2026 MMEA Fall In-Service Conference

Start the school year with repertoire that builds both musicianship and community. This reading session highlights accessible and engaging SAB and SATB selections designed to foster connection, confidence, and artistic growth in developing choirs. Participants will explore music that is pedagogically sound, culturally responsive, and immediately usable in middle school, high school, community, and collegiate settings. Whether rebuilding an ensemble, strengthening vocal independence, or cultivating a sense of belonging, these selections provide meaningful opportunities for singers to grow musically and personally. Discover repertoire that is accessible enough for success and beautiful enough to inspire singers throughout the year.

Music education has the power to build meaningful connections beyond the classroom. This session explores how intergenerational and community-based music-making experiences can foster empathy, belonging, and stronger school-community relationships. We’ll explore real examples such as performances at independent and assisted living communities to collaborations with local schools and the creation of a community performing ensemble for students, family members, and staff. Attendees will learn about the educational and social benefits of these experiences and leave with practical, adaptable ideas for implementing similar initiatives in their own programs.

You've been hired - great! Now your district has asked you to run sound for other concerts. What do you do? Perhaps you've been tasked with figuring out why the sound in the auditorium is never what you want it to be. This session will cover the basics of running a mixer, hooking everything up properly, and getting your wireless system to function the way it should!

Limited resources should not limit achievement. Whether serving in rural communities with limited enrollment and challenging instrumentation or urban programs managing large class sizes and frequent turnover – or anywhere in between, music teachers are tasked with achieving excellence amid various constraints. With experience building and maintaining successful band programs in both rural and urban areas in Texas, Finnels will share high-impact strategies and practical tools that help music programs grow, thrive, and succeed!

The United States Naval Academy Band was formed in November of 1852 by order of the Secretary of the Navy. The band’s primary mission is to provide musical support to the Superintendent, Commandant, and Brigade of Midshipmen. These dedicated professionals are known across the nation as “The Navy’s Oldest and Finest Band!” Our members have studied at prominent music schools and conservatories nationwide and have extensive experience in performance and teaching.At the Naval Academy, the USNA Band performs for parades, graduations, athletic events, retirements, funerals and other traditional military ceremonies. In the community, the band presents concerts, provides music for civic events, and presents instructional clinics and performances for K-12 and university students. The Naval Academy Band takes pride in representing the Naval Academy’s tradition of excellence. Performing at the highest professional standard for the Navy, the Naval Academy, and the citizens of this great country has been our mission since 1852.

Viral Content Creators Makynzie Barton and Kevin A. Lewis Sr. share background information of their use of social media and how it has positively impacted their professional settings. With a blend of culturally responsive teaching practices and relatable classroom struggles, attendees will get to engage with the creators, find quick useful tips for content and potentially take part in a viral moment during the session.

You want AI to organize your library, help bring your ideas to life, assist you in planning, and help facilitate how best to teach particular skillsets. You don't want it to create your music for you, think for you or mentor you. In this session, we will visit a few AI tools and how to use them to augment what we already do without handing over our responsibility to think. AI can be a powerful assistant when used ethically. We can also teach our students to use it this way too!

As a music teacher, you may teach all the students in your school, including students who do not primarily speak English. Each year, this group of students do a test called the ACCESS test. While this test provides great insight on how these students understand the English language, how can we understand the test results for ourselves and apply it to our classes? Please join me in this session as we learn to understand the ACCESS testing system and how we can apply this new understanding to our music classroom through discussions, strategies, and more!

We all have felt the lasting effects of the COVID-19 lockdown, particularly the increase in disruptive and negative student behaviors in classrooms. Since the pandemic, music educators have reported both increased frequency and severity of disruptive behaviors while also feeling underprepared to address them effectively. As schools increasingly adopt Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), many music teachers are seeking practical ways to adapt these strategies to ensemble and general music settings. This session aligns with the Emerging Practices strand by exploring evidence-based approaches for implementing PBIS effectively in music classrooms. Participants will learn strategies to reduce disruptive behaviors, strengthen classroom management, and create positive, safe, and productive learning environments that support student engagement and musical growth.

This session will present an overview of the structure of the seven free response questions in the AP Music Theory Exam (Melodic Dictation, Harmonic Dictation, Part Writing and Soprano-Bass Counterpoint). Attendees will learn which concepts must be taught and strategies on applying these concepts to the individual questions on the exam. Data concerning common construction elements on these questions from prior AP exams will be shared with attendees.

Rehearsals often struggle to balance depth of learning with realities of limited time. This session explores microlearning as a learning design strategy that targets retention, transfer, and ensemble growth. Explore the cognitive science behind attention, knowledge transfer, and context switching, while evaluating the definition of a complete learning experience. Participants apply concepts through a guided activity that will give them a practical framework for implementing microlearning in their own classes.

Drawing on the work of Stronge, Danielson and van Manen, and predicated on Dewey’s statement that “learning improves to the degree that it arises out of the process of reflection,” this session provides an overview of the philosophical foundations of reflective practice and facilitates an exploration of a wide variety of reflective practice tools that can be implemented by music teachers at all stages of the professional experience continuum. Once we begin this process, we begin to see and hear what we really do – or don’t do – not just what we think we do. It will lead us to be more reflective and to be comfortable leading our students into reflective activity by example.