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Mark Cabaniss (Jubilate Music Group & Hal Leonard)

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Edina

Tips on Worship Planning, Building a Better Choir, Praise Teams, and more!

Mark Cabaniss Bio:

Mark Cabaniss is a music publisher, writer, producer, broadcaster, and speaker. He is President/CEO of Jubilate Music Group (distributed by Alfred Music) creating printed and digital music, recordings, and videos.

As an ASCAP composer and arranger, Mark’s published compositions have been performed nationally and abroad, and include musicals, cantatas, and instrumental works. His stage adaptation of the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” titled Miracle In Bedford Falls (co-written with Lowell Alexander) was premiered by the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre and has been subsequently performed coast-to-coast. Other musicals include The Homework Machine (co-written with Tony-nominated composer Keith Herrmann) and The Stardust Supper Club (featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael) (co-written with Alan Bailey).

Mark is a multiple recipient of ASCAP’s Popular Music Award and is a Dove Award and Angel Award-winning producer. He is a member of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy), The Dramatists Guild, and serves on the Board of Advisors for “The Music Man Square”, a museum and foundation in Mason City, Iowa, dedicated to furthering music education and honoring the legacy of Meredith Willson (creator of Broadway’s The Music Man). Mark was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by Mars Hill University and serves on the University’s Board of Trustees. Mark is also the founder/donor of The Helen Cole Krause Music Scholarship, awarded annually to qualifying students who choose music as a college major.

Mark also serves as a correspondent for Hollywood 360, a weekly nationally-syndicated entertainment radio show based in Chicago.

Mark’s work in music business and broadcasting has led to collaborations with television icons Bob Barker, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Andy Griffith; Academy Award-winner Shirley Jones; legendary entertainer Steve Allen; Broadway/pop songwriter Rupert Holmes; jazz pianist/composer Loonis McGlohon; gospel singer Cynthia Clawson and others.

Mark also serves as an adjunct instructor of music business at Belmont University in Nashville. He holds bachelors and masters degrees in Music Education and Communications from Mars Hill University and The University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Mark resides in Nashville.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

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John Mlynczak (NoteFlight & Hal Leonard)

9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Edina

Teaching the 21st Century Tech-Savvy Student: Easy Ideas to Enhance Piano Lessons

Our goal is to create lifelong musicians and lifelong learners. Utilizing easy-to-use technology, we can engage students beyond weekly lessons through (legal) access to digital repertoire, creating their own music, and recording with self-reflection. This session will provide immediately useable ideas and lessons to excite and engage students in learning piano.

John Mlynczak Bio:

John Mlynczak has an extensive range of experiences in music education. He served as Director of Education for PreSonus Audio and is currently the Adjunct Professor of Music Technology at LSU. He has taught music, music technology, and music business at the elementary, secondary, and collegiate levels. He is an active performer, a highly sought-after clinician on music technology, and is President-Elect of the Technology Institute for Music Educators. He also serves on the NAMM Support Music and State Advocacy Coalitions, the NAfME Advocacy Leadership Force, and is Advocacy Chairman for the Louisiana Music Educator’s Association. Mr. Mlynczak holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University, and Master’s Degrees in both Brass Performance and Educational Leadership from Louisiana State University.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

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Joyce Grill (Alfred Music)

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Edina

The Music of Joyce Grill

Join us in celebrating the music of our favorite presenter, Joyce Grill, in her 25th year of EXPO! Hear Joyce play her own compositions and share her experiences. A truly memorable EXPO event. (And there might be cake!)

Joyce Grill Bio:

Joyce Grill, a former faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, provides practical suggestions from her extensive teaching experience as she presents workshops to teachers and students across the country. Grill holds the MTNA Master Teacher Certificate and has been active in MTNA serving as the Wisconsin State President and the Division Vice-President. She also founded the La Crosse Area Music Teachers Association and serves on several arts advisory boards. In 2006, she was named a MTNA Foundation Fellow.

Grill holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has also received training at the School of Fine Arts in Fontainebleau, France, where she studied theory and composition with Nadia Boulanger and piano with Robert and Jean Casadesus.

Known for her ensemble writing, Grill is also a frequent guest conductor for multi-piano concerts. Some of her best-known publications originally published by Warner Bros. Publications, including In Style, Down the Road, and Accompanist (Yes, It Really Happens), are now available from Alfred Music Publishing.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

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Jeremy Siskind (Hal Leonard)

10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Omaha

Building Creativity Into Every Lesson

Every lesson can be a creative one! Piano students are more motivated when they are encouraged to express their own ideas. Presenters will share imaginative teaching tips, creative practice strategies, and ways to introduce improvisation using the best new music and resources from Hal Leonard. This workshop features new releases from the Hal Leonard Student Piano Library, Popular Songs Series, Composer Showcase, The Eugénie Rocherolle Series, The Jazz Band Pianist, Journey Through the Classics and more!

