APME Miami 2026: Full Schedule

Welcome to the APME Miami 2026 Conference!
Here you can register and update your Sched profile. A draft schedule will be available March 1, when you’ll be able to explore sessions and build your agenda.

Questions? Visit our website or email [email protected].

Join us June 4–6 at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami, as we celebrate the rhythms, relationships, and revolutions shaping popular music education.

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

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10:20am EDT

Preparing the Future-Ready Musician: Adaptability and Creative Growth in Undergraduate Popular Music Students

Thursday June 4, 2026 10:20am - 10:45am EDT

Volpe 102 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

This research explores how popular music education can prepare students to thrive in an unpredictable creative economy. By examining adaptability centered pedagogies such as rapid iteration, interdisciplinary collaboration, reflective practice, and AI supported creativity, the study proposes a framework for cultivating confident flexible and future ready musicians.

Speakers

Theo Metz

Assistant Professor, Samford University

Based in Birmingham, AL, Theo Metz is a multifaceted audio specialist, educator, and dynamic performer with over a decade of experience in music technology, live sound, and audio production. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Samford University, Theo teaches courses in... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 10:20am - 10:45am EDT
Volpe 102 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

📚Research (25), HPME

11:50am EDT

Ukulele in the Classroom: A Survey of Elementary General Music Teachers in North Carolina and Virginia

Thursday June 4, 2026 11:50am - 12:15pm EDT

Volpe 102 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic characteristics of ukulele teachers in North Carolina and Virginia, to explore the perceived benefits and challenges of implementing ukulele in the classroom, and to identify the curricular resources teachers employ in instruction.

Speakers

Jacqueline Secoy

Associate Professor, Music Education, Longwood University

Dr. Jacqueline Secoy is Associate Professor of Music Education and Music Education Program Coordinator at Longwood University. Her research interests include ukulele instruction, participatory music-making, popular music education, musician identity development, aural music learning... Read More →

Raychl Smith

Associate Professor of Music Education, East Carolina University

Dr. Raychl Smith is Associate Professor of Music Education at East Carolina University. Dr. Smith has previously served as Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Minnesota State University Moorhead and Instructor of Music Education at Elon University. Prior... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 11:50am - 12:15pm EDT
Volpe 102 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

📚Research (25), K-12

3:30pm EDT

Fusing Musical Cultures: Developing Intercultural Competencies

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:30pm - 3:55pm EDT

Volpe 106 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

Have you heard Bluegrass-Grunge, Ska-EDM, or Funk-Irish Jig? This research presentation explores undergraduate music education majors’ experiences, discoveries, and musical products that influenced their perspectives on learning approaches, non-institutionalized musics, culturally respectful and authentic performances, and intercultural competencies.

Speakers

Tamara Thies

Area Director of Music Education, California State University, Long Beach

Tamara T. Thies, PhD is Area Director of Music Education for the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and Co-Coordinator of Music Education for the Single Subject Credential Program in the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach. Currently, she is the Music Education in Higher Education Rep... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:30pm - 3:55pm EDT
Volpe 106 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

📚Research (25), HPME

4:00pm EDT

A narrative investigation of one songwriter's journey to Nashville

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:00pm - 4:25pm EDT

Volpe 106 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

This narrative inquiry explores how one songwriter experiences the multiple transitions involved in moving to Nashville, Tenneseee, enrolling in an undergraduate degree program in commercial music, and navigating Nashville's professional songwriting scene. This study focuses on the participant's storied understanding of navigating these multiple transitions.

Speakers

Stuart Chapman Hill

Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education, Michigan State University

Stuart Chapman Hill, Ph.D., is a conductor, composer, teacher, and scholar who serves as Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at Michigan State University, where he teaches courses in music education and conducts Singing Spartans, the tenor-bass glee club Previously, he served... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:00pm - 4:25pm EDT
Volpe 106 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

📚Research (25), HPME

4:30pm EDT

Beyond the Stand: Lessons From a Podcast Exploring the “Both/And” of Popular Music Education

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:30pm - 4:55pm EDT

Volpe 102 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

Beyond the Stand analyzes themes emerging from educator and student interviews on popular music education. This session presents findings revealing a strong “both/and” philosophy (where PME enhances, rather than replaces, traditional programs) and highlights the roles of student voice, belonging, and teacher agency in expanding meaningful music-making opportunities.

Speakers

Jeremy Bryant

Commercial Music Instructor, Battle Ground Academy

Jeremy Bryant is a commercial music educator at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee, where he teaches guitar, music production, and popular music ensemble courses. He holds a Master of Music Education from Belmont University, where his capstone project explored teacher agency... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:30pm - 4:55pm EDT
Volpe 102 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

📚Research (25), K-12

4:30pm EDT

Rockin' the Public Domain: What I Learned about U.S. Popular Music after Launching a Sheet Music Company for Teachers

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:30pm - 4:55pm EDT

Volpe 207 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

For nearly a decade, I have created charts for the students in my bands. Since the charts proved successful in the classroom, I recently launched a publishing company. This journey into popular music publishing revealed surprising insights about copyright law, U.S. music history, and how to better support popular music educators.

Speakers

Dr. Tom Zlabinger

Associate Professor of Music, York College / CUNY

Dr. Tom Zlabinger is an Associate Professor of Music at York College in New York City and a leading figure in popular music education, serving as Founding President of the Association of Popular Music Education's New York Chapter (APME-NY). With a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:30pm - 4:55pm EDT
Volpe 207 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

📚Research (25), Performance