Schedule and Details

Conversational Solfege Levels I and II  
Course ID GMU539 (4 days)

Dr. John Feierabend

Conversational Solfege is a pedagogical method that develops musical literacy. Base on modules used to teach conversational foreigh languages, Conversational Solfege develops an understanding of music through the use of rhythm syllables and solfege syllabes at a conversational level, that gradually evolves into traditional notation. Through carefully sequenced activities, Conversational Solfege enables students to joyfully assimilate th skills and content necessary to be musically literate. Through various techniques, Conversational Solfege allows the acquisition of musical reading and writing, dictation, improvisation, and composition in an intuitive manner.  This course is applicable to general music, choral, and instrumental teachers. Participants will be certified by the Feierabend Association for Music Education

More about John Feierabend ➔

Program Schedule
July 14–17, 2025
Monday–Thursday,  9 a.m.–3:30 p.m, 
Class attendance is required in person on the campus of Gordon College.
No class Friday, July 18, 2025

Registration
$1,275: Three (3) Graduate Credits
$980: Participation Only (zero credit)

Graduate credit registration requirements include mandatory attendance, final project, written assignment or assessment. Participants will be provided with a letter grade and academic transcript upon request.

Participation only registration indicates the participant is not required to submit a final project, written assignment or assessment. No academic transcript provided.

Leading a School Instrumental Music Program - Build a Took-Kit to Support Purposeful and Meaningful Music Making for All Grade Levels
Course ID GMU (2.5 days)

Dr. Gabe Southard

Instrumental music teachers and ensemble directors of all grade levels are welcome.  Motivating young musicians with meaningful musical experiences can be challenging with students who are beginners or even advancing novices on their instruments.  Skill levels vary with some students taking private lessons, practicing at home, and some whose instrument might never leave its school storage locker other than for class time.  With the right versatility and a tool kit of fresh ideas, you will have the confidence to thrive in your instrumental music setting, engaging students to feel invested in contributing to a quality musical learning experience with their peers. 

Sessions will include:

• A brief (whirlwind tour!) history of the development of the wind band, including significant composers and repertoire from Mozart to Cromer, Sousa to Holst.
• Selecting repertoire for all levels of ensembles with a nod to non-formulaic options that promote student’s musical expressiveness.
• Rehearsal technique – varying strategies daily to keep students engaged in advancing their musical learning and being productive with limited class time.
• Explore scatter seating, circle seating, silent rehearsals and more.
• Building confidence of percussion sections to create a culture of feeling essential to the ensemble playing experience.

Participants are encouraged to bring primary and non-primary instruments for paying through repertoire and conducting peers in mock rehearsal settings.

More about Gabe Southard ➔

Program Schedule
July 16–18, 2025
Wednesday,  1:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
Thursday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
In person class attendance required on the campus of Gordon College.

Registration
$640: One and One Half (1.5) Graduate Credits
$490: Participation Only

Curriculum Deep Dive - Revisiting, Revising, Re-launching to Breathe Life Into Music Teaching and Learning  
Course ID GMU587E (4 days)

Led by Dr. Sandra Doneski

Curriculum lives where content, practice, and people meet. It is more than a document and more than a series of activities. Strong curriculum work breathes life into teaching and learning. Knowledge, skills, and dispositions meet creating, performing and responsing in this music curriculum workshop. Work with a team of curricular innovators, guided by Gordon Graduate Music Education Program Director Dr. Sandra Doneski, who take thinking IN music seriously for all students. Whether you are a beginning or experienced music educator, this is the BEST OPPORTUNITY to make that curriculum progress you have been contemplating.

Teachers are encouraged to bring and share existing curriculum practices and ideas for changes and new adoptions they have been wanting to try or implement. Sessions will be collaborative and guided by a coaching team who will take each individual's teaching practices and circumstances into context.

Come be resourced, stretched and encouraged to make music come to life for students in your school and community

More about Sandra Doneski➔

Program Schedule
July 14–17, 2025
Monday–Thursday,  9 a.m.–3:30 p.m, 
Class attendance is required in person on the campus of Gordon College.
No class Friday, July 18, 2025

Registration
$1,275: Three (3) Graduate Credits
$980: Participation Only (zero credit)

Graduate credit registration requirements include mandatory attendance, final project, written assignment or assessment. Participants will be provided with a letter grade and academic transcript upon request.

Participation only registration indicates the participant is not required to submit a final project, written assignment or assessment. No academic transcript provided.

Introduction to Adaptive Music Education
Course ID GMU587A (4 days)

Jessica Corwin and Jennifer Kass

Diversity is our strength and is present in many ways in every classroom. Differences among student neurotypes and abilities means that music teachers need a very full toolkit to meet the needs of all students, especially those with the highest support needs, to ensure that everyone is meaningfully included in joyful music-making and social connection. This course will closely examine topics including the imperative of listening to neurodivergent voices, anti-ableist language, neurodivergence-affirming classroom practices, current research on autism, common learning differences, and corresponding music-specific strategies. Authentic affirmation and celebration of all aspects of students' identities will be emphasized, including the reality that neurodiverse people are 2-3 times more likely than the general population to identify as LGBTQIA+.

Every class meeting will include tried-and-true model elementary general music class activities that will work for students with disabilities in Inclusion and sub-separate Special Education contexts.

*This course will fulfill the Commonweatlh of MA teacher re-certification requirements for PDPs in special education.  Graduate credit earned can be converted to PDPs, See below.

More about Jessica Corwin and Jennifer Kass ➔

Program Schedule*
July 14–17, 2025
In person class attendance required on the campus of Gordon College.

