Sing! Dance! Play! 2026

Stacy Werner is a music specialist with over 15 years of experience teaching choir, instrumental ensembles, piano and classroom music. Stacy currently teaches kindergarten to Grade 6 music in Alberta, Canada. Stacy is a valued contributor to Musicplay Online and a frequent guest on Wednesday Webinars. She is also the author of the “Super Simple Music Centers” series published by Themes and Variations. Collaborating closely with her mentor and mother, Denise Gagne, Stacy is dedicated to continuous growth as an educator and creating a vibrant musical learning environment for her students. Stacy has completed training in Orff and Kodaly pedagogy at the University of Kentucky and University of Alberta. Her commitment to excellence is evident in the student performances she orchestrates, showcasing her dedication to nurturing musical talent within her classroom. Outside of teaching, Stacy enjoys supporting her children’s passions – she can often be found at the rink cheering on her son’s hockey games and admiring her daughter’s figure skating performances. Additionally, Stacy embraces the outdoors, indulging in skiing and hiking adventures in her leisure time.

John Jacobson is the author and composer of many musicals and choral works that have been performed by millions of children worldwide, as well as educational videos and tapes that have helped music educators excel in their individual teaching arenas. ENSEMBLES: John has staged hundreds of huge music festival ensembles in his association with Walt Disney Productions and directed productions featuring thousands of young singers including NBC’s national broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, presidential inaugurations and more. MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER: He is also recognized internationally as a creative and motivating speaker for teachers and students involved in choral music education.

Katie Grace Miller is an elementary school music teacher in Orange County in Orlando, Florida. She began teaching in 2005 and currently teaches at Lake George Elementary School. She received her bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of South Florida and received her masters degree in Teacher Leadership with a focus on curriculum development from the University of Central Florida. She has her Orff Level 3 certification. She teaches before and after-school musical groups named "Lake George Jammers” for 3rd – 5th graders and directs a school musical each year. She was named Teacher of the Year in 2008 and 2020. She was named an Alumni of Note from her alma mater University of South Florida in 2022. She has presented clinics to music teachers in many states and has conducted various all county choirs and Orff groups in the state of Florida. She published the book “Get to the Point” with her aunt, Artie Almeida and has 5 published teacher resources of her own. Katie enjoys singing and spending time with her husband Jesse, her 2 children, Jackson and Emily and basset hounds, Calvin and Hobbes.

Dr. Susan Brumfield is Professor of Music Education at Texas Tech University, Artistic Director of The West Texas Children’s Chorus and Academic Director of The West Texas Kodály Initiative. She holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Brumfield is known for her work as a teacher, author, composer and conductor and is in frequent demand as a commissioned composer, clinician and guest conductor. An internationally recognized expert in the Kodály approach, Dr. Brumfield is the author of First, We Sing! Kodály-Inspired Teaching in the Music Classroom, a series of textbooks and song anthologies published by Hal Leonard. Dr. Brumfield’s publications also include Kentucky Mother Goose, co-authored with American folk legend Jean Ritchie. Her contributions to research and creative activity have been recognized with multiple honors, including the Texas Tech University College of Visual and Performing Arts Award for Outstanding Research, the Barnie E. Rushing Jr. Award for Research, two nominations for the TTU President’s Book Award and the TTU President’s Excellence in Commercialization Award.

Tyler Swick is a music educator in Las Vegas, NV where he teaches steel band, music technology, and modern ensembles. Swick has taught elementary music for 11 years and manages the YouTube channel “Swick’s Classroom,” which provides free content to hundreds of thousands of viewers a year. He is a member of the inaugural Yamaha 40 Under 40 Music Educator class, a recipient of the Heart of Education Award, and the 2024 Nevada PTA Teacher of the Year. Swick has presented on the topic of color-coded music at NAMM, NAfME, IMES, Ti:ME, NSSBE, and state-level conferences.

James Allen is a K-5 Level 3 Orff-Certified Music Specialist with extensive experience in music education and performance. He was a featured presenter at the 2021 AOSA National Conference and returned as a presenter at the 2024 conference. In addition, he served as the elementary headliner at the 2023 NYSSMA Conference in Albany, where he led three workshops. Currently, James provides professional development workshops for Orff chapters, school districts, universities, and state conferences. He has created a frame drum unit and presented a webinar for Musicplay.com, and has authored an article on frame drums for the online Orff publication Reverberations as well as an article on jazz in the classroom for the online publication, “Teaching With Orff.” In 2024, James taught an Elementary Methods course at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. James is also an active performer, regularly appearing as a percussionist in musical theater, jazz, bluegrass, and orchestral settings. He holds a BFA from SUNY Purchase, an MM in Performance from Yale University, and a teaching certificate from Central Connecticut State University.

I am a specialist music teacher, teaching music to children aged 3-11 in schools for 40 years. I have been a Musicianship Practitioner & Senior Advisory Teacher for The Voices Foundation since 1996 supporting teachers in the classroom using Kodaly influenced methodology. I also led two primary musicianship choirs for the Voices Foundation 4-7yrs and 7-11yrs. I was the Specialist Music Lead for Ebor Academy Trust, working with 23 schools, teaching classroom music in several of these schools, leading network meetings, supporting music teachers in the classroom, organising & delivering workshops on primary music conferences. I led adults and children’s choirs and youth choirs in York, ran a Pre-School Music group for age 2-4 years. Further afield I have led training workshops in primary music and singing across the North East of England, Yorkshire and Humberside. I have lectured in primary music in Hull University, York St John University and with post graduates on Schools Direct PGCE courses I run York Kodaly Choir and York Flute Ensembles as well as offering singing and instrument tuition in York.

Serge Gingras is a language specialist who completed a Master’s degree in French Literature at the University of Calgary and another one in Spanish Language and Culture at the University of California. He taught French and Spanish at Red Deer College for 30 years and retired in 2015. Since then, he worked as regional director for the French-Canadian Association of Alberta before joining the team at Themes & Variations in 2019 where he works as writer, editor, and translator, building resources in French for MusicplayOnline. An advocate for life-long learning, he enjoys taking Music courses at the University of Alberta. He also sings with the Chorale Saint-Jean in Edmonton. Avid swimmer, he has coached and competed in Masters swimming for many years.