NC Music Educator Conference 2020

practice.
4. Organize these lessons into units – tone, intonation,
rhythm, literacy – that are structured very differently
than the academic units other classes typically use.
5. Arrange these units into a meaningful and helpful
long-range plan that will organize what you want to
teach and when to teach it.
Instead of just giving out more music, teachers will learn to
plan and teach the technique their students need to make them
more skilled musicians. Come learn how to incorporate sequential
technique-building strategies into your orchestra rehearsals and
teach your students the skills they need to perform the great
orchestral music they deserve to play.
Christopher Selby
Dr. Christopher Selby is the author of
Habits of a Successful Orchestra Director,
Music Theory for the Successful String
Musician, and co-author of the Habits
of a Successful String Musician series, a
collection of string method books for
middle and upper level orchestras published
by GIA. He is an active clinician and has
presented sessions at two Midwest Clinics,
five ASTA National Conferences, and numerous state conferences
across America. Selby regularly guest conducts regional and All-
State Orchestras, and currently directs the high school orchestras
at the School of the Arts in Charleston.
Under his direction, the School of the Arts orchestras
performed at the 2019 Midwest Clinic, and they won the 2016
ASTA National Orchestra Festival’s top award of Grand Champion
in the competitive public school division. He earned a music
education degree from the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut,
and a Master’s and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees in orchestral
conducting from the University of South Carolina.
He began teaching orchestra in 1992, and from 2001 – 2012,
where he was the orchestra coordinator in Richland School
District Two, where he taught high school and supervised the
district’s orchestra curriculum and instruction. He was the
president of the South Carolina Music Educators Association from
2011 – 2013, and he served two separate terms as the president of
the state’s Orchestra Division.
String Pedagogy for Orchestra from
Multiple Perspectives
The UNC Charlotte string faculty will partner with our new
director of orchestras and music education colleagues to present a
session on string pedagogy specific to the orchestra classroom. We
will use a demonstration ensemble composed of our own college
students and we will also invite any interested string teachers to
play along within the ensemble for an extra immersive learning
experience! We will give specific tips for improving the following
skills in an orchestral setting from the perspectives of the string
pedagogue, the conductor, and the music education specialist:
intonation, tone production, improving group pulse and a sense
of ensemble, left hand technique, and varied bow strokes (such
as which one to use, how students can better match their strokes,
where in the bow to play each stroke, and how to teach them). Our
team will offer tips for teaching these skills, as well as suggestions
for conducting gestures that will lead students to the desired
musical goal. We will use music of varied styles and levels in our
presentation in order to be inclusive of all students.
We will end with a Q&A session.
Mira Frisch
Mira Frisch is professor of cello and the
director of string chamber music at UNC
Charlotte. Her cello students have performed
as soloists with the Charlotte Symphony,
the Salisbury Symphony, the University of
Tennessee Symphony, and the Greensboro
Symphony Youth Orchestra, most often
after winning first place in a competition.
They have also served as principal cellists
with both the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra and the
Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, and they have performed
professionally in the cello sections of several orchestras including
the Charlotte Symphony and the Salisbury Symphony.
Graduates of her collegiate studio are attending graduate
school, performing cello, teaching music, or enjoying cello
while pursuing careers outside of music. Frisch has performed
throughout the United States and in the Netherlands, Bermuda,
Italy, and France. In the Carolinas, she has performed as guest
principal cellist with the Charleston Symphony, as a section cellist
with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and with the Madison
Park String Quartet. Her chamber music recordings as a member
of Duo XXI, released on the Albany Records label, were called
“beautifully played” by American Record Guide and her ensemble’s
“precise ensemble playing” was noted by Fanfare Magazine. Frisch
can also be heard on additional recordings produced by Albany
Records and Cantus Recordings. She has presented at national
conferences of the American String Teachers Association, College
Music Society, Music Teachers National Association, and the
Society of Composers.
Teaching Strings Online
This session will focus on strategies teachers can use to
increase student engagement online. We will present solutions
and alternatives to some of the common problems inherent
in virtual music instruction such as: teaching technique,
performing simultaneously, and offering opportunities for
students to collaborate. Bring your instrument and get ready to
engage in music making online.
Dr. Rebecca MacLeod
Dr. Rebecca MacLeod is professor of
music education at UNC Greensboro,
where she directs the string education
program and conducts the UNC
Greensboro Sinfonia. She is the author
of Teaching Strings in Today’s Classroom
and is published in Journal of Research in
Music Education, International Journal of
Music Education, Bulletin for the Council
of Research in Music Education, Update: Applications of Research
in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, String
Research Journal, Psychology of Music, The Strad, American String
“At UNCSA, my professors believe in
me and push me harder than anyone
before. They let me prove to myself
that I can be the artist I want to be.”
— Brianna Cantwell, ’23
Dance
Design & Production
Drama
Filmmaking
Music
Powering
Creativity
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