General Music Professional Development
Teachers will be exploring aspects of building a music curriculum that will reinforce common core and Ohio State Standards.
Amy Fenton
September 7, 2024
"Energizing Recorder Instruction Through Creative Play"
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Participants will experience playful skill building lessons for recorder utilizing games, stories, improvisation and composition. Please bring a soprano recorder and be ready to sing, say, dance and play!
Amy Fenton teaches music and movement to children in pre-kindergarten through 4th grade at Holbrook Elementary in Grand Ledge, Michigan. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance (with a minor in Flute) and certification in Music Education from The University of Arizona. She also holds Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Valley State University. Amy was named the 2018 Michigan Music Educator of the Year and awarded 2019 Michigan Arts Educator of the Year. She has presented sessions at AOSA Professional Development Conferences and workshops at the local, state and national levels. Amy has been a recorder pedagogy teacher for AOSA Teacher Education courses in Texas, Michigan and Connecticut. She has served as President of the Mid-Michigan Orff Schulwerk Association. Amy is a past member of the AOSA National Board of Trustees, having served as a Regional Representative and two terms as Treasurer. Amy has chaired the AOSA Fund Development Committee and the AOSA Post Level III Committee and currently chairs the Recorder Teacher Apprenticeship Panel.
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"Classroom Community Dance Fun"
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Enjoy tried and true community dances that foster an atmosphere of collaboration and fun for many age levels. Spend the day with familiar favorites, new tunes to traditional dances, and tips for helping your students create their own group dances. Together we’ll play and create in ways that help foster a sense of community, belonging, musicality, and fun!
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Christina Reardon (she/her) is the 1st-8th grade movement and music specialist at Bethany School in Cincinnati, Ohio. For the last 16 years she has taught general music, choir, and handbells in public, private, and parochial schools. She received her Bachelors of Music in Music Education and Masters of Music degrees from Miami University, her Orff Schulwerk certification from the University of Cincinnati, and also has post-level III experience. She is past president for the Greater Cincinnati AOSA chapter. As a clinician, Christina has presented various workshops around the country as well as at the AOSA national conference. In her spare time, Christina enjoys running, ringing handbells, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Christina Reardon
October 19, 2024
Sally Gardiner
February 22, 2025
"Program Recipes"​
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As general music teachers, we typically have a total of a day and a half (40 hours) with our students for the entire school year. That’s not a lot of time. With the pull of standards, performances, and OTES HQ data tools, we have to make every second count.
Included in this session are 30 years of recipes for creating musical performances that include the Ohio Music Content Standards and use HQSD for documentation for OTES evaluations. Recipes have to be thought out, planned, and executed in a very timely manner. I typically choose a book or story at the end of the school year, discuss it with my teaching partner, then spend the summer researching, gathering materials, and arranging ideas for part singing, movement, body percussion, instrumentation, and improvisational structures. My teaching partner and I teach half of the students in semester one, then the other half in semester 2. With this schedule I’ve noticed that the material will grow through the teaching process and I almost never teach it the same way twice!
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Sally Gardiner has been a general music specialist for 34 years. Her first job was in Wisconsin for four years and she currently works for the Rossford School District where she has worked for thirty years. In Rossford Sally has taught K-6 general music, fifth and sixth grade band, and has assisted the Rossford High School band. Her formal training is a bachelor in music education from Bowling Green State University and a masters in music education from the University of Toledo. Sally’s specialized training includes three levels of Kodaly training from Capital University, Feierabend First Steps at the University of Dayton, and three levels of Orff training from Baldwin Wallace and Villanova University.
Sally Gardiner’s philosophy of education is to help all students have a basic understanding of the foundations of music. For some that may mean beat competency and for others it means singing in a four part canon. Offering multiple means of learning, creating, and performing music in a short amount of time is her mission!
2024 AOSA National Conference
Pack your bags for the annual Professional Development Conference in De Moines, IA November 13-16, held at the beautiful Albuquerque Convention Center. This year’s conference offers a variety of sessions and events to meet your professional development needs.
2025 OMEA Professional Development Conference
Travel to Clevland, OH to experience nearly 300 sessions on “best practices" in music education February 6-8. Music, related vendors, and the latest trends in technology will be featured. And over 40 ensembles will perform during this event ranging from elementary choirs to university orchestras. Be on the lookout for an increasing number of general music sessions.
General Music Conferences
AOSA: November 16-18, 2024
OMEA: February 6-8, 2025
NWO Orff Chapter Share & Potluck
Come hear ideas from fellow members and bring a dish to share! Potluck is from 12-1 after the chapter share.