Fall 2008 Professional Development Workshop
October 13, 2008
York College
Donna Burkholder, host

Monday, October 13, 2008, District 7 PMEA Professional Development Day will be at York College. The featured speaker is Denis DiBlasio, jazz educator from Rowen University in NJ and who just conducted the All - State Festival. He will be bringing his colleague, Dr. Rick Dammer, to share in the general session and two workshops held during the day. Also included will be a general session following lunch with Rich Victor on advocacy and current status of legislation affecting music educators. The day will begin by 8:30 AM (registration at 8 AM) and conclude by 3:30 PM. There will be three time periods available during the day in which various workshops will be offered. Reading sessions and subject specific sessions will be offered into three time periods. We are able to offer 6 hours of Act 48 credit. Registration information and forms will be on the District 7 website this summer, as we finalize presenters and times.

 

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

The Maynard Ferguson ‘Create an Environment that Promotes Risk Taking While Providing the Educational Mulch and Incentive Based Fertilizer for the Growth of an Individual in a Safe Setting with a Bunch of Other People Around’ Technique (DiBlasio)

• This talk will center on Maynard Ferguson’s open and nurturing approach as to how he led his band. Discussion of what came out of his unique paradigm and how it applies to the classroom and ensemble experiences will be told through stories and observations. The environment he created allowed many performers to develop, realize and popularize their talents and potential.
• Road stories will be told that will illustrate the results of his positive outlook. One result will be the session presented later in the day by both DiBlasio and Dammers.
• Creating a safe environment was paramount and enabled the performer to realize not only their full potential, but beyond.
• Q & A throughout.

WORKSHOP TOPICS:

Improvising for Everyone: The Simple Act of Creating In Any Style (DiBlasio & Dammers)

In this session, instructional strategies for developing all music students' improvisational skills will be presented. No improvising experience needed. We will present a rationale for expanding  improvisation beyond the jazz style into all performance classes  We’ll also discuss the difficulties of having students improvise and how computers are providing new ways to overcome these obstacles.

Common Jazz Band and Music Education Infringements: Stress Reduction for Jazz Educators and Band Directors (DiBlasio & Dammers)

Discussions and examples from stories of common mishaps and historic miscalculations! What to watch out for. From set-ups to improvisation to attitude to just about anything else. Topics will include the unbelievable observations from clinics, festivals and private teaching. You have to hear it to believe it! Whew!