Elmbridge
Jonathan Tromsness
Big Band to Boomwhackers: Bridging the Gap to Elementary Music
High school band teachers, welcome to the carpet! In this interactive session, Jonathan Tromsness models an elementary music class from start to finish—complete with routines, rhythm games, body breaks, and instrument exploration. You’ll experience the flow of a typical 25–40 minute prep class, then pause to “take off your student hat” and unpack the strategies behind the scenes.
Learn how to build structure with simple routines that will give your students the rhythm, ear-training, and performance skills they need for any musical situation. Discover behavior management techniques that foster emotional safety and connection—without sacrificing control or creativity. Whether you're new to teaching younger students or just looking to refresh your approach, this clinic offers practical tools, engaging activities, and a solid foundation to launch your elementary music program with confidence, clarity, and a little bit of groove.
Richmond C
Christina O’Brien
Pop… Goes the Ukulele!
If you’ve been wanting to use some popular songs in your classes, then this is the workshop for you. During this fun and interactive session, participants will be introduced to simple arranging ideas while playing some easy ukulele pop songs that your students likely already know and love to sing! There are beginner friendly single notes, modified chord options, and even some fun riffs to play. Join "Ukulele for Children" author Christina O'Brien as she walks you through some classroom tested pop arrangements that can be enjoyed by your middle school students but also have simplified parts for your primary students. Learn some catchy songs and also leave with some great strategies to create your own arrangements. Tapestry Music will have some ukuleles on site for participants to use, or feel free to bring your own.
Richmond D
Rie Sasaki
Glad You’re Here
Have you ever had a good chat with one of the delegates sitting next to you at a session, or in a Starbucks line-up, or at the lunch table? You will be surprised to know how much information, knowledge and ideas you can get from our BCMEA delegates. This is not a usual clinic session. This is a session where you can officially get to know other BCMEA members. First, we will have a brief conversation time in a random pair and collect information. Then we will group you to have a Q&A session according to your interests. Prepare to ask questions, be curious, be ready to share your expertise, knowledge and experience with us. It is a celebration of us gathering together at this very moment in the BCMEA conference. Let’s discover the unique treasure each of us have.
Richmond E
Dr Mark Tse
How to Stop Moving Awkwardly: Authentic Movement Informed by Martial Arts, Sports, and Dance
Participants will learn how to move their bodies in more efficient and aesthetically pleasing ways, as informed by martial arts, sports, and dance. They will actively focus on each body part from the feet to the head, experimenting with the pros and cons of different ways of moving the body. By the end of the workshop, participants will be armed with different options to move their particular bodies in authentic and natural ways while on the podium.
Richmond G
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Viola Techniques with Catherine Chen
Britannia Ballroom
Gena Norbury
Kodaly-Inspired Teaching for the Elementary Classroom - Singing for the JOY of It!
Everyone has a voice and singing plays a vital role in all aspects of a child’s development, from the young to the older student. Let’s come together to sing and be active through structured play, in the elementary music classroom. In this session we will utilize a variety of singing games using balls, cups, sticks, dice, partners, body percussion and more.
As children experience the joy of play, they learn social skills, confidence, coordination, memory, and listening skills. Each song will demonstrate a rhythmic or melodic component for learning as well as musicianship training with solfa and time names listening activities. The songs come from Gena's learning at the British Kodály Academy and most are new to North America's music educators. Participants will head home with an abundance of new song material and game ideas to use on Monday morning!
Steveston A
Geeta Das
Integrating Tech into Innovating “Intro to Improv” Instruction
By introducing simple music techniques and technologies to your students, you’ll create a limitless supply of possibilities for individual and ensemble growth. This session will introduce some simple ways to implement and incorporate easy improv for beginners along with the use of simple (and free) technology that will inspire a whole new way to practice and will ensure the continued inspiration, excitement, and confidence of your students both at home and in the classroom.
