The Department of Music and the UARK Collegiate Chapter of the National Association for Music Education are excited to host the 2021 Northwest Arkansas Teach Music Conference on April 16-17. This event will focus on music education approaches that promote inclusive music classrooms for students with special needs.

Daniel Abrahams, assistant professor of music education and organizer of the conference, said, "The conference is intended to provide quality professional development within a supportive learning community between in-service music teachers and our pre-service music education majors."

The conference begins Friday, April 16, with an evening workshop titled "Overcoming Performance Anxiety" with Robin Spielberg. Spielberg is s a celebrity spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association. The evening continues with a ukulele jam coordinated by U of A music education graduate and Tulsa public school teacher Paige Bartlett.

Saturday starts with a workshop on "Teaching Students with Autism in the Music Classroom" with Alice Hammel, visiting professor of music at the U of A. Hammel is a known pedagogue in music education and a respected author and advocate for children with special needs. Hammel is the co-author of two texts: Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs: A Label-free Approach and Winding It Back: Teaching to Individuals Differences in Music Classroom and Ensemble Settings. Her residency also coincides with additional talks in the Department of Music as well as a special topics course in music education.

Afternoon sessions will consist of small breakout groups. Chris Church from Missouri State University will lead a session, "Inclusive Practices in Marching Band"; U of A alumnus Corey Swann will discuss "Inclusive Practices in the Virtual Music Classroom"; and Elise Hackl and Rachel Cornett will discuss issues of "Inclusive Practices in the Choral Classroom." Hackl is an adaptive music and special education teacher in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, and Cornett is the choir director at lakeside Junior High School in Springdale, Arkansas.

The conference will conclude with a presentation by U of A professor Janet Knighten on "Inclusive Rehearsal Techniques for Teaching Student with Special Needs in Large Ensembles." Knighten currently serves as director of the U of A online Graduate Certificate in Music Education for Students with Special Needs.

Participants in the conference are eligible to receive eight professional development hours from the Arkansas Department of Education. All sessions will be virtual through the Zoom platform and offered free to all interested attendees, but registration is required. Visit cms.uark.edu/teachmusic for more information and details on registration.