Location: Richmond C
Explore new approaches with practical strategies to make learning the recorder enjoyable for students of all ages. From beginner basics to advanced techniques, we’ll cover everything you need to confidently teach recorder and inspire a love for music in your students. Whether you’re an experienced teacher or just getting started, this session will equip you to meet the diverse learning needs in your elementary music classroom.
Location: Richmond D
What happens when your music program is at risk? And how can you make sure decision-makers understand its value before cuts are proposed?
This session will introduce educators to the Coalition for Music Education in Canada’s national advocacy work and the practical ways we support music educators and their students at the national, provincial, and local levels. Through real examples of successful advocacy campaigns, participants will see how the Coalition has helped educators respond to proposed cuts, raise awareness of the value of music education, and amplify their voices through national communications and media.
Participants will discover the advocacy campaigns, resources, educational materials, communications support, and public relations tools available to them—and how to engage the Coalition when their programs need a stronger voice.
Come ready to leave with practical advocacy resources, take-away materials, and a clearer understanding of how your national music education organization can support you when it matters most
Location: Richmond E
Repertoire selection, program building, and student retention are deeply interconnected. Choosing music that resonates with students is essential for developing and sustaining strong choral programs. When educators incorporate familiar songs from movies, television, animation, and radio, they tap into students’ existing musical connections—boosting enthusiasm and accelerating engagement. This familiarity not only supports learning across genres and musical skills but also fosters a deeper emotional connection to the music. When students enjoy and recognize what they’re singing, their participation increases, leading to long-term program growth.
In this session, we’ll explore fresh arrangements of well-known songs that demonstrate how thoughtful repertoire choices can energize your classroom and elevate student interest. Teachers will leave with practical, adaptable strategies for selecting music that connects quickly with singers, encourages musical development, and reinforces retention through meaningful and joyful experiences. Great music makes great memories—and that’s how great programs thrive.
Location: Richmond F
Tour bus delayed and you need to kill some time? Need a silent game to play backstage or some dynamic games for a retreat? Or are you a Music Major now teaching performing arts and want to incorporate drama games into your work? Come join us to play through games that will work for k-12 in a variety of settings. We're both music majors that found ourselves teaching middle school drama. We love how kids can learn communication, cooperation, risk-taking, growth mindset, and so many other important skills through drama. Come prepared to take some risks and meet other educators.
Location: Richmond G
All music must dance. No two notes are alike unless they are marked to be alike. Let the motive of the section motivate that section of the music. These are truisms from my teachers that you likely heard from yours. All are statements to describe shape, direction, destination, and momentum in music. Using several musical excerpts, we will explore several ways to help you and your students derive musical shape and meaning from the notes on the page.
Location: Steveston A
In this clinic, hosted by one of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s many premier violinists, attendees will learn about beginner and advanced violin techniques that can be applied to learners of all levels.
Location: Steveston B
Often the most overlooked instrument in the classroom, with the loudest footprint! Michael Beauclerc will show you simple tricks to help fix up your drumset and make it sound and function better in the classroom and on the stage.
Location: Steveston C
What if scale practice felt less like a chore and more like a focused musical challenge? This clinic shows how structured randomization can help students move beyond predictable up-and-down drills toward stronger pitch recognition, faster response, better retention, and more flexible technique. Grounded in motor-learning research, the session connects the idea of contextual interference to practical music teaching, with applications for home practice, classroom warm-ups, and sectionals. Participants will also see a live demonstration of how a web-based play-along tool can make randomized scale practice practical across instruments and levels, using Spil Scales as the demonstration platform.
Location: Elmbridge
This clinic will present improvisation techniques for beginning jazz band students. It will also suggest ways to divide the jazz band into combos for maximum learning opportunities. The focus will be to help jazz band teachers guide their students towards improvisation and confidence in the process.
Location: Richmond C
Did you know that music education is an amazing tool for supporting numeracy, literacy, social studies, and science? Indigenous worldviews encourage us to look at teaching students from a holistic perspective, thinking beyond curriculum boundaries. In this session we will explore the purpose of music education, basic fundamental music skills, and how these skills relate to other subject areas. We will also be exploring how to implement the First People’s Principles of Learning in music education. The following practical lessons will be discussed with ideas on how they can be adapted and implemented in your classroom:
How does music connect to me? - A Grade 5 inquiry project on hobbies.
