Students will enjoy working on the choral version of a piece they are playing in band, learning to develop expression through text, phrasing, and then transfer it to their instruments. Participants will see examples of how to first approach singing with students, and can also use this information with aural skills exercises to develop band students who may not have a background in singing.

The Techy Band Director: A First Person Viewing Experience

Technology in the classroom is both a great advantage and an extreme challenge for directors and students. Connecting wireless devices inside and outside, projecting audio sounds to large groups of students, and utilizing electronic devices and apps are all situations a teacher must be comfortable with today to provide high quality tech instruction to their students. Albert will provide a first person perspective (a la video game perspective) of common problems and solutions a band director must overcome and navigate on a daily basis in front of an audience of tech-crazed band students. Topics will include solving wireless problems, using external tuning mics, using apps for tuning, drones, and metronomes, and other tech related topics.

NEW Ways to Use Tonal Energy in Your Classroom!

TonalEnergy App releases new and improved versions frequently to the world of music education. TonalEnergy has increased the amount of progress that you and your music students can make – all with a mobile device that fits in your pocket! Albert will guide attendees through many of the new features as well as offer ways to implement the brand new versions into their classrooms. Features to be demonstrated will include Activity and Practice Tracking, the new Interval Trainer, the Auto Exercise Creator, Drone Presets, and many more!

Other Director PD Sessions

• Vertical Alignment – Middle School and High School Band staffs working together
• Iron Sharpens Iron – Working together with colleagues from other schools to increase longevity in then profession
• Using the Band Clinician – Ideas and suggestions for bringing in clinicians and how to get the most out of your time with them.
• From the Classroom to the Practice Room – Create a pathway using TonalEnergy for your students to improve and have fun practicing