2026 VMEA Professional Development Conference

Thursday, November 19, 2026

From Interview to Offer: Strategies for Landing Your First Music Teaching Job

Annamarie Bollino

2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

GRCC-E23

Stepping into your first music education interview can feel overwhelming, but the right preparation can change everything. This session provides a practical, start-to-finish roadmap for navigating the entire hiring process with confidence.from application to interview to follow-up. You'll learn how to move beyond the resume to tell your story in a way that actually resonates with hiring teams. We'll break down how to craft strong application materials, articulate your teaching philosophy, prepare portfolios and demo lessons, and confidently respond to real interview questions. You'll also get an insider look at what administrators are really listening for?communication, professionalism, program vision, and how well you align with the needs of their school. This session goes beyond "tips and tricks". You'll learn how to connect your experiences to real classroom expectations, position yourself as a collaborative, solution-oriented educator, and clearly communicate your value to any school or principal. With a focus on confidence, mindset, and the small moves that make a big impact, you?ll leave ready to walk into your interview not just prepared, but ready to stand out.

Friday, November 20, 2026

Beyond the Podium: Strengthen Protect and Advocate for Your Music Program

Annamarie Bollino

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM

GRCC-E21

Also presented by Chris Moseley and Shawn Knight. Music educators are asked to be instructional leaders, program managers, safety officers, and community advocates?often without formal training in these areas. This session provides a practical, curated roadmap for leveraging National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Learning Center resources to strengthen music programs across key domains, including student safety, program management, legal compliance, leadership development, advocacy, and career-connected learning. Participants will explore high-impact, often underutilized courses, such as music adjudication, copyright compliance, student leadership, emergency planning, and career awareness, and learn how to strategically integrate these tools into classroom instruction, student leadership structures, and overall program infrastructure. Emphasis will be placed on using NFHS credentials and coursework not only to enhance instructional practice and ensure compliance, but also as powerful advocacy tools that demonstrate program rigor, alignment to national standards, and the role of music education in preparing students for college, careers, and life. Attendees will leave with clearly defined, actionable strategies and a practical implementation plan for embedding NFHS resources into PLCs, onboarding practices, and program systems?resulting in stronger student outcomes, increased program sustainability, and a more professionalized and future-focused music education environment.

Off the Podium: Guided Sectionals and the Path to Student Autonomy

Annie Ray

12:00 PM – 12:45 PM

GRCC-E23

Sight reading should develop independent musicians, not simply prepare students for assessment. This interactive session combines professional audition strategies with practical classroom routines that directors can implement immediately. Participants collaborate through a live Padlet to exchange ideas and resources. Attendees leave with a year-long pacing guide, curated materials, and strategies ready for use in their next rehearsal.

Supercharge Your Rehearsals: Using Companion Guides

Tiffany Hitz; Tyler S. Grant

3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

GRCC-E24

This presentation focuses on the importance of intentionally sequencing literature to ensure both individual and ensemble growth. This is accomplished with the use of ?Companion Guides?, teacher-created resources that support student learning by reinforcing fundamental development through key components of the repertoire. The guides facilitate collaborative learning, engagement, and differentiation. They also help students support each other in mastering parts and advancing toward clear performance goals. With regard to ensemble skills, the guides support ensemble precision, improving intonation, uniformity, and the overall band sound by helping students hear and understand how parts fit together. This presentation outlines key considerations for creating a Companion Guide and how to understand the necessary technical and musical components to include.

Saturday, November 21, 2026

From IDEA to the Ensemble: Policy-Informed Rehearsal Design for Band and Orchestra

Adam Chitta; Annie Ray

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM

GRCC-E21

Music educators are often handed IEPs, 504 plans, and accommodation forms with little guidance on how to translate them into meaningful classroom practice. At the same time, many of the strategies that unlock access for students with disabilities already exist within strong ensemble pedagogy; they are just not always named or systematized. This session bridges that gap by connecting special education law to daily rehearsal design in both band and orchestra settings. Using the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as an entry point, participants will explore what these policies actually mean, why they exist, and how they can serve as a starting point for instruction rather than a checklist for compliance. Grounded in real student stories and case studies, including students with learning disabilities, visual impairments, autism spectrum disorder, and physical disabilities, this session demonstrates how to design inclusive environments that maintain rigor while expanding access. Participants will learn how to collaborate effectively with paraprofessionals and one-to-one aides, using shared language and clear structures to support student success. Technology will be explored as a powerful tool for access, including strategies for visual tracking, looping, immediate feedback, and differentiated pacing, while emphasizing that all approaches can be implemented with or without technology. Additional focus will be placed on aligning classroom instruction with assessment expectations, including the use of accommodation forms (UIL, VBODA), and ensuring that students with disabilities fully participate in musical experiences such as sight reading. Participants will leave with a practical framework for policy-informed rehearsal design that centers student autonomy, builds independence, and ensures that every student has access to meaningful music-making.