Finding Self: Connecting Ancestry to the Arts - A Grade 4 ancestry inquiry project.
Teaching Fractions Through Music - A Grade 3 Math lesson.
Vibrations! How do they work? - Grade 4 Science lessons.
Music is Literacy! - Kindergarten/Grade 1 Literacy lessons.
Location: Richmond D
After attending countless conferences and professional learning events, educator duo Katlyn Redding and David Popoff noticed a recurring gap: plenty of theory, not always enough laughter or practical ideas that actually translate to the music classroom. Seeing an opportunity, they created Mistakes Were Made (Mostly by Us): Teaching Music: The Version We Wish We’d Started With a session designed for music educators at any stage of their career.
By breaking the role of the music teacher into five overarching domains, Redding and Popoff share adaptable, classroom-ready strategies rooted in lived experience, honest reflection, and more than a few “we learned this the hard way” moments. Through personal anecdotes, humour, and concrete takeaways, participants will be invited to reflect, recalibrate, and maybe laugh at their own growing pains along the way.
The goal? That you leave with at least one pearl (thanks, Dr. Boonshaft) that makes your classroom brighter, or simply reminds you that you’re not alone in this work and we see you!
Location: Richmond E
Movement is an integral part of music education. During the rehearsal process and concert preparation, adding movement to music will encourage lyric memorization, opportunity for improvisation, self expression and so much more. While engaging the body, students are also focusing on melody, beat, rhythm, form, tempo and more. As in the study of music and musicianship, understanding the terminology and process of incorporating movement into your rehearsals is instrumental in maximizing its effectiveness.
Location: Richmond F
This interactive clinic will explore practical teaching techniques that have consistently helped the presenter achieve a 60–70% student retention rate beyond the first year of beginning band.
Participants will learn simple, efficient "touch points" that can be applied across all instrument families, providing a consistent instructional approach while saving valuable rehearsal time and teaching energy. The session will also include an overview of a year-long curriculum, recommended timelines for introducing key concepts, and the presenter's favourite teaching resources for building strong, successful beginning band programs.
Teachers are encouraged to bring an instrument and be ready to participate!
Location: Richmond G
We each sing with just one voice, but we use it very differently depending on what genre we’re singing and whom we’re singing with. Far too often, voice teachers and choral conductors face conflicts when teaching different styles of singing to the same students. In this presentation, we prioritize the collaborative efforts that studio teachers and ensemble directors can make to guide their young singers. Join both a voice teacher and choral conductor as we dive into the differences between teaching solo and ensemble singing. We’ll explore resonance, diction, style, vocal health, self-perception, movement, and more. Our goal is to dive into the science of singing in a way that is accessible to all teachers so that we can help our students to be as successful as possible in all their pursuits. (With co-presenter Alisa Toy, WSU lecturer in voice).
Location: Steveston A
In this clinic, hosted by one of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s many premier cellists, attendees will learn about beginner and advanced cello techniques that can be applied to learners of all levels.
Location: Steveston B
“How do I make this Funky?” “Why doesn’t this swing?” Drummer Michael Beauclerc will break down and demonstrate popular styles on the drumset in a simple and easy-to-replicate method.
Location: Steveston C
What if scale practice felt less like a chore and more like a focused musical challenge? This clinic shows how structured randomization can help students move beyond predictable up-and-down drills toward stronger pitch recognition, faster response, better retention, and more flexible technique. Grounded in motor-learning research, the session connects the idea of contextual interference to practical music teaching, with applications for home practice, classroom warm-ups, and sectionals. Participants will also see a live demonstration of how a web-based play-along tool can make randomized scale practice practical across instruments and levels, using Spil Scales as the demonstration platform.
Location: Steveston D
A look at the significance of Canadian wind band repertoire for today's music educator.
Location: Elmbridge
Come and listen to a variety of new and popular selections for jazz band performed by members the world-class Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy.
All members in good standing are welcome to participate.
Location: Richmond C
Take your music program to the next level with a practical, hands-on clinic built around a clear, sequential framework for implementing a thriving ukulele program — one that goes far beyond strumming chords.
