Welcome to Artie & Denise 2020: An Online Odyssey!

We’ve got 30 fantastic sessions lined up for you and it all starts on July 21st, 2020 at 9:30 am EST (my timezone)!

In preparation for this awesome conference please do the following:

• Complete the Orientation portion of the conference on July 20th, 2020.
  The day before the conference, we encourage you to go through the Day 0: Orientation portion. You’ll learn how to navigate, ask questions, participate, earn professional development hours, and more!
  

Haven’t received your access code? Check your spam/junk folder and if you still can’t find it:

Click here and let us know!

Welcome to Artie & Denise’s Music Education Extravaganza. This year we have 13 excellent sessions with several special guests. We hope you have a great time this year!

Please start by completing the orientation below. ⬇️

Join Artie, Denise, John, and Frank for another phenomenal symposium filled with fantastic ideas for your elementary music classroom.

*All in-person tickets include access to the virtual symposium. All participants get access to the recorded sessions until August 1st, 2024.

What

• 16 hours of PD instruction
• Access to the recorded symposium until August 1st, 2024
• Printable handouts
• Certificate of participation for professional development purposes
• Chat transcripts from every session
• An eclectic mix of topics
• A 25% discount code to the Musicplay store (this code will be provided upon registration)

Cancellation Policy

The workshop fee is non-refundable.

Who

• Artie Almeida
• Denise Gagne
• John Jacobson
• Frank Coates

When

July 21st – 22nd, 2023

Where

Online

What

• 16 hours of PD instruction
• Access to the recorded symposium until August 1st, 2024
• Printable handouts
• Certificate of participation for professional development purposes
• Chat transcripts from every session
• An eclectic mix of topics
• A 25% discount code to the Musicplay store (this code will be provided upon registration)

Cancellation Policy

The workshop fee is non-refundable.

Looking for another way to purchase?

Session Descriptions

PERCUSSION DISCUSSION – Artie Almeida, Ed. D.

Kids love percussion instruments, and you’ll love these lessons that utilize non-pitched percussion, hand drums and floor drums, as well as non-traditional percussion instruments like Pop Toobs and Firestix. Our focus will be on the building blocks of music, including beat, rhythm, form and phrasing.

SING! SING! SING! – Artie Almeida, Ed. D.

Join your colleagues in lessons that will have your students singing joyfully, while addressing audiation, melody direction, intervals, steady beat and phrases. These fun and challenging opportunities include both primary and intermediate level lessons to encourage musical growth in unique ways.

THE POWER OF A PROP! – Artie Almeida, Ed. D.

Prop ‘til you drop with these listening lessons your students will love. Child-appealing pieces by Tchaikovsky, Rossini, Kodaly, Sousa and others will be brought to life via movement, props, manipulatives and more. These activities have all been thoroughly field-tested and are favorites of my students. Scarves, bean bags, plates and stick horses are some of the lesson activators we’ll use.

FUN WITH FUNDAMENTALS – Artie Almeida, Ed. D.

Music theory for your little folks is easy with lessons of this nature! We’ll explore the basic music elements with Spuddy Buddy, The Friendship Hammer, pointing pages, poetry, and body percussion. Your students are sure to enjoy, and grow musically, with these unique, foundation lessons. 

Love to Listen – Listen to Learn – Denise Gagne

Listening and responding to music is important for the emotional well being of our students.  In this session, you’ll explore engaging and fun listening activities for all age, from your littles to Middle school.  We’ll move and create movement with scarves, ribbons, cups, plates and more.  We’ll explore form and cultural context.  And we’ll share unit ideas for Jazz History,  Carnival of the Animals, Peter and the Wolf and composers. This session is fun – and will give you many lessons to use in your classes!

Plan for Assessment – Denise Gagne

Assessment in music starts with the end in mind.  What do you want Grade 1 students to know at the end of the year?  Denise will share realistic outcomes based on standards (beat, rhythm, pitch, timbre, tempo, dynamics, form)  and quick, practical ideas and rubrics for assessment of skills, concepts, creating and ensemble playing in the elementary music classroom.  You will sing, move, play, create, and respond to music in the session – and learn some ways to easily assess what you’ve done.

