2026 Maine Music Educators Association Conference

Let's start from the beginning! Learn how to modify movement, make connections to your current curriculum, and get comfortable teaching folk dance in general. We will adapt two basic dances and learn how to progress them for any age.

Ready to bring Modern Band energy into your classroom? This interactive K–8 session gets students rocking, moving, and making music in fun, student-driven ways. Participants will explore engaging music centers, singing games with groove, and creative strategies that connect movement, rhythm, and ensemble skills. Walk away with ready-to-use ideas, song resources, and a digital Rock the Decades WebQuest for grades 6–8 that blends history, performance, and collaboration. Whether you’re new to Modern Band or looking to expand your toolkit, this session will help you make music learning accessible, exciting, and empowering for every student!

Improvisation is an important facet of a comprehensive general music education. This session will engage participants in music making through a variety of activities utilized to teach music for and with improvisation in general music classrooms. In addition to generating improvised music, we will discuss the values and benefits of providing students with learning opportunities through improvisation, different applications of improvisation activities, challenges to teaching improvisation and overcoming those challenges, and some of the myths about learning to improvise. Join this session to make music and reflect on the inclusion of improvisation in general music curricula.

Based on compilations such as Dance Music for Children by the Shenanigans, Rhythmically Moving by Phyllis Weikert/Gemini and the New England Dancing Masters, participants will revisit some "tried and true" folk dances they may not have taught in a while. In addition, the clinicians will sprinkle in some new ideas that students will enjoy. Come prepared to dance!

Rainy days. Special schedules. The last days of school. All these seem to give students extra energy. Instead of dreading these times, what if we used them to our advantage? Strategically planning movement activities or pulling out a colorful manipulative could be the trick to tapping into students’ excitement and continuing to reinforce curriculum.

This session will explore different tried-and-true movement activities. It will also discuss ways to use puppets, scarves, and more to hold students' attention and dig deeper into their musicianship. You’ll gain a toolbox of easy-to-use activities for your classroom!