APME Miami 2026

See how the CPS/ODU SmithTech Lab School redefines music assessment! Learn to use project rubrics that measure audio engineering, digital collaboration, and computational thinking, moving beyond performance. Get a replicable framework to justify and elevate your K-12 popular music program through measurable student outcomes.

In this session, the authors will discuss the content and various uses for the forthcoming book "Authentic Drum Kit Pedagogy" from OUP, and share the play-along tracks and supplementary demonstration videos we created, along with other features and resources. We will also be on hand to answer questions. 

Effective reflection and self-evaluation are critical to the development of autonomous, resilient, and progression-focused music learners. In this demonstration, I will explore how embedding structured evaluation and target-setting into the assessment process can empower students to take ownership of their learning, improve creative outcomes, and maintain forward momentum across projects. 
Drawing on learner work from UAL’s Music Performance & Production qualifications, this session will showcase a practical approach to integrating ‘feedforward’ techniques into the learner journey. This model goes beyond conventional assessment by treating feedback not as a summative end point, but as a catalyst for the next phase of learning. Students are supported to reflect critically on their outcomes, identify areas for growth, and set meaningful targets - looping feedback directly into the planning of future projects. 
The session will include examples of student reflections, feedback templates, and progression tracking tools used in a real-world Further Education context. I will also highlight how this approach enhances student motivation, self-efficacy, and creative agency - core values in popular music education. 

This session demonstrates how popular music students, comfortable with lead sheets, rhythm sections, and basic arranging, can use Dorico to add effective orchestration to their charts. It touches upon instrumental ranges and transpositions but focuses more on voicings, tessitura, and color combinations, offering practical strategies to make arrangements shine.

This session introduces an AI-driven teaching method for building detailed music fan profiles that move beyond demographics into psychographics. Attendees will leave with reusable prompt templates for collaborating with AI on fan connection and music marketing strategy.