What happens when 35 passionate educators and leaders from across North America spend a week learning, teaching, reflecting, and growing together?

The answer is simple: something truly transformational.

This June, the Teaching Artists Training Institute welcomed 24 Teaching Artists in Cohort V and 11 members of our inaugural Leaders Fellowship to Miami for our 5th Annual Learning Retreat—a milestone year that celebrated not only five years of bringing our community together, but also the launch of an exciting new leadership initiative.

Throughout the week, participants immersed themselves in workshops, classroom experiences, collaborative discussions, design challenges, and moments of reflection. Whether observing exceptional teaching, revising lessons in real time, coaching fellow educators, or sharing ideas over meals and evening gatherings, every experience reinforced the Retreat’s central belief: we grow stronger together.

A Transformative Experience for Teaching Artists

For our Teaching Artist Cohort, the Learning Retreat represented the culmination of nine months of learning together. Throughout the week, participants engaged in thought-provoking workshops with Dr. Lorrie Heagy, Alysia Lee, and Dr. Rebecca MacLeod, explored new approaches to teaching and learning, observed exceptional instruction at Miami Music Project’s summer camp, taught and re-taught lessons to unfamiliar students, participated in structured peer feedback through Critical Response Process, and built meaningful relationships with fellow Teaching Artists from across North America. This intentional blend of learning, practice, reflection, and community continues to be one of the defining experiences of TATI, equipping participants with new strategies, renewed confidence, and a lasting network of peers. 

The results speak for themselves. 100% of Cohort participants said the observation–teaching–feedback cycle helped them grow as Teaching Artists.

More importantly, participants left believing in themselves.

“My biggest takeaway is that I’m actually a really good teacher. I have been able to level up my skillset 10x through the TATI trainings and lectures.”

Another reflected on the power of finding community:

“There is a whole community of Teaching Artists who share very similar values, struggles, and teaching philosophies out there… it brings me an immense amount of joy and a sense of security.”

For many, the Retreat wasn’t simply about becoming a stronger educator: it was about realizing they belonged to something much larger.

Launching the Inaugural Leaders Fellowship

This year’s Retreat also marked the exciting pilot of the TATI Leaders Fellowship, bringing together instructional leaders from music education organizations across North America for a week dedicated to coaching, supervision, organizational leadership, and systems-building.

While Teaching Artists refined their instructional practice, Leaders Fellows observed Miami Music Project classrooms through the lens of coaching, practiced giving feedback to Teaching Artists using Critical Response Process, collaborated on real organizational challenges through Design Challenges, and explored leadership alongside faculty Alysia Lee, Dr. Rebecca MacLeod, Lauren Shelton.

The Fellowship received a 5.0 overall program rating, with 100% of Fellows reporting greater confidence in their leadership practice, 100% developing meaningful professional relationships with fellow leaders, 100% finding Critical Response Process valuable for their own growth, and 100% saying the field experience helped them connect the Retreat’s learning back to their organizations.

One Fellow shared:

“Program Director positions do not have to be lonely. There is willing support across the nation to talk through difficult situations to establish and grow great programs.”

Another wrote:

“I feel like now I am a leader and can lead my team… I feel incredibly more confident.”

Together, these leaders demonstrated the power of investing not only in Teaching Artists, but also in the people who coach, support, and shape them every day.

Learning in Partnership with Miami Music Project

The heart of the Retreat continues to be our work with Miami Music Project, whose students, Teaching Artists, and staff welcomed participants into their summer camp with extraordinary generosity.

By opening their classrooms and inviting participants into authentic teaching, observation, and coaching experiences, Miami Music Project transformed theory into practice.

One Cohort participant reflected:

“There are organizations fostering the growth of the next generation of musicians, and that it’s possible, it’s alive and it’s thriving. It’s difficult to truly convey how inspiring it was to see the Miami Music Project in action.”

These authentic field experiences continue to be one of the most impactful aspects of the Learning Retreat, giving participants opportunities to immediately apply what they’ve learned in real classrooms with real students.

More Than Professional Development

Some of the most meaningful moments happened outside the workshop rooms.

Whether sharing meals, relaxing at the beach, cheering together during a World Cup watch party, or continuing conversations long after sessions ended, participants built relationships that will continue to shape their work for years to come.

As one participant shared,

“Music making matters, regardless of where or who you are—it matters when we make it together.”

And another reminded us of the larger purpose behind the Retreat:

“[TATI is] facilitating what’s most important for our organizations to survive: collaboration… you are the forerunners in sustaining our missions.”

Thank You to Our Faculty, Partners & Sponsors

This incredible week would not have been possible without the dedication and generosity of so many individuals and organizations.

Thank you to our outstanding faculty and facilitators, Alysia Lee, Dr. Rebecca MacLeod, Lauren Shelton, and Dr. Lorrie Heagy, whose expertise, care, and thoughtful facilitation challenged participants to grow while creating spaces where everyone felt supported.

We are deeply grateful to the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, New World Symphony, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, ALDI, Publix, Sweet Liberty Drinks & Supply Company, The Daily Creative, and Trader Joe’s for investing in this work and making the Retreat possible.

And to our managing organization, Miami Music Project, thank you for once again opening your classrooms, welcoming our participants into your community, and demonstrating what courageous, student-centered teaching and leadership look like in action.

Looking Ahead

Five years into this journey, we continue to be inspired by what happens when educators and leaders are given the time, space, and community to learn from one another.

With countless stories of renewed confidence, lasting friendships, and transformative learning, we’re reminded that the true impact of the Learning Retreat extends far beyond one week in Miami.

We can’t wait to see how this year’s Teaching Artists and Leaders carry these experiences back to their classrooms, organizations, and communities, and we’re already looking forward to welcoming the next generation of participants in 2027.