Jeremy Siskind Bio:

Jeremy Siskind is a pianist, composer, and educator based in Kalamazoo, Michigan who currently serves as the chair of Western Michigan University’s Keyboard Area.

The winner of the 2012 Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition, Siskind is also the second place winner of the 2011 Montreux Solo Piano competition and a two-time finalist for the American Pianist Association’s Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz. His 2015 CD, Housewarming, featuring Grammy-winning singers Kurt Elling and Peter Eldridge, was named the second-best vocal jazz CD of the year by the Ottawa Citizen, and hailed as a “shining example” of chamber jazz in Downbeat magazine, who also named it among the year’s best.

As a performer, Siskind is a leader of the “in-home concert” movement, having performed in about 100 homes in 25 different states since 2012. Siskind has also performed at “traditional” venues, such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, as well as in Japan, Switzerland, Thailand, England, India, France, Tunisia, and China. Siskind currently has eight publications with Hal Leonard, including the major instructional book, Jazz Band Pianist.

Upcoming projects include collaborative songwriting project with composer Lucas Pino that will debut at Dizzy’s in Lincoln Center in June. The piece, entitled, “Golden Rule, Turing Test,” examines whether the nature of compassion is changing in the digital age. Siskind serves as musical director, arranger, and pianist on vocalist Nancy Harms’ upcoming CD, Ellington at Night. Finally, he’s collaborating with saxophonist Andrew Rathbun on reinterpretations of Debussy’s Préludes for the Gilmore Keyboard Festival in May.

Jeremy Siskind holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (Jazz Performance and Music Theory) and Columbia University (English and Comparative Literature). He’s the Artistic Director of the American Jazz Pianist Competition. Jeremy Siskind is a Yamaha Artist.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

Gayle Kowalchyk (Alfred Music)

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Edina

Piano Teacher Workshop

Gayle Kowalchyk Bio:

As Keyboard Editor for Supplementary Piano Publications (1988-present) for Alfred Music Publishing, Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk selects and edits music for the supplementary piano catalog. She holds degrees from Ohio University (piano performance, 1977), Northwestern University (piano performance and pedagogy, 1979) and an Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University (piano pedagogy, 1989).

A frequent clinician and adjudicator, Dr. Kowalchyk has presented sessions for national conventions of the Music Teachers National Association and the Music Educators National Conference, as well as for the National Group Piano Symposium, the National Piano Teachers Institute, the International Pedagogy Workshops, the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy and the World Piano Pedagogy Conference. She is on the board of advisors for Clavier Companion magazine.

With her husband, Dr. E. L. Lancaster, she is the co-author of more than 275 educational piano books, including Alfred’s Premier Piano Course, which they have co-authored with Dennis Alexander, Victoria McArthur and Martha Mier.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

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Joyce Grill (Multiple Publishers)

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Edina

New Music: The Music of Joyce Grill

Join us in celebrating the music of our favorite presenter, Joyce Grill, in her 25th year of EXPO! In her second session, Joyce presents a variety of new music from Alfred, Hal Leonard, Willis, FJH, and more. This sessions is always an EXPO favorite!

Joyce Grill Bio:

Joyce Grill, a former faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, provides practical suggestions from her extensive teaching experience as she presents workshops to teachers and students across the country. Grill holds the MTNA Master Teacher Certificate and has been active in MTNA serving as the Wisconsin State President and the Division Vice-President. She also founded the La Crosse Area Music Teachers Association and serves on several arts advisory boards. In 2006, she was named a MTNA Foundation Fellow.

Grill holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has also received training at the School of Fine Arts in Fontainebleau, France, where she studied theory and composition with Nadia Boulanger and piano with Robert and Jean Casadesus.

Known for her ensemble writing, Grill is also a frequent guest conductor for multi-piano concerts. Some of her best-known publications originally published by Warner Bros. Publications, including In Style, Down the Road, and Accompanist (Yes, It Really Happens), are now available from Alfred Music Publishing.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

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Glory St. Germain (Ultimate Music Theory)

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Edina

Ultimate Music Theory

LEARN THE 5 MOST POWERFUL TEACHING TECHNIQUES

You’ll meet “Ultimate Music Theory” author Glory St. Germain and discover how to implement N.E.P.D. at this free teacher pedagogy workshop! Plus:

• Hear the single most important teaching skill every teacher needs – it may surprise you!

