2025 Maine Music Educators Association Conference

In this clinic we will learn and practice repair tactics for the most common emergency woodwind repairs in the state of Maine. We will also discuss materials and tools that every Maine Band Director should keep on hand for emergency repairs when going to the shop just isn’t an option. NOTE: These skills are for emergency repairs and are NOT intended to be a substitute for your local repair shop or service technician.

This session will include tips to review for students looking forward to playing in ensembles at the College level, including audition preparation for those hoping to major in music. Embouchure issues, hand position suggestions, tonguing tips, and warm-up exercises from various current clarinet instructors will be presented, along with information from the International Clarinet Association and its online resources. Attendees are encouraged to bring their clarinets with them to the session.

This session presents a thoughtfully designed approach to Beginning Bands & Strings utilizing the educational philosophies of Gordon, Kodály, Feierabend, Orff, and Suzuki. By emphasizing the importance of auditory preparation, this approach builds a strong foundation in music-making, supporting the success of all students across diverse settings.
Students are encouraged to learn songs first with lyrics and then with solfege, progressing naturally to notation. From there, they expand their creativity through improvisation and composition, using the melodic material of the songs they’ve learned. Finally, authentic playing experiences and auditory assessments showcase student growth while fostering excitement and enthusiasm for continued learning.

Whether you are trying to establish strong fundamentals in younger students or trying to troubleshoot established habits in older students, teaching students to play with characteristic tone can be a challenge. There are so many factors that can contribute to poor tone - many of which we can’t actually see! Through discussion of embouchure development, tongue placement, and air direction/speed, this session will give teachers concrete tools, language, and exercises to help students improve their tone. We encourage teachers to bring the following to this hands-on session: flute headjoint, trumpet or trombone mouthpiece, and a clarinet or alto saxophone.

Tone First - THEN Intonation

Good intonation is essential for an ensemble to sound excellent - but it’s not all about tuning slides or pulling out your headjoint ¼ inch! Working within the framework of trumpet playing, this session will challenge you to consider good tone production first, with improved intonation as a secondary result. The presenter will discuss the benefits and science of good tone production as well as demonstrate exercises and methodologies to help you improve your trumpet students’ tone, and ultimately their intonation. Participants will also participate in workshopping to brainstorm how to practically apply these techniques for other instruments.

Having a high school beginning band class can be a valuable recruitment and retention tool for the high school instrumental music program. This session will cover the many aspects to consider when developing such a class including: philosophical considerations, providing instruments, instructional approaches, assessment tools, and resources for you to use.

In this clinic we will learn and practice repair tactics for the most common emergency brass repairs in the state of Maine. We will also discuss materials and tools that every Maine Band Director should keep on hand for emergency repairs when going to the shop just isn’t an option. NOTE: These skills are for emergency repairs and are NOT intended to be a substitute for your local repair shop or service technician.

Could you start a beginning band day in your area? This session will discuss the Beginning Band Day that Aroostook County has done for the past nine years. Topics include what schedule for the day, what music to perform, faculty involvement, benefits we've seen since starting this event, and other things we've learned along the way.