Core 1: Classroom Management and Student Engagement
Effective classroom management strategies are often based on the notion of Culturally Responsive Care: Holding students to high expectations (their best) and caring about students as individuals (person and performance). This workshop will explore the balance between high expectations and high care for students, and the role of meticulous planning in supporting all students to engage in the classroom.

Core 2: Lesson Plan Design
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 music 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.

Core 3: Culturally Responsive Teaching
Culturally Responsive Teaching centers students’ experiences and funds of knowledge in the classroom, viewing the student and their community as assets in the learning process.  CRT can be infused into all areas of our teaching practice to create classroom environments that incorporate student voice and affirm the lived experiences of all students. Participants will explore how to connect learning experiences to the cultural references and backgrounds of students.

Core 4: Trauma-Informed Classrooms
According to the National Survey of Children’s Health (2021), 23.3% of children in the USA between the ages of 3 – 17 years old have one or more mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral (MEDB) challenges. This workshop will focus on embedded teaching strategies that create psychologically safe environments that support students to focus on learning and connection.