• Watch how this one technique helps students retain 90% of each lesson – it’s fun and easy!

• Learn why teaching music theory is essential and how the “Ultimate Music Theory” system works… Success Guaranteed!

If you’re a music teacher interested in Professional Development in any way, this exclusive teacher training workshop is for you!

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Music Theory Starter Pack

The Music Theory Pack Kit includes the Workbooks and matching Answer Books for Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Rudiments, a Small Whiteboard, Ruler and Tote Bag.

Regular Price: $207.23

EXPO Price: Just $125!

SAVE OVER $80!

No additional discount may be used.

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Glory St. Germain Bio:

Glory St. Germain – ARCT RMT MYCC UMTC – is the founder, CEO and author of the Ultimate Music Theory Series. Glory brings over 35 years of remarkably successful teaching experience to the development of the UMT Series and UMT Courses. Glory is a Registered Music Teacher, sought-after clinician and a Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner (NLP). She has served as President of the Manitoba Registered Music Teachers Association, Canadian Coordinator for the MusicLink Foundation and Manitoba Coordinator for Music for Young Children (and contributed to the MYC program as a composer). Glory’s passion for teaching excellence sets a new standard of achievement in Music Theory Education. Learn more at UltimateMusicTheory.com.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

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Jennifer Eklund (Piano Pronto)

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Edina

Piano Pronto

What is Piano Pronto?

At Piano Pronto we are committed to offering you the highest quality hardcopy and digital sheet music products on the market. As a teacher, student, or professional performer you can find music from a wide variety of genres that fits your needs!

• Comprehensive piano method book series
• Piano songbooks for all ages and levels
• Piano sheet music for all levels
• Piano teacher resources, including how-to videos, webinars, and more
• Free sheet music resources for piano students of all ages
• Unparalleled customer and piano teacher support 7 days a week

Why are Teachers Switching to Piano Pronto?

• Higher student retention rates and increased studio size
• Age & gender neutral materials work great with ALL your students
• Faster progress with students at all levels compared to other methods
• Enthusiasm from parents about increased time practicing the piano
• Value! All-in-one approach means the end of book

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Teacher Starter Pack

The Piano Pronto Teacher Starter pack includes all of the books in the Piano Pronto method book series at a deep discount for teachers – you get 13 books!

Regular Price: $136.00

EXPO Price: Just $75!

SAVE OVER $60!

No additional discount may be used.

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Jennifer Eklund Bio:

I began studying the piano at the age of six and was fortunate to develop my talents with many different teachers throughout the years. The instructors that managed to hold my interest were the ones who offered me a wide variety of music to explore. I have modeled my own teaching philosophy around the idea that the implementation of exciting repertoire makes practice less of a chore and leads to faster progression.

My primary teacher encouraged me to start teaching beginning level students at the age of fourteen. I was a bit skeptical because of my age but decided to take the plunge. My business started small and has continued to grow throughout the years along with my experience and understanding of a positive and effective teaching approach. During my college years I continued teaching as well as performing. After receiving my Associates Degree in Music from Orange Coast College I continued my education at California State University Long Beach where I achieved my Bachelors Degree in 2002.

After graduation I continued teaching privately and spent many years developing and testing the Piano Pronto piano lesson books on students of all ages and levels. My experience as a teacher played an integral role in the selection of material for the books as many of the pieces have been requested by my students. Arranging music has become a real passion of mine as I find it extremely rewarding to write music that is both educational and enjoyable to play. In the fall of 2008 I returned to Cal State Long Beach and completed my Masters Degree in Musicology. This new pursuit combined my love for music history, research, and writing.

In 2014 I retired from teaching in order to run Piano Pronto Publishing on a full-time basis. While it was a difficult decision, I am truly living my dream now with 110% of my focus on creating new products to benefit students all over the world. When I’m not packing orders, or networking with customers at workshops or online I spend my time writing and arranging new music. There is nothing like giving a brand new piece of music to a student and seeing their eyes light up – as educators these are the moments we live for! I do hope that you will see the same positive effects in your studio as I have in mine by implementing some of the Piano Pronto materials into your regular teaching curriculum.

Learn more at PianoPronto.com.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

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Gayle Kowalchyk (Alfred Music)

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Fargo

Piano Teacher Workshop

Gayle Kowalchyk Bio:

As Keyboard Editor for Supplementary Piano Publications (1988-present) for Alfred Music Publishing, Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk selects and edits music for the supplementary piano catalog. She holds degrees from Ohio University (piano performance, 1977), Northwestern University (piano performance and pedagogy, 1979) and an Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University (piano pedagogy, 1989).