Steveston C
Ryan Oliver
Tone, Time, and Technique: Building Better Saxophone Sections in School Bands
Join Juno-nominated saxophonist Ryan Oliver as he presents numerous foundational techniques that will improve the sound and cohesion of your saxophone section in any ensemble setting. Topics will include tone and technique development, articulation, getting off on the right foot with a good setup and embouchure, practice routines, trouble shooter Q and A and more. Less squawks, more chops!
Repeated Session
Elmbridge
Jonathan Tromsness
Big Band to Boomwhackers: Bridging the Gap to Elementary Music
High school band teachers, welcome to the carpet! In this interactive session, Jonathan Tromsness models an elementary music class from start to finish—complete with routines, rhythm games, body breaks, and instrument exploration. You’ll experience the flow of a typical 25–40 minute prep class, then pause to “take off your student hat” and unpack the strategies behind the scenes.
Learn how to build structure with simple routines that will give your students the rhythm, ear-training, and performance skills they need for any musical situation. Discover behavior management techniques that foster emotional safety and connection—without sacrificing control or creativity. Whether you're new to teaching younger students or just looking to refresh your approach, this clinic offers practical tools, engaging activities, and a solid foundation to launch your elementary music program with confidence, clarity, and a little bit of groove.
Richmond C
Christina O’Brien
Ukulele 101
Are you just getting started with ukulele in your classroom or studio or do you need some new and refreshing ideas? Then this session is for you! Learn tips, tricks and money-saving hacks to kick-start your program. “Ukulele for Children” author Christina O'Brien will walk you through some ways to get started and cover all of the basics such as tuning, instrument storage ideas, classroom management, easy warm-up activities, free online resources, and why she NEVER starts with C, F and G chords. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion too! Tapestry Music will have some ukuleles on site so that you can play along as you learn.
Richmond D
Michael Meroniuk
The Intersection of Music & Technology
**BRING A COMPUTER**-The purpose of this clinic is to demystify recording technology and provide current and aspiring music educators with the skills to engage, create and develop confidence in this discipline. Attendees will learn the basics of how to record, create beats, and create original music using a digital audio workstation. (DAW)
Sample lessons templates will also be distributed ensuring that attendees have resources to utilize in their classroom and use to review material.
Richmond E
Kevin Hamlin
How to Help Your Bands Sound Instantly Better
Want your bands to sound instantly better? Well here’s a wealth of very practical tips and techniques that will bring about instant results, developed over the past 30 years by a National Level Adjudicator. Put these tried and true techniques to use, and you (and your students!) will be noticing the difference right away!
Richmond F
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Setting up for success - flute fundamentals
In this session, I will be talking about and demonstrating important flute fundamentals. Topics such as the following will be covered:
- breathing and lung/core awareness, what makes flute different from other winds and brass
- embouchure and first sounds
- tone and body/posture awareness
- learning flexibility through harmonics (embouchure/air direction/airspeed awareness)
- Hand positions and exercises for technical success
- Back to breath - keys to great articulation
- Back to flexibility - dynamic control and pitch-bending for tuning
- any other aspect of flute ped problems we haven't yet covered. To thumb Bb or to not thumb Bb, etc.
Richmond G
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Violin Techniques with David Lakirovich
Steveston A
Nick LaRiviere
Electronic Fun: Using a Programmable Harmonizer in Live Performances and Using a Vocal Synth to Create Demos
Join Nick La Riviere, trombonist and creator of various rock choirs, to get started on two fun musical digital techniques.
The first is using a programmable harmonizer, in this case a TC Helicon Voicelive 3, for live performance - making one horn sound like 3. The second is using Synth V by Dreamtonics to create human sounding demos of choir arrangements.
