The Department of Music and the UARK Collegiate Chapter of the National Association for Music Education are excited to host the sixth Northwest Arkansas Teach Music Conference on March 10-11 in the Lewis E. Epley Band Building. This event will bring area music educators, music education students and prospective students together to learn, share and reflect on music education today.

Daniel Abrahams, assistant professor of music education and organizer of the conference, said he was excited to have guests discussing the value and importance of music education. "The conference is intended to provide quality professional development that is musical and help foster inclusive music classrooms throughout Northwest Arkansas," Abrahams said.

The activities will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, March 10, with a workshop focusing on instrument repair for the music educator with service technicians Corey Devine and Emma Roberts of Palen Music Center. Elementary music teacher Ryland DiPilla will join by Zoom at 7:15 p.m., sharing his story navigating uncharted waters as the first known openly transgender teacher in New Jersey. It's a powerful story that shouldn't be missed.

Saturday begins with a Zoom workshop at 8:30 a.m. called "All Kinds of Kind" by Alice Hammel, visiting professor of music. 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 Individual 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.

General sessions are planned after the morning workshop. Bonnie King of the College of Education and Health Professions will present "Trauma-Informed Teaching" beginning at 12:15 p.m. as well as Lauren Clare (U of A Music) and Olga Trevino (Bentonville Schools) presenting "Social Justice Through Indigenous Music in the Classroom" during the 1:30 p.m. hour. Jeffery Summers (U of A Music) and Marques L.A. Garrett (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) will present "Social Justice Through Ensemble Literature" during the 2:30 p.m. hour.

"This conference will showcase the high quality of music teaching happening at the University of Arkansas and provide an opportunity for participants to learn and share their experiences with other music teachers, students and supporters of music education," Abrahams said.

Participants in the conference are eligible to receive up to 7.5 professional development hours from the Arkansas Department of Education. All sessions are free and open to interested attendees, but registration is required.

Visit cms.uark.edu/teachmusic for more information and details on registration.