2020 Michigan Music Conference Updates
Carin McEvoy
Te 2020 Michigan Music Conference marks the 15th anniversary of the conference in its current format and lo- cation. Every year the conference gets better, but the MMC executive board and planning committee have pulled out all the stops to make this year stand out amongst them all. From the plethora of world-class headliners, to the special events and giveaways, this year promises to be memorable. Te Tursday night concert in DeVos Performance Hall will open the conference with ten-time Grammy winner Bobby McFerrin. All registered educators will have the opportunity to claim a FREE ticket to this exciting event! Also on Turs- day, 100 Master Class participants will join Bobby McFerrin on stage as he guides them through his famous CircleSongs technique and prepares for the Tursday evening perfor- mance. Master Class participants will rehearse with Bobby and be a part of his performance later that evening. Master Class participants are limited to the first 100 registrants and will not require an additional ticket to the Tursday evening performance. Tere is an option to be an observer for the master class. An observer would be able to sit in on the master class but not be on stage and participating in the master class and the evening concert. If you select the observer option on the registration form, you will require an additional ticket to the Tursday evening performance. Be sure you identify the need for the concert ticket on your registration.
Friday night the MMC is hosting a more informal concert in a new space down the road. At Monroe 20 Live registered educators can enjoy FREE drinks and food while catching up and enjoying the local sounds of Te Crane Wives. Indi- an Trails will be running a FREE shuttle between the event and the Amway hotel, or for those who want to stretch their legs, it’s just a short walk along the Skyway.
In addition to the exciting con- ference-wide events, the MMEA reps have been working hard to secure some amazing head- liners. Tis year celebrates the 9th General Music Pre-Confer- ence and the MMEA is excited to welcome Denise Gagne to present. Te pre-conference session will be filled with folk dancing, bucket drumming,
hand clap games, and storybook singing. In addition to the pre-conference, Ms. Gagne will also present a couple of sessions Saturday on ukuleles and assessment games. Ms. Gagne has taught instrumental, choral and classroom music from babies and preschool to College levels. She has degrees in music and education, as well as Level 3 certification in both Kodaly and Orff. She has been a workshop presenter in every Canadian province and territory and all 50 states. She presents regularly for Orff and Kodaly workshops, pre- school and kindergarten conferences in Canada, the USA, Asia, and Australia! Her workshops are fun, practical, and activity based! Ms. Gagne has authored or edited many pub- lications including the Musicplay PreK-6 elementary music curriculum and the
www.musicplayonline.com website.
Tis year’s main conference headliner is John Feierabend. His two Friday sessions will walk through early vocal and move- ment development and his two Saturday sessions will focus on the rhythmic and melodic com- ponents of his conversational solfege program. Dr. Feierabend is Professor Emeritus and former Director of Music Education at the University of Hartford’s Te
Hartt School and is a past President of the Organization of American Kodály Educators as well as a NAfME Lowell Mason Fellow. Dr. Feierabend is committed to collecting, preserving and teaching the diverse folk music of our coun- try and using that folk music as a bridge to help children understand and enjoy classical music. Dr. Feierabend’s research has resulted in two music curricula; First Steps in Music, a music and movement program for infants through early elementary aged children and Conversational Solfege, a music literacy method for use in general music classes. For more information go to:
www.feierabendmusic.org.
Along with her husband, Lillie Feierabend will also join the MMC headliner lineup on Saturday with a session on community bridging and a session on folk dancing for families. Ms. Feierabend has been an early childhood and general music educator for over thirty years and was a conductor for the Connecticut Children’s Chorus for seventeen. She has twice been honored with her respective
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