Steveston B
Elliot Polsky
Classroom Hand-Drumming with YouTube
This workshop will show educators a practical and useful way to educate and inspire students to learn how to play hand drums in the classroom. Along with the demonstration of basic playing techniques and learning a few basic rhythms, Elliot will show how to use YouTube as source material to incorporate into your program. Another feature of this clinic will demonstrate how to use language as a method to teach rhythm to your students. They will not only find it easier to learn basic techniques: it will inspire interest in hand drumming overall! Your students will be motivated to play and practice outside of the classroom!
This is a new approach, repeatable, and easy to use method for learning how language tied to rhythms can be applied to hand drumming, using popular music on YouTube both in and outside of the classroom.
Steveston C
Ryan Oliver
Developing Jazz Language on the Saxophone: Tools for Student Success
Join Juno-nominated saxophonist Ryan Oliver as he shares some of the most effective approaches to developing jazz language on the saxophone. The clinic will focus on techniques and approaches that will help your students create solos and ensemble playing that reflect the authentic sounds of the jazz tradition. Topics will include jazz articulation, melodic and harmonic "language", variations on a theme, and rhythmic concepts. Don't miss this chance to learn jazz secrets from a road tested professional!
Steveston F
Nicholas Renaud
Conducting the Vocal Instrument: Empathetic Gestures for Musical Expression
Unlock the power of gesture to transform your choir's performance. Inspired by neuro-scientific research and voice science, this clinic explores how teacher-conductors can use their conducting gestures not only to assist with notes and rhythms but also to inspire healthier, more expressive singing. By addressing the part of the brain that controls the vocal mechanism, our gestures can facilitate an empathic response, enhancing vocal production and musicality.
Participants will actively engage in a “lab choir” setting, experiencing firsthand how nuanced gestures influence a choir's sound and singers' engagement. Through practical demonstrations and collaborative exercises, you will explore techniques that communicate not just what to sing, but how to sing it. This hands-on session invites each teacher to conduct the lab choir, providing a unique opportunity to see the immediate effects of gesture on vocal output and artistic expression.
Explore conducting gestures rooted in neuroscience and voice science to inspire healthier, more expressive choir singing. In our interactive "lab choir" clinic, participants will experience how gestures affect vocal production and musicality, engaging in exercises that reveal the powerful link between conductor movements and choir performance.
All members of the BCMEA in good standing are welcome to participate, all others are welcome to observe.
Elmbridge
Tyler Baek
Conducting Workshop with the Nabi Vocal Ensemble
In this workshop, we will discuss methods to examine your pattern in order to clarify what it shows your ensemble. There will also be an opportunity for volunteers to apply these concepts with the Nabi Vocal Ensemble. Repertoire chosen will be easy to sightread, and we are all very nice, so do not be afraid!
Richmond C
Rossi Tzonkov
Ukulele Unleashed! Making Music Literacy Fun
Workshop Overview:
This workshop will take you on a practical journey through the steps required to implement a comprehensive ukulele program in your school’s music curriculum.
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to enrich your current approach, this session will equip you with tools and strategies to make ukulele teaching accessible, effective, and fun.
Topics We'll Cover:
Sequential Approach to Chord Diagrams:
Learn how to teach students to read and play from chord diagrams using a clear, step-by-step progression.
Integrating Music Theory into Ukulele Instruction:
Discover how to naturally introduce or reinforce music theory concepts while teaching the instrument, including:
Reading rhythm notation (whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests)
Playing simple melodies written in treble clef notation
Engaging, Game-Like Learning Strategies:
Explore dynamic teaching methods that keep students motivated, such as:
Media-based
Student-led activities
Collaborative group work
Richmond D
Nora Wilson
Trans Advocacy in the Music Classroom and Beyond
As gender-based political and physical violence continues to rise, we must find ways to support trans and nonbinary students in and out of our schools. The music classroom has a long history of providing safety to kids of all backgrounds, and it can continue to do so for those identifying outside of the gender binary, regardless of the limitations placed on educators by conservative school boards. True allyship, however, must extend beyond the confines of our curriculum and into activism. In this session, we will discuss gender in an expansive manner, exploring how the fight for trans rights is an issue of importance for all of us. We will discuss practical ways to show your trans and nonbinary students love and support. Lastly, we will explore advocacy in larger terms, outlining the practical steps necessary to create a world where all people are free to experience gender authentically.