What you'll explore:
- A sequential approach to reading chord diagrams
- Integrating music theory through the instrument — rhythm notation (whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests), treble clef melody reading, and more
- Engaging, game-based learning strategies — because students learn best when they're having fun
- A variety of instructional formats: interactive media, student-led activities, collaborative group work, and games where students use their ukulele as a controller — what they play drives the action on screen
The best part? You'll experience all of it the way your students would — by doing it yourself.
Bring a Concert or Soprano ukulele if you have one. Loaners will be available. No prior ukulele experience required.
Location: Richmond D
MusiCounts has more to offer music educators than you might think. This interactive session will unpack the funding, programs, professional development, and free resources available to educators across Canada—and how to put them to use in your own school. We’ll demystify the grant application process and share practical tips for building a strong request to secure up to $20,000 in new instruments for your school. We'll also explore opportunities like the CBC Music Class Challenge, and introduce a growing collection of free, classroom-ready Canadian scores for choir, band and strings, created through the new MusiCounts Fellowship for Emerging Songwriters & Composers. Come away with new music to teach, new opportunities to explore, and a clearer sense of how MusiCounts can support what you’re building in your music program.
Location: Richmond E
According to the 2021 Census, over 150,000 British Columbians identify Cantonese as their mother tongue, making it the third most spoken non-official language in the province. To reflect this cultural landscape, how can music educators effectively and authentically introduce Cantonese repertoire to their ensembles? This 60-minute interactive clinic provides a practical roadmap for performing music in this unique tonal language while fostering an inclusive environment.
Featuring a live demonstration by the Vancouver Cantonese Choir, the session is built on three central pillars. First, participants will receive proven guidelines to understand the basics of Cantonese phonetics and the critical relationship of "tone-melody" alignment. Second, a hands-on workshop allows attendees to sing alongside the choir, practicing specific rehearsal strategies that lower the barrier for non-native speakers. Finally, the session provides a curated guide to finding accessible repertoire, featuring diverse resources and databases suitable for school and community ensembles. The clinic concludes with a Q&A session, leaving attendees with a digital toolkit and the confidence to celebrate BC’s community through Cantonese choral music.
Location: Richmond F
Do you sometimes feel under supported by how your school administration views your work as a music educator?
Do you struggle with helping your administrative team understand what is needed for your program?
This presentation will be geared toward music educators looking for tips to strengthen the music educator-school administrator relationship.
Location: Richmond G
In this clinic, we will talk about how to run a Music Tour. Starting in the planning stages, and ending with guardian pickup after the tour, Elizabeth will share her tips and tricks for how to get your Field Trip off the ground, and how to keep things running smoothly while away. This clinic is geared more toward teachers of students in grade 8 or higher, but all are welcome.
Location: Steveston A
Many teachers are daunted at the prospect of teaching instruments in groups. There is the fear that energy will be spent managing unruly children instead of honing technique; that standards will be sacrificed at the altar of inclusion. In this workshop I aim to confront these fears and demonstrate how a group environment, with a skilled teacher, is the happiest and healthiest way for a child to start learning an instrument.
We will explore simple techniques to teach complex skills in a class setting. With music-making as the primary focus, we will explore ways to establish good physical habits as well as additional skills like note-reading and improvisation. We will examine ways to enable and encourage students to practise, with or without parental assistance. When delivered skillfully, it is possible to achieve high standards whilst maintaining order and discipline in any classroom setting. This approach is not just effective, but it is highly rewarding for both teacher and student alike.
Key areas for consideration:
Installing good habits; set-up routine
Pace and variety
Managing expectations
Focussing on specific tasks
Music-making as the primary objective
Inclusion
Delegates are encouraged to bring their instruments to this workshop.
Location: Steveston B
Learn about the historical and contemporary women who have helped shape Canada’s jazz scene and are driving its future. Hear their stories and listen to their music. Your female students need role models to build their curiosity and confidence to participate and thrive in the historically male-dominated world of jazz – and students of all genders deserve to be turned on to a more diverse set of artistic heroes!
Location: Steveston C
Bassoons are weird - but they don't need to be scary. This clinic will provide middle and high school educators with a firm base on which to stand when helping a beginner or intermediate bassoonist in their band programs. From posture to reeds, to bocals and crooks (yes, those are both real words), this session will guide you through the basics of one of the most interesting, beautiful, and stubborn instruments in the Western band canon.
