PMEA Sponsored Webinars for Digital Instruction

New Webinar Series: PMEA Cares: Together We Teach

PMEA is here to help all of us navigate the current landscape of music education.  To address the current changes in the teaching culture and increase our member’s capacity to meet our students’ needs, we have developed a webinar series that will motivate all of us to continue to provide effective and relevant instruction and to connect to our students. A variety of instructional topics will be covered twice each week by a variety of knowledgeable professionals.

PMEA Cares. Let’s come together to support one another, learn from one another, and find the best ways for each of us to reach our students. Together We Teach.

Act 48 hours will be available upon completion of two forms following the webinars. Please note you must log-in to the PMEA Member Portal to register.

  • March 31, 7:00 PM, Day 1: Where Do I Start?

Presented by Tina Bennett, PMEA President, Teri Myers, Mentor Program Chair, Stacy Paparone, PMEA District 5 President, & Scott Sheehan, PMEA Model Curriculum Committee Co-Chair

PMEA Cares: To begin the webinar series, we will learn together how to prepare for this new teaching environment by identifying resources for self-care, basic DO’s and DON’T’s of online instruction, and hear some strategies that have been working. Together We Teach: This webinar will also provide a forum for you to share your successes and to travel together through this new terrain.

Register Here

Once Registered – please complete this Brief Survey, prior to the start of the webinar.

  • April 2, 2020, 7:00 PM, The Google Infused Bandroom: Practical and Relevant Ways to Implement Technology in Performance Based Classrooms                                

Presented by Stephen Keys, Band Director at Bondurant Middle School, Kentucky, Google Certified Educator Levels 1 and 2, Google Certified Trainer, and an Apple Teacher

 

Implementing educational technology in a performance-based classroom (band, orchestra, and choir) can be a challenge. This webinar will show directors useful, practical, and easy ways to infuse technology into their rehearsals. An emphasis will be on using technology for student assessments, to increase student engagement, and to make life easier for the director. A focus will also be placed on using technology in a time of Remote Learning. 

Register Here

  • April 6, 2020, 7:00 PM, Going Beyond the Music: Project Based Learning in the Middle School Choral Classroom 

Presented by Danielle Larrick, Director of Choirs, Gerald G. Huesken Middle School, Conestoga Valley School District, PA

 

Looking for fresh and innovative ideas to integrate into your choral rehearsal to help your students go beyond the music? If so, join us for a webinar on project-based learning in the middle school choral ensemble. Project-based learning (PBL) has been shown to have positive effects on student engagement and understanding of content. However, in terms of the choral classroom, little has been examined regarding PBL activities. While teaching the repertoire certainly can fall within the characteristics of PBL, further PBL activities allow our students to form deeper connections with the music they perform and more meaningful relationships with their peers. This webinar will explore types of PBL activities used in a choral setting, and share the potential benefit of other PBL activities with attendees.

Register Here

*Please note you must log-in to the PMEA Member Portal to register. There is no cost to PMEA/NAfME members; Registration cost for non-members is $15. One hour of Act 48 credit is available upon completion of two forms following the webinar.

From the President – November 2019

Colleagues:

I hope the first marking period of the school year was as a positive and productive one.    Whether you were giving an elementary student their first lesson, teaching how to match pitch with their peers, or cleaning that last set of your marching band show for what may seem like the fiftieth time, remember that you ARE making a difference and impact on your students!

Bob Morrison, D12 Inservice Keynote Speaker, with Justin McAdams (D12 President), Bret Mascaro (Zeswitz Director of Education), and Randy Shayler (Zeswitz Music CEO)

Advocacy Updates:

Advocacy can exist in many ways – and we are here to help.  Don’t wait until the last minute.  If you sense that there might be an issue in your district that you need help with, we have many resources available NOW to assist you.

Contact George Weaver  and let us know how we can assist you.

The Modern Band Movement:

We are very fortunate to have two teachers in D12 who have spent some extensive time with the Modern Band program this summer.   At first glance, some of this might look different than “traditional” music making, but when you start to look at the pedagogical sequencing, it can be VERY valuable!   

This is a great way to reach out to the students in your school who want to pursue music making, but aren’t in your choir, band, or orchestra!

Want to know more?  Contact Scott Cullen or Henry Pearlberg!

Awards & Citations Excellence Deadline – DECEMBER 2nd

The window for the various awards and nominations is now open, and will close in just a few weeks.   

This includes the Outstanding Superintendent Award, Citation of Excellence, and the 25 Years of Teaching Recognition Awards.

 

A question for all of you – especially those that are in the elementary and middle school grades.

HOW CAN PMEA HELP YOU?  In a perfect world, what would you like PMEA to be able to do for you as a member?   We are only as strong as the membership, and I fully believe that there is a concerted effort starting across the state for PMEA to do more than just “run the All-State Festival”.

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However, in order for that to happen, we do need to know what YOU need.   Send me an email, and let’s set up a time to chat!

 

-Justin McAdams

District 12 President

District 12 Students at NAfME!

The NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles were held this past weekend in Orlando Florida.  Congratulations to the following students and schools who were represented!

