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.

10:20am EDT

Words & Music: Embedding Popular Music Education and Social and Emotional Learning Through Songwriting

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

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

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Words & Music teaching method supports songwriting and social emotional learning in the music classroom. This innovative approach provides teachers with intentional, embedded teaching strategies that help students craft original lyrics, build an emotional vocabulary, and learn how to compose music.

Speakers

Aaron Helvig

Director of School and Music Programs, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Aaron Helvig is the director of school and music programs at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In this role, he guides curriculum-based programs for school audiences, as well as music-centered programs that serve schools, community organizations and general museum visitors. Among his... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 10:20am - 10:45am EDT
Volpe 203 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), K-12

10:50am EDT

Amplifying the Future: Powering Up a High School–University Popular Music Collaboration

Thursday June 4, 2026 10:50am - 11:15am EDT

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

Are you interested in starting a collaboration between a university and a high school in your area? In this demonstration, we will describe how we began a university-high school partnership in West Texas and provide a step-by-step plan for beginning a similar program in your community.

Speakers

Amy Moss

Director of Choral Activities, Frenship High School

Amy Moss is the director of choral studies at Frenship HS and is a vocal coordinator for Frenship ISD. She teaches traditional choir classes, show choir, music production, songwriting, and directs music for the fall musical. Her ensembles and students regularly receive superior ratings... Read More →

Shauna Pickens

Assistant Professor of Music Education, Texas Tech University

Dr. Shauna Satrom Pickens is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Texas Tech University. Her teaching responsibilities include brass methods, music technology, popular music pedagogy, graduate seminar, and supervision of student teachers. Her research is focused on teaching... Read More →

Phu Vu

Doctoral Candidate in Music Education, Texas Tech University

Phu Vu is a Ph.D. candidate and graduate part-time instructor in music education at Texas Tech University. A native of Saigon, Vietnam, he has taught piano, music technology, and general music in Vietnam, Atlanta-Georgia, and has performed as a collaborative pianist, keyboardist... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 10:50am - 11:15am EDT
Volpe 106 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), HPME

11:20am EDT

Don't Get Sued, Get Educated: Smart Sampling Practices for Modern Music Students

Thursday June 4, 2026 11:20am - 11:45am EDT

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

Technology is vital in modern music education, utilizing tools like DAWs and online libraries. However, this introduces legal and ethical challenges regarding sampling and copyright. In this demonstration, educators will gain practical strategies and lesson frameworks to teach music tech ethics, balancing creative freedom with legal accountability.

Speakers

Meredith Allen

Director of Education, Splice

Meredith Allen is an award-winning educator, author, and passionate advocate for creative learning through music and technology. As Director of Business Development at Splice, she leads efforts to connect innovative tools with classrooms and music programs worldwide. Previously... 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 →

Thursday June 4, 2026 11:20am - 11:45am EDT
Volpe 106 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), Culture and Belonging

11:50am EDT

Walking on the edge: is band rehearsal needed at all?

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

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

Is band rehearsal really necessary? This presentation describes how even first and second year students at Musiquea, a private modern music school in Spain, are able to execute outsanding performances onstage in front of an audience with no band rehearsal whatsoever.

Speakers

Mario de Inocencio

Founder and Director, Musiquea|Formación en Música Moderna

Mario de Inocencio is the founder and director of Musiquea|Formación en Música Moderna, a private music school based in Santander, northern Spain. Mario began his musical studies at the age of nine when he enrolled in piano lessons at a small school in Santander. During his adolescence... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 11:50am - 12:15pm EDT
Volpe 106 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25)

3:30pm EDT

Turning the Band Room Up to 11: Popular Music Pedagogy Inside the Concert Band

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

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

A traditional concert band setting may not be everyone's jam, but for those who do embrace the medium, why not include some popular music pedagogies? In this session, the presenter will describe how to bring elements of modern band to the concert band by sharing techniques, recordings, and materials.

Speakers

Jennifer Greene

Wind Symphony Director, Binghamton University

Jennifer Reynolds Greene has been an instrumental music educator, specializing in bands, for more than thirty years. Currently, she is the Wind Symphony Director at Binghamton University (SUNY). For the majority of her career she held a position at Fayetteville-Manlius High School... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 3:30pm - 3:55pm EDT
Volpe 102 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25)

4:00pm EDT

Too Many Notes? I HIGHLY Doubt It!

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

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

Calling all keyboardists who are looking to polish their live orchestration chops: Here's an informative session showcasing Apple's MainStage and its ability to achieve this desire through layering patches, creating split points, and using the Chord Trigger plugin to best serve the song and its overall performance impact on the keyboardist.

Speakers

Daniel Strange

Department Chair and Associate Professor (Sterbenz Endowed Chair); Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship, Frost School of Music- University of Miami

Daniel Strange has performed on a variety of the world’s biggest stages from Carnegie Hall to NBC’s The Today Show as well as with critically acclaimed artists representing multiple genres including Michael Feinstein, Ann Hampton Calloway, Jacob Collier, Robert Glasper, Madison... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:00pm - 4:25pm EDT
Volpe 103 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25)

4:30pm EDT

From Import to Score in Minutes: Fast Dorico Workflows for Cleaning Up MIDI and XML Files

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

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

This demonstration walks educators through a workflow for transforming MIDI or MusicXML files—messy scores exported from DAWs or works salvaged from Finale—into clean, usable Dorico scores. Participants will learn essential shortcuts, time-saving tools, and cleanup strategies that result in polished notation quickly and effectively.

