presentations
The below samples are excerpts only.
For complete presentations, please connect with me.
“The Distance Dilemma: Teaching Percussion from the Podium” is designed to offer band directors tools for combatting common challenges with percussion sections, leading to more productive rehearsals and student longevity. The session focuses on four areas of ‘musical disconnect’: technique, sound quality, timbre, and dynamics/articulation. Topics will include identifying technique issues, recognizing proper sound quality and tone production, demystifying percussion ‘lingo’ and relating these to wind instruments, and implement suggestions. Emphasis is placed on visual aspects of percussion playing and understanding how to modify these aspects to achieve desirable aural outcomes..
"21st Century Performing Careers: Becoming an Enterprising Musician" explores some of the initial steps musicians must take to be successful in today's job market. Topics include the meaning of entrepreneurship and its relation to music as an art and career, résumé design, mapping your skills, and personal branding. Students will gain evidence-based knowledge and objective tasks they can begin incorporating into their work immediately.
Physical health and injury prevention are paramount to the longevity of a musician’s career but are often overshadowed in lesson settings by concepts such as technical control, musical phrasing, time management skills, and ensemble playing. "Body Awareness and Physical Well-Being in Private Studio Instruction" seeks to provide educators with tangible strategies for incorporating injury prevention methods into their students’ lessons and daily practice routines. Discussion topics will include basic anatomy, common repetitive stress injuries for musicians, and practice habits for combatting risk of injury. Furthermore, we will examine several approaches to physical health for musicians, including body mapping, eating habits, stretching, and kinesiology taping.
Unsure what timpani heads to purchase? Are they playing the triangle with a wind chime again? Wading through the plethora of percussion instruments, mallets, and hardware can be an incredibly daunting task even for the most seasoned director. “Buying for the Back of the Band” is designed to help alleviate some of this pressure, leaving you feeling confident that what you buy is worth the money you spend. Topics will include navigating the percussion marketplace, information on some of the most reliable products, and a buying guide based on various needs and budget levels. Furthermore, equipment suggestions will be based on their use in band literature, helping you create a practical inventory that will meet the needs of your students.
