Shared Professional Development Day 2025
Philadelphia Music Education Collaborative invites you to join us on our Shared Professional Development Day.
This free event features interactive sessions designed for Philadelphia region arts educators. Scroll below for more details on each session.
Friday, October 10, 2025
George Washington High School
10175 Bustleton Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19116
SCHEDULE
9:30 a.m. Coffee & Tea
10-11:15 a.m. Session 1
11:15-11:45 a.m. Lunch (provided)
11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Session 2
Lead support for this project is provided by the
—- Sessions —-
You can choose your sessions on the day of the convening.
Each session will be repeated, and so you will be able to attend two sessions.
Vocussion Discussion
Presenter: Bethlehem Roberson
Theme: Karibu Nyumbani (Welcome Home)
Bethlehem introduces herself and her wooden percussive box, her Tarima, to the class and introduces the theme of welcoming us back home to our bodies. Exploring and creating rhythmic and percussive sounds with our bodies and voices empowers us from within, with the perspective of realizing that we already have everything we need to create, it’s just a matter of being made aware of it and learning how to access and utilize it.
Score Your Next Grant: Demystifying How to Find and Apply for Funding
Presenters: Liz McClearn and Katie Cannon
Take the mystery out of grant writing. In this interactive three-part session, you’ll learn how to turn your passion into clear project ideas, master the nuts and bolts of compelling proposals, and discover the best free tools for finding grant opportunities. Walk away with confidence, clarity, and a few insider tips to give your next application the winning edge.
When I Move, You Move…
Presenter: Daniel Jackson
This active workshop will provide research, practice and application on physical movement and expressive gesture within the vocal music classroom. The objective is to provide information on nonverbal gestures, leading music educators to reinforce classroom methods utilizing movement and gesture for music learning, skill development, and aural-oral teaching, aligning classroom methods of music learning with multimodal performance practices.
Beats Made Simple: Exploring Music Production in the Classroom
Presenters: Jonathan Edwards and Matthew Kerr
This entry-level workshop walks through the basics of making a beat while exploring how music production can be used creatively to spark student engagement. We will also discuss strategies for implementing these tools on a tight budget. Designed for beginners and those seeking a refresher, the session is designed to be hands-on and interactive, so come ready to work! Sessions capped at 20 participants due to workstation constraints.
Compassion and Care in the Classroom
Presenters: Maggie Jaramillo and Jaylen Jordan
During this session, we’ll explore how Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and trauma-informed practices can strengthen classroom management while supporting both students and teachers. We’ll start with a brief overview of the five SEL competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making—and highlight trauma-informed principles, emphasizing safety, trust, and empowerment as essential conditions for learning. From there, you’ll gain three practical tools: co-creating community norms to foster ownership, engaging in restorative conversations with simple prompts that shift management toward collaboration, and experiencing brain breaks to support focus and readiness. By the end, you’ll leave with a toolkit of ready-to-use resources designed to help build stronger, more supportive learning environments.
Harmonize: From Small Games to Strong Bond – Turning Classrooms Into Families Through Love and Connection
Presenter: Whitney Covalle
We know our students long to belong, be seen, and be engaged by both their teachers and peers. Building relationships with our students is the root of meaningful learning. In this session, we’ll explore how taking rehearsal time to play seemingly surface-level “games” (musical and non-musical) can spark connection rooted in love. By practicing and normalizing shared vulnerability, intentional relationships, and self-expression, we create the conditions for students—and choirs—to truly harmonize.
Unleashing Your Musicianship in the Rehearsal
Presenter: Chris Farr
One of the biggest challenges in teaching instrumental ensembles is addressing the wide range of abilities among students while keeping everyone engaged and musically growing. This workshop will focus on developing harmonic awareness as a foundation for musicianship, performance, and retention. Too often, students play without truly understanding the underlying harmonic and melodic tension and release. By learning to recognize tonal center shifts, root movement, and voice leading, students can connect more deeply to the music while improving ensemble balance and interpretive skills. Through guided harmonic analysis, hands-on activities, and creative exercises, teachers will explore strategies to help students retain and apply harmonic concepts in rehearsal; strengthen melodic interpretation through arpeggiation and phrase shaping; engage in improvisation and composition within a clear harmonic framework; and build confidence at any skill level by analyzing works in manageable sections, creating success step by step.
Chris would like you to bring your instrument to the session if you can!
Beyond Technique: Ideas for Incorporating all Aspects of Musicianship in the Private Studio Teaching
Presenter: Shelley Beard
In this session, participants will explore ideas for teaching key elements of music that reach beyond traditional instrumental technique and note reading. Ideas will be shared for how to incorporate elements of eurythmics, ear training and aural skills, practice techniques, history and style, music theory, ensemble and recital skills, alternative styles, and familial support efficiently and effectively within the private studio setting. Ideas will also be shared about creating, sharing, and navigating these concepts via the 21st digital landscape. Participants will receive sample lesson plans that can be easily implemented straightaway.
Ewe Drumming and Dance in the Music Classroom
Presenter: Kendra Balmer
Dive into the vibrant world of ewe music from West Africa through this engaging workshop designed for music educators. Participants will learn traditional Ewe drumming, call-and-response songs, and accompanying dances that can be adapted for all grade levels. Emphasis will be placed on culturally respective teaching practices, musical context, and practical strategies for implementing these elements into your general music classroom. No prior experience with African drumming is required – just bring your enthusiasm and a willingness to move, sing, and drum.
From a Tiny Seed to a Beautiful Garden: A Recipe For Success!
Presenter: Michelle Fella Przybylowski
A seed is a tiny element of the earth. Start as small as possible. In this session led by Orff and Kodaly expert Michelle Przybylowski, we will be breaking apart all the elements of making music, beginning with a simple speech piece such as a poem or rhyme. You will be exploring the “seed” through speech; meter or unmetered, movement; locomotor, non locomotor, free movement, or structured. From rhythm to melody, explore various modes, adding an accompaniment from a simple bourdon to shifting harmonic to functional harmony, and culminating in developing a performance form.
This session offers you a simple recipe. The recipe is the process. The process remains the same, and the base material can change! Come and explore success, begin with a simple rhythm to build great music makers in your teaching.
You will leave with materials you can implement in your classrooms immediately. You will gain tools to continue to develop successful music-making.
About Michelle Fella Przybylowski
Belonging, Joy, and Growth: An Integrated Approach to Teaching Music
Presenter: Maggie Phillips
How can trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive teaching, and arts integration come together to strengthen student engagement in music classrooms? This interactive session invites participants to explore that question through hands-on activities, reflection, and discussion. Educators will experience adaptable strategies designed to foster belonging, affirm student voice, and spark curiosity in young learners. While not focused on music pedagogy itself, this workshop offers new perspectives and practical entry points that music educators can tailor to their unique classroom settings. Participants will explore connections between trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and arts-integrated approaches to teaching and experience and adapt strategies that support student belonging, engagement, and growth in music classrooms.