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 →

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

🔦Demonstration (25), HPME

4:30pm EDT

SUNO STUDENT PANEL

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

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

Speakers

Ben Camp

Professor of Songwriting, Berklee College of Music

Ben Camp is a professor of Songwriting at Berklee College of Music, and an advisor at Suno. Ben has taught over 2,000 students, is a gold record writer and producer, and has amassed over 300 million streams with songs for Tiesto, Brice Fox, Victoria Justice, and on networks like HBO... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:30pm - 4:55pm EDT
Volpe 203 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25)

4:30pm EDT

Tradition Meets Today: Bad Bunny as a Springboard for Exploring the Musical Heritage of Puerto Rico

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

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

This two-part workshop is inspired by Bad Bunny’s 2025 album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToSE, which showcases his Puerto Rican musical heritage by fusing traditional genres with contemporary styles. Participants will explore bomba y plena and música jíbara through the Smithsonian Folkways Collection and hands-on lessons designed for the music classroom.

Speakers

Sandra S. Adorno

Associate Professor of Music Education, Florida International University

Dr. Sandra Sanchez Adorno is an associate professor of music education at Florida International University. She teaches courses in elementary general music, assessment and evaluation in music education, music psychology, and modern band. Sandra is certified in Orff-Schulwerk and World... Read More →

Thursday June 4, 2026 4:30pm - 4:55pm EDT
Volpe 103 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), K-12

10:50am EDT

Revitalizing K–12 Popular Music: Lessons from Music Will’s Lab School

Friday June 5, 2026 10:50am - 11:15am EDT

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

Over the past 25 years, Music Will has worked with educators around the country to incorporate popular music to their K-12 programs by donating instruments such as guitar, keyboards, drums, and more, as well as curriculum. After observing and reflecting on the growth and direction of popular music programs, they instituted a Lab School initiative this year, donating specific gear, hands on instruction, and clinics with industry professionals. This discussion will be centered around what we have learned through this intensive program, and how classes with renewed focus on culture, songwriting, stage presence, and hip hop can show us.

Speakers

Dr. Scott Burstein

Director of Strategic Initiatives, Music Will

Scott is Director of Strategic Initiatives as Music Will.

Mary Claxton

Director of Teaching and Learning, Music Will

Mary is Director of Teaching and Learning at Music Will. She is also a drummer, singer, and songwriter, mom of 3, and gluten free.

Friday June 5, 2026 10:50am - 11:15am EDT
Volpe 102 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), K-12

11:20am EDT

Popping with Intention: Understanding the Role of Popular Music Within Your Institution

Friday June 5, 2026 11:20am - 11:45am EDT

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

Popping with Intention explores how planning strengthens popular music education across learning contexts. The session challenges formulaic approaches and emphasizes clarity of purpose, audience, and educator role to support authentic, student-centered courses that reflect institutional goals and the communities they serve.

Speakers

Shane Colquhoun, PhD.

Assistant Professor of Music Technology and Buisness, Alabama State University

Dr. Shane Colquhoun is an Assistant Professor of Music Technology and Contemporary Musical Styles at Alabama State University and a nationally recognized voice in innovative music education. A two-time GRAMMY Music Educator Award quarterfinalist, he centers his work on expanding access... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 11:20am - 11:45am EDT
Volpe 102 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), K-12

11:20am EDT

Using Breezin Thru Theory/Composing in your music classroom

Friday June 5, 2026 11:20am - 12:20pm EDT

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

This session explores the many features of Breezin Thru theory. Its comprehensive platform is user friendly for elementary thru higher ed! This program can also assist in your ensembles! Attendees will get an overview of the program and learn how to give assignments and projects !

Speakers

Jackie Martino

Director of Performing arts, Calhoun School

Dr. Jackie Martino is an educator, composer, and musician. She has an extensive career in music education as both a teacher and administrator. . She is currently the Director of Performing Arts at The Calhoun School in New York City. For the last two decades, she built a music and... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 11:20am - 12:20pm EDT
Volpe 106 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), K-12

3:30pm EDT

Finding Performance Shangri-La: Developing Methodologies in performance practices for the developing artist

Friday June 5, 2026 3:30pm - 3:55pm EDT

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

This workshop explores performance psychology and self-determination in popular music education. Drawing from twelve years of teaching "Performance Shangri-La," it offers practical strategies for developing artistic identity, managing perfectionism, and fostering authentic performance. Attendees will engage in discussion and gain tools to better support emerging artists in evolving industry contexts.

Speakers

Courtney Kaiser-Sandler

Associate Director of Contemporary Music and Collaborative Projects, Director of Singer-Songwriter, Interlochen Center for the Arts

2026 and 2027 Grammy in Music Education quarterfinalist and Associate Director of Contemporary Music at Interlochen Center of the Arts Courtney Kaiser-Sandler is a professional songwriter, vocalist, and musician as well as the founder of the singer-songwriter program at Interlochen... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 3:30pm - 3:55pm EDT
Volpe 207 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), K-12

4:00pm EDT

HERStory: an album concept celebrating female composers of various genres through a jazz singer’s lens

Friday June 5, 2026 4:00pm - 4:25pm EDT

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

Speakers

Kate Reid

Friday June 5, 2026 4:00pm - 4:25pm EDT
Volpe 203 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🔦Demonstration (25), Performance

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

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 →