2026 MMEA Fall In-Service Conference

What do festival ratings really tell us about student performance and ensemble achievement? This session presents findings from a quantitative analysis of ratings from every Maryland high school concert band festival performance during a single year of statewide assessment. The study examines rating distributions, reliability, and differences across classification levels, while identifying common strengths and recurring areas for improvement within adjudication categories. Attendees will gain research-based insights into statewide performance trends and practical strategies for using assessment data to inform instruction, repertoire selection, festival preparation, and performance evaluation.

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!

Need to challenge your top students? Have a group with unusual/limited instrumentation? Want to help build fundamental skills with struggling students? Want students to have better part independence? The answer to these questions and more is: Chamber music! During this session we will discuss ideas for how to include chamber music in the large ensemble classroom using materials and methods new and old. Resources for finding diverse repertoire and Classroom management strategies for how to accomplish this will also be discussed. Get ready to dust off those Rubank ensemble books and watch your students make music independently!

Standard and non-standard accessory percussion instruments will serve as the focus of this interactive session, featuring programming, instruction, and active student participation through a variety of solo, chamber, and concert works. Participants will explore rehearsal and practice strategies designed to engage student musicians of all skill levels, building confidence and performance proficiency on these often-overlooked instruments.