General Music Professional Development Update

New this year-The General Music Sharing Session!

Do you have a great 5-10 minute activity that your students love? Would you like to get a taste of presenting? Submit a description of the activity - song, dance, game, etc. We will provide a piano, projector/screen, computer audio input, microphone, and plenty of room to move! The committee will choose a variety of activities from those submitted. You will be asked to provide a digital handout of the activity. The session will take place on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 12:30 PM. Thanks for sharing! For more information check out this link.

Thursday night will be a folk dance party with live music.

Karen Howard is our "head liner" clinician. Here's her bio: Karen Howard is Professor of Music at the University of St. Thomas, teaching music education methods, core graduate courses, world music pedagogy, and advising masters theses.

In addition to her university schedule, Dr. Howard is a national and international clinician specializing in children’s music culture, ethnomusicology, creative and folk dance traditions, early childhood music education, assessment, and curriculum development. She has presented at events for the American Orff Schulwerk Association, the Organization of American Kodály Educators, the Society for Ethnomusicology, the National Association for Music Education, the International Society of Music Education, and the American Choral Directors Association.

Her research has been published in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, International Journal of Community Music, and the Japanese Journal of Research in Music Education. Her other published works are available through the Association for Cultural Equity, Smithsonian Folkways Tools for Teachers, General Music Today, and The Orff Echo.

Dr. Howard earned the Bachelor of Music Education degree and Masters of Music Education degree from The Hartt School of the University of Hartford and PhD in music from the University of Washington. In 2003, she was recognized as Connecticut Music Educator Association’s Elementary Music Educator of the Year.

Karen's sessions will include music of Ghana, Nigeria and West Africa, Songs of the Middle East, music of Korea and a look at a new picture book El Reloj de la Calavera - a chant for Dia de los Muertos.

We look forward to seeing you at Conference and Sharing Your Activities!