Richmond E
Emily Gibb
Band Instrument Inventory, Management, and Upkeep
Join us for a comprehensive session on "Band Instrument Inventory Management & Upkeep," where you will learn how to efficiently manage your instrument inventory digitally, create student volunteer opportunities for your program, and store instruments safely during summer break. We'll cover effective inventory tagging techniques, assembling a basic "band teacher kit," and identifying when it's time to retire or replace instruments. Plus, explore strategies for reducing program costs while maintaining quality. Perfect for band directors looking for a refresher on how to streamline operations and enhance instrument care.
Richmond F
Nick Godsoe
MusiCounts in Your Classroom
This interactive session offers a practical, behind-the-scenes look at how MusiCounts supports music education across Canada. We’ll begin by unpacking our School Music Funding Programs: what we fund, how decisions are made, and how to craft a compelling application. From purchasing instruments and gear to bringing in local musicians, we’ll explore how grants of up to $20,000 can transform your program. There will be plenty of space for questions and discussion to help you feel confident as you prepare your application.
We’ll also take a deep dive into the CBC Music Class Challenge, powered by MusiCounts; a national celebration of school music that invites students to perform and share Canadian music for a chance to receive thousands in MusiCounts prize funding. You’ll get a first look at exciting new additions to the program: this year, schools will not only cover Canadian songs in the fall, but also submit original student compositions and interpretations of brand-new commissions created for the Challenge starting in the winter. Whether you teach grade 1 or grade 12, the Challenge is a flexible, inclusive way to engage students in a national celebration in Canadian music.
Finally, we’ll share a suite of free MusiCounts classroom resources—covering topics like hip hop and social justice, contemporary Indigenous music, and music industry careers—to help support inclusive, relevant, and future-facing music education.
Richmond G
Geeta Das
Know Your Role - Understanding the Responsibilities of Individual Instruments in an Ensemble Will Help You Make Better Decisions to Create Stronger Musicians and Ensembles
A more in depth expansion of how to create a more exciting and positive musical evolution when incorporating non-typical instruments and instrumentation. Through exploring repertoire rearranging options, ensemble layout alterations, and other simple techniques, you can discover and uncover countless ways to keep your students interested and your ensembles sounding stronger.
Britannia Ballroom
Michael Beauclerc
Snare Drum Basics
Michael Beauclerc will break down the fundamentals of snare drumming in a very
simple, casual, and easy-to-reteach fashion. From basic grips and strokes to buzz rolls,
flams, and so much more. Please bring sticks and a practice pad if possible. Some equipment may be provided.
Sponsored by: Yamaha Canada Music, Tapestry Music, Remo Drumheads, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Mad Practice Pads
Steveston A
David Eccles
Unlock the Power of Your Low Strings
Elmbridge
Dale Hudson
The Anatomy of Singing and Conducting
Tension in your singers? Tension in yourself? This clinic can help!
This workshop offers extensive knowledge on the respiratory and musculoskeletal systems, and caters to improving breath work and reducing tension in singers and conductors alike. Attendants will walk away with new clinical techniques, a deeper understanding of how conducting influences the posture and performance of choristers, and a professionally made, time-efficient warm up and stretch routine specifically for vocalists.
Repeated Session
Richmond D
Nora Wilson
Trans Advocacy in the Music Classroom and Beyond
As gender-based political and physical violence continues to rise, we must find ways to support trans and nonbinary students in and out of our schools. The music classroom has a long history of providing safety to kids of all backgrounds, and it can continue to do so for those identifying outside of the gender binary, regardless of the limitations placed on educators by conservative school boards. True allyship, however, must extend beyond the confines of our curriculum and into activism. In this session, we will discuss gender in an expansive manner, exploring how the fight for trans rights is an issue of importance for all of us. We will discuss practical ways to show your trans and nonbinary students love and support. Lastly, we will explore advocacy in larger terms, outlining the practical steps necessary to create a world where all people are free to experience gender authentically.