A frequent clinician and adjudicator, Dr. Kowalchyk has presented sessions for national conventions of the Music Teachers National Association and the Music Educators National Conference, as well as for the National Group Piano Symposium, the National Piano Teachers Institute, the International Pedagogy Workshops, the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy and the World Piano Pedagogy Conference. She is on the board of advisors for Clavier Companion magazine.

With her husband, Dr. E. L. Lancaster, she is the co-author of more than 275 educational piano books, including Alfred’s Premier Piano Course, which they have co-authored with Dennis Alexander, Victoria McArthur and Martha Mier.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

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Laura Zaruta (Roland)

10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – RSVP NOW!

Complimentary Continental Breakfast Served at 9:30 a.m.

Schmitt Music Edina

How Do You Keep the Music Playing?

Join us as we explore ways to partner tradition with technology to inspire creativity, accelerate progress, and enhance our students’ desire to make music. Leave with new ideas for the studio, while staying up to date with the technology your students are using every day!

Laura Zaruta Bio:

Laura Zaruta believes technology solutions inspire today’s students, reinforce the fundamentals, and maximize instructional time. Laura graduated with honors from Marywood University with a BM in Piano Performance. She received an MM in Piano Pedagogy from Temple University where she also worked as a vocal coach and accompanist. Laura’s workshops are influenced by her classical training and teaching experience, as they not only demonstrate technology tools, but also take into consideration curriculum, assessment, and different learning styles. She develops clinics and training sessions for private and group piano studios, as well as K-12 and higher education classrooms. Laura lives in Erie, PA with her husband and two labs.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!

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Barbara Kreader (Hal Leonard)

1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Book Signing Event – RSVP NOW!

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Piano Workshop – RSVP NOW!

Schmitt Music Edina

Book Signing Event: “The Music of Teaching”

Join us for a special lunchtime book signing and hear Barbara discuss her new book “The Music of Teaching: Learning to Trust Students’ Natural Development” – available now at Schmitt Music!

The Music of Teaching focuses on an ephemeral attribute all teachers need but few consider: perception. This includes the ability to trust both students’ natural development and the learning process itself to gide developing pianists down music’s path. Using stories from her 46-year teaching career plus research from the fields of education and psychology, Barbara Kreader Skalinder explores the ways teaching has evolved from the authoritative style of the 1950s to the collaborative design better suited to the students in today’s digital world. The author also examines the ways independent teachers, free from the outside constraints often imposed on public school educators, can point the way toward educational methods that keep students’ individual learning styles and natural rate of progress as a primary focus and guide them toward independent learning and success.

Workshop: “Building Creativity Into Every Lesson”

Every lesson can be a creative one! Piano students are more motivated when they are encouraged to express their own ideas.

Join us as Barbara Kreader presents imaginative teaching tips, creative practice strategies, and ways to introduce improvisation using the best new music and resources from Hal Leonard. This workshop features new releases from the Hal Leonard Student Piano Library, Popular Songs Series, Composer Showcase, The Eugenie Rocherolle Series, The Jazz Band Pianist, Journey Through the Classics and more!

Barbara Kreader Bio:

Barbara Kreader is a Keyboard Consultant for Educational Keyboard Publications to the Hal Leonard Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kreader has taught piano continuously for nearly 35 years. A faculty member of Northwestern University’s Division of Preparatory and Community Music from 1974-1985, she also maintained an independent studio at her home in Evanston, Illinois where she continues to teach 45 students. As a child and young adult, Kreader studied piano with Beth Miller Harrod, attending Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado for several summers. More recently, she was the Program Director of the Junior Student Seminars at Rocky Ridge. A graduate of Northwestern University, Kreader earned a M.M. in piano performance in 1974 studying piano with Laurence Davis and piano pedagogy with Frances Larimer. The editor of Clavier magazine from 1982-1988, Kreader has published articles in Clavier, The Piano Quarterly, and Keyboard Companion. Kreader served as moderator for the three Baldwin/Clavier Keyboard Teacher’s Video conferences presented in 1986, 1987, and 1988. From 1988-1989 she instituted a Baldwin sponsored program of piano lessons and supervised practice in the after-school child care programs in the Evanston District 65 schools. She also served as the Editor of Baldwin Piano and Organ Company’s Soundboard during this time. She joined Hal Leonard in November 1989. One of the co-authors of the Hal Leonard Student Piano Library, Barbara Kreader has given workshops in over 130 cities in the United States, Canada, Australia, China, Taiwan, and Malaysia.

Please RSVP to this session via EMAIL, or fill out our RSVP form – CLICK HERE!