Popular Music Education Conference Workshops 2026

The Popular Music Education Committee will be hosting two special workshops that are FREE for NCMEA conference attendees. This registration form is to help the Popular Music Education Committee (PMEC) collect a headcount of attendees and data on which districts/programs have teachers interested in popular music education related events.

 

Modern Band 101
November 7
9am-12pm

Hip-Hop 101
November 7
1pm-4pm

 

Teachers may either register to attend one or both workshops. We highly encourage you to do both sessions if your schedule allows. There will be many hands-on activities and opportunities for creative music making that can be applied in your classrooms!

CEUs will be available for participants who complete the workshops. Both sessions will take place in the Gaines Ballroom within the Benton Convention Center (downtown Winston-Salem).

 

APPLICATION FORM 

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Clinician Bios

Modern Band 101

Bryan Powell is the Chief Program Officer for Music Will, and former Director of Programs for Amp Up NYC, a partnership between Berklee College of Music and Little Kids Rock. He is also an Associate Professor of Music Education and Music Technology, and Coordinator for the Recording Arts and Production degree at Montclair State University. A former NYC public school music teacher, Bryan serves as the Executive Director of the Association for Popular Music Education and is the past-Chair for the NAfME Popular Music Education Special Research Interest Group. He is the founding co-editor of the Journal of Popular Music Education, co-author of Popular Music Pedagogies: A Practical Guide for Music Teachers (Routledge), series co-editor for Contemporary Music Making and Learning (Intellect Books), and editor of The Modern Band Handbook (OUP).

Description: This hands-on course serves as an introduction to modern band and the Music as a Second Language pedagogy. The workshop will cover core values of Music Will such as approximation, scaffolding, musical decision making, iconic notation, and culturally sustaining teaching techniques. Participants will receive instruction on guitar, keyboard, drums, vocals, and bass, and then utilize their new musical skills to compose and perform an original song in a collaborative setting. What You’ll Get – New strategies focusing on instrumental instruction, improvisation, and songwriting using music production – Curricular projects & activities for all of your music students – Unlimited access to new curricular materials and online resources – Participation in a community of more than 4,000 music teachers from across the country.

Hip-Hop 101

Pinqy Ring is a radical and revolutionary Puerto Rican rapper, decolonizing minds one rhyme at a time and aligning her destiny through Hip Hop. Born and bred in Chicago, she manifests her vision for a more just world as a multi-hyphenate MC, Hip Hop Educator, speaker and U.S. Hip Hop Cultural Ambassador – traveling overseas to manage and facilitate Hip Hop diplomacy programming. With philanthropy as part and parcel of her platform, Pinqy prides herself in mentoring the next generation of creative change agents and providing culturally competent consulting to organizations looking to engage youth and explore Hip Hop as a transformative tool. In 2023, Pinqy Ring became a TEDxChicago performer, was featured on NPR, and was named Best Hip Hop Artist by the Chicago Reader. Though she is proud of her awards and accolades, Pinqy’s most prized possession is the platform shes purposing for historically excluded communities of the world.

Description: How do we create a classroom where every student feels seen, heard, and inspired? The answer lies in the rhythm and reach of Hip Hop. More than just music, Hip Hop is a powerful tool for people-powered education and genuine community building, storytelling, community, and connection. In this session, we’ll explore how to bridge the gap between educator and student by centering their voices. We believe the shortest distance between two people is a story; Hip Hop provides the ultimate framework to tell those stories. By letting students be the experts on the culture they love, we create a space for them to show up as their authentic selves. What we’ll cover: The Literacy of Lyrics: See how Hip Hop functions as modern poetry, utilizing complex metaphors, alliteration, and imagery. The Creative Process: Learn a simple, collaborative approach to songwriting- from finding a beat and mumbling cadences to drafting verses. Mindset & Affirmations: Use “Rap Affirmations” to help students navigate feelings of inadequacy and build resilience. Active Engagement: Experience how freestyle and rhythm can stimulate the brain and enhance storytelling. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to the genre, this workshop offers practical strategies to integrate Hip Hop into your teaching toolkit.

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Popular Music Committee Proposal
North Carolina Music Educators Association
January 4, 2023
Updated: June 1st, 2023

Mission Statement

The popular music committee is committed to recognizing, embracing, and advocating for popular music at the state music education level in ways that contribute meaningful, relevant, and innovative opportunities for all students and teachers who desire to learn, perform, or teach popular music in their classrooms.

Purpose Statement

As a committee, we recognize and acknowledge popular musicians and performance mediums that include popular music. We seek to provide professional development opportunities for popular music educators at the state level and create inclusive and diverse music learning spaces, where wider conceptions and understandings of music making in the music education community can exist that align with NCMEA’s goals for equity and inclusion at the state level. We stand for expanding notions of pedagogy, providing place/space for music educators to learn from innovative popular music educators in community, and support meaningful popular music learning spaces within their school/workplace. We believe that all students should have access to a well-rounded music education, which includes popular music education. We recognize that systemic injustices continue across our society, including in music teaching and learning. Our committee seeks to counteract systemic injustices and promote a culture of belonging for students and teachers interested in learning and performing popular music.

Goals

1. To offer a place and space for popular music educators to learn about emerging pedagogies;
2. To advocate and provide place for popular music to exist within the state music education conference;
3. To advocate and provide support for emerging popular music educators, or music educators interested in teaching popular music;
4. Advocate for equitable access to high quality, comprehensive musical experiences for all students in North Carolina;
5. To be more inclusive of musics beyond the Western-European Art canon;
6. To advocate for marginalized musicians and music educators, who are often outliers in the profession of band, orchestra, and choir;
7. To offer affordable or free online resources for current or emerging popular music educators;
8. To offer scholarships and funding opportunities so that popular music educators and their students are able to attend NCMEA PD and performance opportunities;
9. To offer a community for popular music educators to come together, share with one another, and learn from each other.

Activities

The activities of this group include:

• Support presentations and workshop sessions specific to popular music education at NCMEA’s annual state conference.
• Develop and integrate new initiatives through NCMEA’s annual state conference, including special sessions and Singer/Songwriter and Music Producer Showcase.
• Maintain a social media presence for networking and promotion of ideas related to popular music in PK-12 and higher education.
• Support the development and integration of workshops for popular music groups across the state, including initiatives like SoundForge: A Popular Music Collective.
• Propose and present special sessions (Webinars) for popular music educators around the state.
• Outreach to music educators who are not a part of NCMEA, who are popular music educators looking for a community of popular music educators, professional development opportunities, or support for teaching in their school(s).
• Create music-making opportunities in popular music styles for music teachers and their students across North Carolina.

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Co-Chair: Jonathan Kladder, Ph.D.
[email protected] &
Co-Chair: Andrew Beach
[email protected]