Committee Updates

General Music Professional Development Update

Jayne Wenner, Chair and Sue Casto, Co-Chair

We look forward to seeing you at our professional development opportunities at the OMEA PDC in Columbus! Here’s a sneak peak at some of our sessions as well as our headliner. Check out the Guidebook for all of the general music sessions offered at the 2026 PDC.

Thursday, January 29, 2026: Folk Dance Party

Thursday night Folk Dancing with live music Folk Dances will be taught by dance members of Selo.

Saturday, January 31, 2026: 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. For more information check out this link.

Featured Clinician: Karen Howard

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.

Dr. Howard’s Sessions:

Dance Like a Butterfly: Children's Music from Ghana Jan 29th, 2026 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Children's Music and Dance from Mexico Jan 30th, 2026 9:30 am - 10:30 am

Songs from the Middle East Jan 30th, 2026 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Music of South Korea for Elementary and Middle School Jan 30th, 2026 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

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