Monday–Thursday, 9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. 
*No class on Friday, July 18

Registration 
$1,275: Three (3) Graduate Credits 
$980: Participation Only

Graduate credit registration requirements include mandatory attendance, final project, written assignment, or assessment. Participants will be provided with a letter grade and academic transcript upon request.

Participation only registration indicates the participant is not required to submit a final project, written assignment or assessment. No academic transcript provided.

World Folk Song and Dance
Course ID GMU587 B  (2.5 days)

Lillie Feierabend

Humor, love, kindness and joy are universal.  Community music-making builds a bridge where we are offered a glimpse into another culture and are delighted to find ourselves looking back, A country's musical culture can also offer insight into it's history, spirit, values, and heart. We can appreciate and begin to know a little about people when we move in their footsteps, sing their songs, and play their games. These delightful gifts, traversing not only cultures, but generations can lead to greater awareness and global understanding. This lively workshop will explore fifteen cultures through their folk dance, rounds, passing games, play parties, clapping games, and literature. This course applies to all grade levels.  Join us as we meet wonderful people through the gift of their music.

More about Lillie Feierabend ➔

Program Schedule
July 14–16, 2025
Monday–Tuesday,  8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m, 
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Class attendance is required in person on the campus of Gordon College.

Registration
$640: One and One-Half (1.5) Graduate Credits
$490: Participation Only

Graduate credit registration requirements include mandatory attendance, final project, written assignment or assessment. Participants will be provided with a letter grade and academic transcript upon request.

Participation only registration indicates the participant is not required to submit a final project, written assignment or assessment. No academic transcript provided.

Bridges to the Community & Beyond
Course ID GMU (2.5 days)

Lillie Feierabend

The school year provides many opportunities for our students to become involved with music. When we provide experiences outside the classrooom, we also make them available to our faculty, school and community. When the community is invited to participate in our music programs, they become invested in the child's development and the growth of the music program. Participants will be introduced to a dozen ways to enrich the musical growth and development of their students, schools and communities by creating opportunities for musical engagement.

More about Lillie Feierabend ➔

Program Schedule
July 16–18, 2025
Wednesday,  1:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m, 
Thursday, Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Class attendance is required in person on the campus of Gordon College.

Registration
$640: One and One-Half (1.5) Graduate Credits
$490: Participation Only

Graduate credit registration requirements include mandatory attendance, final project, written assignment or assessment. Participants will be provided with a letter grade and academic transcript upon request.

Participation only registration indicates the participant is not required to submit a final project, written assignment or assessment. No academic transcript provided.

The Choral Music Classroom: Creating, Recreating and Creating Again
Course ID GMU563N (2.5 days)

Dr. Ellen Gilson Voth

Broaden your repertoire and deepen your rehearsal techniques. In this workshop, participnats will delve into choral music for singers of all age levels - how it was created, and how we can best recreate it with the singers in front of us. Score study, language, gesture, vocal techniques, solfege, ear training, eurhytmics, and integration among different art forms will be explored. Participants will also have the opportunity to practice arranging or composing choral music in a laboratory format - focusing on writing to set up yougn singers for success. Whether an experienced choral musician and educator or a newcomer to the professiona looking for fresh ideas and inspiration, this workshop is for you.

Reading packets will be given to each participant for reading sessions and to take home.

More about Ellen Voth➔

Program Schedule
July 14–16, 2025
Monday–Tuesday,  9 a.m.–3:30 p.m, 
Wednesday, 9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Class attendance is required in person on the campus of Gordon College.

Registration
$640: One and one-half (1.5) Graduate Credits
$490: Participation Only (zero credit)

Graduate credit registration requirements include mandatory attendance, final project, written assignment or assessment. Participants will be provided with a letter grade and academic transcript upon request.

Participation only registration indicates the participant is not required to submit a final project, written assignment or assessment. No academic transcript provided.

From Four Strings to Six: Making the Move from Ukulele to Guitar for Grades 5 - 12  Course ID GMU582 (4 days)

Kenneth Trapp

The sequential transition from ukulele to guitar can be made simple for both teachers and students. The learning experience on the instruments builds aural skill development, by scaffolding individual and collaborative music making experiences that allow for ensemble collaboration, improvisation, and composition opportunities. Building on connections to ukulele instruction for elementary and middle school students, music educators of upper elementary through HS students can make the move to the guitar and build the confidence to bring the instrument to all assigned duties throughout your school year.

Sessions will include:

Music notation including chord frames, lead sheets and tablatures

Harmonic structure, chord symbols and chord strumming patterns (Hotel California…you CAN play it!)

Bass Guitar – guitar as a bass

Simple and fun ways to learn pop songs

Three strings/three shapes – connecting to ukulele instruction

Demystifying bar chords Learning to accompany class activities

Creating ensembles within the class and collaborating across fine arts departments

Just like there are “lifetime sports” like tennis and golf, there are “lifetime instruments” like ukulele and guitar, which lends itself to the life-long learning promoted by the National Standards for Music Education. Examples of student work will give participants a view of authentic student experiences. In addition, participants will be given access to instructional materials to get started. Instruments and equipment will be provided for all participants.

More about Kenneth Trapp ➔

Program Schedule
July 14–17, 2025
Monday–Thursday,  9 a.m.–3:30 p.m
Class attendance is required in person on the campus of Gordon College.
No class Friday, July 18, 2025

Registration
$1,275: Three (3) Graduate Credits $980:
Participation Only

Graduate credit registration requirements include mandatory attendance, final project, written assignment or assessment. Participants will be provided with a letter grade and academic transcript upon request.

Participation only registration indicates the participant is not required to submit a final project, written assignment or assessment. No academic transcript provided.