While I will briefly talk about reeds in this clinic, this session will be used to cover a wide variety of topics including bassoon care and maintenance, fingering charts, tone production, tenor clef reading, and etudes to improve technique and intonation. A second session will be offered on reeds the following day. Come on down, be curious, and maybe even give the bassoon a try!
Location: Elmbridge
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.
Location: Richmond C
Recorder has more to offer than most programs ever tap into. This clinic gives you the practical tools to unlock its full potential — and turn it into one of the most engaging and musical units in your year.
What you'll explore:
- Effective sequencing for introducing the first notes and building early success
- Teaching rhythm actively through games
- Getting students playing simple songs quickly so they feel accomplished from the beginning
- Scrolling sheet music and interactive game-based tools that keep students engaged
- Games where students use their recorder as a controller — what they play drives the action on screen
You'll leave the clinic with ideas you can bring straight back to your classroom.
Location: Richmond D
MusiCounts has more to offer music educators than you might think. This interactive session will unpack the funding, programs, professional development, and free resources available to educators across Canada—and how to put them to use in your own school. We’ll demystify the grant application process and share practical tips for building a strong request to secure up to $20,000 in new instruments for your school. We'll also explore opportunities like the CBC Music Class Challenge, and introduce a growing collection of free, classroom-ready Canadian scores for choir, band and strings, created through the new MusiCounts Fellowship for Emerging Songwriters & Composers. Come away with new music to teach, new opportunities to explore, and a clearer sense of how MusiCounts can support what you’re building in your music program.
Location: Richmond E
This session explores how kinesthetic awareness and body-based pedagogies can deepen conducting practice and ensemble connection by breaking out of the usual conducting pattern and exploring new possibilities. Drawing on Laban Movement Analysis, body mapping, and principles from voice science, participants will reconsider conducting gesture as an embodied, relational act rather than a purely technical one. Through guided movement activities and practical conducting applications, participants will explore how gesture can more effectively reflect singers’ physical and vocal experiences, supporting healthy tone production, expressive communication, and ensemble cohesion. The session will also introduce strategies for cultivating empathetic rehearsal leadership by attuning to singers’ breath, alignment, and kinesthetic responses. Participants will leave with accessible tools to integrate movement-informed approaches into their own rehearsals, enhancing both musical outcomes and the well-being of their ensembles.
Location: Richmond E
This session explores how kinesthetic awareness and body-based pedagogies can deepen conducting practice and ensemble connection by breaking out of the usual conducting pattern and exploring new possibilities. Drawing on Laban Movement Analysis, body mapping, and principles from voice science, participants will reconsider conducting gesture as an embodied, relational act rather than a purely technical one. Through guided movement activities and practical conducting applications, participants will explore how gesture can more effectively reflect singers’ physical and vocal experiences, supporting healthy tone production, expressive communication, and ensemble cohesion. The session will also introduce strategies for cultivating empathetic rehearsal leadership by attuning to singers’ breath, alignment, and kinesthetic responses. Participants will leave with accessible tools to integrate movement-informed approaches into their own rehearsals, enhancing both musical outcomes and the well-being of their ensembles.
Location: Richmond G
In this clinic, we will talk about how to run a Music Tour. Starting in the planning stages, and ending with guardian pickup after the tour, Elizabeth will share her tips and tricks for how to get your Field Trip off the ground, and how to keep things running smoothly while away. This clinic is geared more toward teachers of students in grade 8 or higher, but all are welcome.
Location: Steveston A
Noah Mellemstrand is thrilled to be able to help share what he has learnt on the job including considerations, troubleshooting, tips & tricks. From restringing to soundpost resetting, he will guide you through the basic repairs you can achieve at your schools or at home.
Location: Steveston B
Location: Steveston C
The creativity that drives students to perform music at a high level can very quickly evolve into a desire to compose music. In this workshop, we will discuss ways to develop fundamental compositional skills, support them with music theory knowledge, and ultimately help students grow as composers and music makers.
Location: Elmbridge
Your school has some equipment and basic grooves. Fantastic! Now let's work on drumline-specific pedagogy, and developmental exercises to advance your ensembles skills and repertoire.