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Regional practicumS

OVERVIEW

Bringing Teaching Artists Together to learn, connect, and grow

TATI Regional Practicums are multi-day professional learning experiences that bring together Teaching Artists and community music organizations from across a region for hands-on learning, classroom observation, collaboration, and meaningful connection.

Each Practicum is hosted in partnership with a community music organization and welcomes both the Host Organization’s Teaching Artists and educators from neighboring programs.

Currently accepting Host Organization applications for the 2026–2027 school year.

what is a regional practicum?

Professional learning designed by Teachers, for teachers

Unlike a traditional conference, Regional Practicums emphasize active learning and immediate application. Participants don’t simply attend presentations. They observe classrooms, teach lessons, receive feedback, collaborate with peers, and leave with practical strategies they can implement immediately.

Typical Practicum experiences include:

  • Interactive workshops
  • Classroom observations
  • Collaborative lesson planning
  • Peer feedback
  • Small group reflection
  • Regional networking
  • Host organization site visits

WHY REGIONAL PRACTICUMS?

FOR TEACHING ARTISTS

Teaching Artists who participate in a Regional Practicum will:

  • Learn alongside peers from neighboring organizations who understand the unique joys and challenges of community music education.
  • Observe experienced educators in action and explore real classrooms, teaching approaches, and instructional strategies.
  • Receive meaningful feedback and reflection to strengthen teaching practice and build confidence in the classroom.
  • Leave with practical tools and resources that can be implemented immediately with students and ensembles.
  • Build lasting professional relationships that foster collaboration, mentorship, and a stronger regional Teaching Artist community.

FOR Organizations

Organizations that send Teaching Artists to a Regional Practicum benefit from:

  • Affordable, high-quality professional development without the cost of designing and facilitating training internally
  • New instructional strategies that Teaching Artists can immediately implement and share with colleagues
  • Greater consistency across teaching practice through exposure to research-based frameworks and shared language
  • Expanded professional networks that connect staff with Teaching Artists from neighboring organizations
  • Increased staff confidence, reflection, and retention by investing in meaningful professional growth
  • A stronger culture of continuous learning as participants bring back resources, ideas, and conversations to their own teams

SCHOLARSHIPS

TATI’s Professional Pathways Scholarship supports active music Teaching Artists who need financial assistance to attend Regional Practicums during the 2025-2026 school year, ensuring equitable access to professional development opportunities.

Recipients will receive:

1) Waived Registration Fee (reimbursed upon approval)

2) Lodging: Up to 2 nights at the convening hotel

3) Travel Stipend: Up to $150 for transportation costs


Eligibility:

To be eligible for a scholarship, you must:

1) Be 18 years or older as of October 1, 2025.

2) Be employed as a music Teaching Artist with a community music organization located in the US, US Territories, or Canada.

3) Not live within the immediate location of the Practicum (at least 1.5 hours away).

4) Not already be receiving financial support from your primary organization to attend the Practicum.


The scholarship application is included in the registration form (linked above).

PAST FEATURED SESSIONS

-> Classroom Management and Student Engagement

Effective classroom management strategies are rooted in the concept of Culturally Responsive Care, which emphasizes holding students to high expectations while also caring deeply about them as individuals. This workshop will delve into the delicate balance between maintaining high expectations and providing high care for students, underscoring the critical role of meticulous planning in fostering an engaging classroom environment. Participants will explore how to create a supportive atmosphere that encourages all students to excel, highlighting the importance of building healthy relationships as the foundation for effective management. By integrating these principles, teaching artists will be equipped to navigate the complexities of classroom dynamics and ensure that each student feels valued and motivated.

-> Lesson Plan Design for Varied Learning Styles

This workshop will focus on designing lesson plans that intentionally support different learning styles and build musical skills over time. Participants will learn how to create learning goals that are specific and work to define success for student learning. An emphasis will be placed on planning that supports all students in the classroom and will explore pacing, scope and sequence, and scaffolded learning. Planning skills within the context of community-based programming will be shared that give teaching artists a sense of ownership and a deeper purpose in the classroom, by focusing on both concert-readiness and musical skill building.

-> Team-Teaching in the Music Classroom

This workshop is designed to equip teaching artists with the skills and strategies needed for effective team teaching or co-teaching, addressing the diverse abilities of students within a single classroom. Participants will learn to collaborate efficiently by defining roles, responsibilities, routines, and support processes. Key focal areas include co-planning, setting shared learning goals, leveraging each teaching artist’s strengths, and modeling collaborative communication. The workshop will emphasize how to ensure individual student support enhances whole-class engagement and explore strategies for unifying teaching styles and classroom management techniques. Participants will also learn to navigate differences in opinion or philosophy to create a cohesive and supportive learning environment.

-> Trauma-Informed Classrooms

This teacher training workshop is designed to equip educators with embedded teaching strategies to create psychologically safe environments that support students with mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral (MEDB) challenges, as highlighted by the 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of trauma and its impact on children’s learning, focusing on creating safe spaces within the music classroom. The workshop will delve into the connections between brain states, emotional and trauma responses, and strategies to activate students’ executive functioning. Educators will learn to recognize various types of dysregulation and implement practical, trauma-informed strategies that promote self-regulation. Emphasis will be placed on culturally aware, student-centered approaches, clarifying the boundaries between teaching artists’ roles and those of professional therapeutic practitioners.