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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9:00am EDT

Beyond the Band Room: Assessing '21st Century Musician' Competencies in a University-Based Music Production Lab

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:25am EDT

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

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.

Speakers

Dr. Helen Sapieka

SmithTech Lab School Administrator, Chesapeake Public Schools

Dr. Helen Sapieka is currently the administrator of SmithTech: School of Computer Science, Innovation and Design, a Virginia Laboratory School in Chesapeake, VA. She is passionate about integrating computer science into all contents, including music, bringing a new elective, “Music... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:00am - 9:25am EDT
Volpe 106 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), HPME

9:30am EDT

Authentic Drum Kit Pedagogy: New resources available for modern band teachers

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:30am - 9:55am EDT

Volpe 103 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

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.

Speakers

Virginia Davis

Professor of Music Education, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Dr. Virginia Wayman Davis is Professor of Music Education at thse University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and serves on the APME board. Her research interests include drums and percussion, meaningful music education practices, secondary general music, and popular music education. She... Read More →

Gareth Dylan Smith

Assistant Professor of Music, Music Education, Boston University

Gareth Dylan Smith is a drummer and Assistant Professor of Music at Boston University. Alongside his scholarly activity, Gareth has performed and recorded internationally with punk and alt rock bands and with classical pianist Austina Lee. Gareth’s solo album (of duets) – Pe... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 9:30am - 9:55am EDT
Volpe 103 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), K-12

10:00am EDT

Feed It Forward: Embedding Reflective Practice and Evaluation into Music Education Assessment

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:25am EDT

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

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.

Speakers

Nicolas Sykes

Chief Examiner for Music Performance and Production, University of the Arts London Awarding Body

Nicolas Sykes is the Chief Examiner for Music Performance and Production at UAL Awarding Body, overseeing assessment, moderation, and qualification design. As a performer, composer, and educator, he has contributed to curriculum development and innovative course design in music education... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:00am - 10:25am EDT
Volpe 106 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), K-12

10:30am EDT

Orchestration for Pop Creators: Adding Dorico to the Arranger’s Toolkit

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:30am - 10:55am EDT

Volpe 203 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

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.

Speakers

Kevin Wilt

Chair, Department of Music, Florida Atlantic University

Kevin Wilt is a classical music evangelist. He composes music to introduce new audiences to the joy, drama, and adventure of classical music through familiar colors and lush textures, while engaging seasoned audiences with an underlying craftsmanship and sophistication. Composer John... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 10:30am - 10:55am EDT
Volpe 203 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), HPME

11:30am EDT

Crafting Fan Personas: A 3-Step AI Prompting Model

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:30am - 11:55am EDT

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

This session shows an AI-driven teaching system for detailed music fan profiling, moving beyond demographics. We use a three-stage approach analyzing music data to define fan psychographics and media habits. Attendees will receive prompt templates for AI collaboration in music marketing.

Speakers

Arnaecia Alridge

Founder/CEO, Methix/A Jam Records

Arnaecia Alridge has shaped the careers of GRAMMY Award-winning and nominated talent and is now reshaping the future of the music business for the rest of the industry. With a background in talent management and communications for independent artists such as Paul Wall, Yolanda Adams... Read More →

Jessica Muñiz

Assistant Professor of Music Business, University of North Texas

Jessica Muñiz is a music career consultant, composer/producer, and Assistant Professor of Music Business at the University of North Texas. She is also the Founder/Owner of NIZCO Music – a music career consulting company that helps musicians compose their careers to their own B.E.A.T... Read More →

Saturday June 6, 2026 11:30am - 11:55am EDT
Volpe 102 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25)