Richmond E
Sam McNally
French Horn 101: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Orchestra’s “Hardest” Instrument
Discover what sets the Horn apart –its history, technique, and pedagogy– and learn how to best support students on their quest to master this notoriously tricky instrument.
Repeated Session
Richmond F
Nick Godsoe
MusiCounts in Your Classroom
This interactive session offers a practical, behind-the-scenes look at how MusiCounts supports music education across Canada. We’ll begin by unpacking our School Music Funding Programs: what we fund, how decisions are made, and how to craft a compelling application. From purchasing instruments and gear to bringing in local musicians, we’ll explore how grants of up to $20,000 can transform your program. There will be plenty of space for questions and discussion to help you feel confident as you prepare your application.
We’ll also take a deep dive into the CBC Music Class Challenge, powered by MusiCounts; a national celebration of school music that invites students to perform and share Canadian music for a chance to receive thousands in MusiCounts prize funding. You’ll get a first look at exciting new additions to the program: this year, schools will not only cover Canadian songs in the fall, but also submit original student compositions and interpretations of brand-new commissions created for the Challenge starting in the winter. Whether you teach grade 1 or grade 12, the Challenge is a flexible, inclusive way to engage students in a national celebration in Canadian music.
Finally, we’ll share a suite of free MusiCounts classroom resources—covering topics like hip hop and social justice, contemporary Indigenous music, and music industry careers—to help support inclusive, relevant, and future-facing music education.
Richmond G
Geeta Das
Open Your Ears - Innovating Musical & Cultural Appreciation and Communication through the Sharing of Our Diverse Musical Interests
By exploring music and culture through listening and sharing, we, as educators/mentors, can create a more exciting and positive evolution of music education and musical evolution which will enhance communication, and continued inspiration and success for us and our students.
Britannia Ballroom
Michael Beauclerc
Discover Drumline (Hands On)
Energize your music program, school, and community with marching percussion!
Drumline is one of the fastest growing youth activities in North America. Discover the basic instrumentation, playing techniques, developmental exercises, as well as fun and easy beginner grooves! All equipment will be provided.
Sponsored by: Yamaha Canada Music, Tapestry Music, Vic Firth Drumsticks
Steveston A
Nicholas Renaud
Nurturing Healthy Voices: A Holistic Approach for K-12 Educators
We will explore transformative practices of teaching healthy singing habits, grounded in body-mapping and voice science. This clinic, crafted for choir/singing teachers of any level, delves into proven strategies developed inspired by voice therapy techniques designed by the world’s leading speech-language pathologists, adapted for the choral classroom. Together, we'll uncover how to guide students towards sustainable vocal health and expressive freedom.
In our interactive session, participants will learn to identify and address common vocal challenges through a blend of therapeutic exercises, voice therapy-inspired vocal warm-ups and scientifically-backed techniques for teaching vocalizing. We'll engage with practical, hands-on activities that you can seamlessly integrate into your music classes, enhancing both vocal longevity and enjoyment for your students.
Participants will leave with tools that foster a deeper understanding of vocal mechanics and health. Let’s help our students not just sing, but thrive with voices that are as resilient as they are melodious.
Steveston B
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Trumpet Techniques with Vince Mai
I will be talking about the physical aspects of playing trumpet with air concepts. I will discuss exercises that have brought me through multiple issues with an emphasis on sound and efficiency. I will touch on equipment and the physics of sound production with the trumpet with respect to the size and dimensions of equipment. Lastly I’ll touch upon sound conception and how students can develop their sound over time.
