Tennessee Musician - Vol. 67 No. 2

TMEA STATE GENERAL MUSIC CHAIR
• David Potter – Orffervations: Orff
Techniques for a Level 5 Observations
Charlene Cook
• Michael Beyl – Children’s Literature in
the Music Classroom
I
’M SO EXCITED, and no, I can’t
hide it (someone should use that in
a song . . .). Over the last few weeks
I’ve had the pleasure of choosing
sessions for the General Music
strand of our TMEA Professional
Development Conference coming
up April 9 – 11th. I have also been contacting
ALL of the presenters informing
them they have been selected to present
and I can tell you they are all pleased and
excited to have the opportunity to share
their thoughts with us. I would like to encourage
you to join us in Memphis to gain
professional knowledge and network with
colleagues from across the state.
When choosing sessions for General
Music, I quickly realized this is a
wide-ranging area. What is great for those
of us teaching Pre-K and Kindergarten
students won’t be as exciting for those
teaching secondary students, therefore I
had to ask conference chair Brad Turner
for “extra” sessions. He graciously said yes
(Thanks Brad). I hope the sessions I have
chosen will be appropriate for your needs.
Thursday will begin with the performance
of the Tennessee Treble Honor
Choir under the direction of Dr. Rollo
Dillworth during the conference opening
session. Dr. Dillworth will present a session
focusing on choral warm-ups later
in the day. I want to take this opportunity
to thank Tiffany DePriest for all the work
she has done to arrange and organize the
choir. The hours have been endless. I also
want to thank all those who listened to the
auditions in November. The General Music
caucus will be held during the pre-concert
rehearsal time – please join us bright
and early. I would like to propose some
ideas for summer professional development
and would like suggestions and feedback.
Look forward to these sessions on
Thursday and Friday:
• Loneka Battiste – Feel Like Funkin’ It
Up: Classroom Applications of the African
American Music Aesthetic
• Sarah Burns – Stay Calm and Teach
General Music and Rhythmic
Harmony: Extreme Body Percussion
for Older Students
• Catherine Wilson and Angela Tipps –
Teaching About Diversity Through
Music Appreciation and Creating
Your Own Resources for Student
Engagement and Empowerment
• Emelyne Bingham – Why C is Red:
Teaching Music to Students on the
Autism Spectrum
• Quaver Music will present two
sessions using their technology
centered programs
• TI:ME (Technology In Music
Education) will also present
technology focused sessions
I look forward to seeing you in Memphis.
I want to “pick your brains” concerning
future plans for your professional
development needs and wants.
-Charlene Cook
32 | TENNESSEE MUSICIAN | 2015 | VOLUME 67, NO. 2