Mixed Choir:

  • Zoe Bennett, PALCS
  • Miranda Nilan, Oxford Area HS
  • Bennet Resnick Great Valley HS
  • Tyler-Minseok Kim, Church Farm School
  • John Schadl, Great Valley HS

Orchestra:

  • Anna Devine, Kimberton Waldorf
  • Helen Hu, Radnor HS
  • Isaac Kim, Conestoga HS

 

District 12 Inservice Wrapup

PMEA members attending a session on the modern band program presented by Henry Pearlberg (Past State President) and Scott Cullen (D12 Curriculum & Instruction Chair)
Bob Morrison giving the keynote speech at the D12 In-service at Great Valley MS.

Thank you to the entire PD committee for their work and efforts in putting together a spectacular in-service conference on November 5th.   Many of you were in attendance for Bob Morrison’s keynote speech.

Mr. Morrison announced at the inservice that his arts education data research project will be extending into Pennsylvania in the upcoming school year.   For more information on this project, please view his company’s website.

 

Bob Morrison with his son Andrew (a student at WCU) and some of Andrew’s student colleagues.

Thank you again to Great Valley Middle School for hosting us and to Zeswitz Music for subsidizing Mr. Morrison’s appearance!

 

President’s Message – August 2019

Welcome to the new school year!

I am honored to serve all of you as the District 12 President for the next two years.

For those of you that do not know me, I am the Band Director and Performing Arts Coordinator for the Phoenixville Area School District in Chester County.   Beyond running the band program, I also teach AP Music Theory, Recording Technology, and beginning guitar.  This is my 17th year teaching overall.   I have a master’s degree in Wind Band Conducting from West Chester University, and am one of the lead clinicians for the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy.   Music – and helping grow teachers of music – are two important aspects of my life.    I am a resident in the Owen J Roberts school district, and my wife Sarah is a middle school band director in Berks County.

The life cycle of the president’s role is a 6 year term – 2 as vice president, 2 as current, and 2 as past president.   I had a short turn around with just 1 year as vice president due to some personnel changes.  Dr. Erin Kauppila has done an AMAZING job in helping me prepare for this role – thank you Erin!

I’d also like to take a second and welcome our new vice-president, Dr. Steve Selfridge.  Steve is the band director at Garnet Valley High School, and we are all excited to bring him on board so that he gets his “turn” in two years.

 

DISTRICT AUDITIONS: Save the Date: November 23rd, 2019.  

This year, we are utilizing a set of new excerpts for instrumental auditions.  (Vocal auditions will remain the same as in years past).  We have posted a few updates over the summer to these as there were bound to be a few errors in the engraving process.    Please check these out here:  (The password is PMEAD12).

Teachers: Per the audition guidelines, you must be in attendance and be a part of the audition panels if you have students auditioning.  

D12 Calendar of Events: 

All D12-sponsored events are now available here:    More info will be available as we get closer.

D12 In-Service: Save the Date: November 5th, 2019

Presenters have been notified – thank you to all who applied!   More information on registration and the schedule of events will be published in the coming weeks.  In the meantime – as you are starting your beginning of year inservice days, please connect with your curriculum point person in your school district about attending.  It’s a great day of professional development geared EXACTLY for music teachers!

Renew your PMEA Membership!

You should have received an email from PMEA over the summer with the new system in place.   This is a *NEW* system – and everyone will have to register in it.  You can print invoices out through the system if you need to do so for your district.   You also will no longer be getting ID cards in the mail – it’s all electronic.

New Teachers in your District? Forward this to them!

This is going out to last year’s email list, as well as being published on the website.    If you have new teachers in your district, please forward this onto them – as well as direct them to the PMEA D12 website!

 

Welcome new D12 Board Members

  • Shawn Lee (Phoenixville) will be moving from the Elementary PD chair to co-chairing the HS PD chair with Mike Shoremount (West Chester SD)
  • Dr. Danielle Cullen (Downingtown) will be moving into the Elementary PD chair position.
  • Kyle Risch (West Chester SD) will be moving into the  MPA (Music Performance Assessment) Chair position.

 

PMEA District 12 – both myself and the entire board – are made up of teachers just like you.  We are here to assist and help you out in whatever way we can.    Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at all!  

 

President’s Message – May 2019

PMEA Members –

I hope this email finds you well and enjoying the end of the school year.  Concert season is upon us and I’m sure there is some incredible music making occurring throughout District 12!  Thank you for what you do to bring music to our children.

I am emailing you with two important pieces of information.  First, the PMEA District 12 Chorus audition music is posted on our PMEA D12 website at this link https://www.pmea12.org/district-12-auditions/2019-20-district-chorus-audition-info.  Instrumental audition excerpts will be posted at the beginning of June.  Thank you to our repertoire committee for working diligently to produce a great list of excerpts for next year’s auditions.

 

Second, District 12 is currently seeking individuals interested in running for the position of President.    This is a 6-year term, with 2 years (beginning in the fall of 2019) as Vice President, 2 years as President (fall of 2021), and 2 years as Past-President (fall of 2023).  The first two years of the position is on the job training and there is a great support system in place.  If you have any questions, or you are interested in running, please email me as soon as possible at president@pmea12.org .

 

As always, if you have any questions, please send me an email.  Enjoy the rest of your school year and thank you again for the work that you do!