Engage to Energize – Denise Gagne

Engagement is the key to learning and post-Covid kids are harder to engage than ever before. Denise will share activities that will help you get to know your students better, set the tone, improve feedback, create smooth transitions, make learning relevant, encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning, and give all students a voice. You will take away strategies and ideas that will help you to more fully engage your students in the classroom or in rehearsals.

Rhythm Instrument Fun – Denise Gagne

Rhythm instruments are fun to make and fun to play. Use instruments to create sound effects, percussion pieces, explore concepts and help develop listening skills.  Play along with classical and pop music, improvise and create your own compositions.  This session will give you many ideas for using non-pitched percussion with your PreK – Grade 6 students.

It’s a Music World – Travel the World Through Music – John Jacobson

Explore the music, movement, and customs of countries around the world. Join John Jacobson for a “feets-on” workshop that will teach you how to travel the world with your students without ever leaving the classroom. Come learn songs, games, and dances from around the country and around the world. Folk dance, line dances, classroom games, and more. It is a musical world and the musical traditions of that world are a wonderful resource and outlet for any classroom and any age of the student. 

Songs In the Key of Me – SEL and Inspirational Songs – John Jacobson

John Jacobson will introduce songs and activities that celebrate the beauty of the individual, build character and community, teach skills to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible, caring decisions. 

Showtime – Musicals and More – John Jacobson

Join John as he presents new arrangements specifically written for elementary singers of classic jazz standards and learn fun and useful moments to give them new life. Swing, Big Band, Bossa Nova, Blues, Dixieland and all that Jazz! Also tunes from American standards composers like Gershwin, Berlin, Joplin and more. 

Frank Coates

Rhythm is part of our daily lives, whether it’s the sound of footsteps or a turn signal in our car. Frank Coates is dedicated to finding ways to create music using ordinary objects that we use daily and sharing these activities with his students and peers. During his early teaching years, Frank created lessons to introduce students to various percussion instruments from around the world. However, bucket drumming is his most popular lesson with young and older students because it is easily approachable for everyone. Bucket drumming may look intimidating, but Frank has created curriculum teachers of all skill levels can execute with their students.

Tentative Schedule

Day 1

Day 2

~ To do right now ~

Our team is hard at work planning a fantastic symposium for you! While we continue to iron out the details, here are a few things you can do to prepare to have the best time!

• Select your T-shirt size, lunch options, and register for the riverboat cruise!
  • *T-shirt sizes cannot be guaranteed for forms submitted on or after June 15, 2025, due to ordering and printing timeframe.
  • This form must be filled upon registration.
• Join the Facebook Group

Hotels

We have secured a special conference rate at Hampton Inn & Suites St. Charles Old Town Area for attendees. Book your stay with our special conference rate here!

Hotel Address:
Hampton Inn & Suites St. Charles Old Town Area
1410 South 5th Street, St. Charles, MO 63301

Riverboat Cruise (Optional, $75/person) – July 14, 2025

Lunch (Optional, $15/day)

Box lunches will be available for pre-order. Options to be determined.
Submit your lunch order by July 7, 2025!

Coffee, water, and snacks will be available throughout the day during our symposium.

What is included with my registration?

• A 25% discount code at the Musicplay Store
  • (You will receive this discount code in your email closer to the conference date)
• Name tag and lanyard
• Printed handout
• Symposium T-shirt
  • *T-shirt sizes cannot be guaranteed for forms submitted on or after June 15, 2025, due to ordering and printing timeframe*
• Swag!

Location

• Location: St. Peter’s Parish, 221 1st Capitol Drive, St. Charles, MO, 66301
• Dates: July 14th – 16th, 2025
• Times: 8:30am – 6:00pm

~ To do right now ~

Our team is hard at work planning a fantastic symposium for you! While we continue to iron out the details, here are a few things you can do to prepare to have the best time!

• Use your 25% discount code at the Musicplay Store (you will receive this discount code in your email at a later date)
• Join the Facebook Group

Location

• Location: Zoom – Wherever you are!
• Dates: July 14th – 16th, 2025
• Times:
  • Monday, July 14, 2025: 2:00pm – 6:00pm
  • Tuesday, July 15, 2025: 9:00am – 6:00pm
  • Wednesday, July 16, 2025: 9:00pm – 6:00pm