The Community Music School at Southwestern College will offer a day of music education workshops on Saturday, Feb. 21, for current and future music educators in all emphasis areas K-12. Workshops will take place in Messenger Recital Hall and the rehearsal hall in the Darbeth Fine Arts Center on the Southwestern College Campus. 

Clinicians for each of the sessions will consist of Southwestern College music department professors Jeremy Kirk, percussion and bands; Brian Winnie, voice and choral singing and Amber Peterson, strings and orchestra. Two guest clinicians from the field of music education will also participate.  They are Nikki Kirk, elementary educator in Arkansas City and Karissa Shimanek, Southwestern College graduate student. 

The day will be offered as a Pre-KMEA (Kansas Music Educators Association) workshop and will last from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sessions will include contemporary vocal technique, inexpensive repair of percussion instruments, the science behind the Suzuki method, musical theatre repertoire selection, national core standards in general music classrooms, and many more in each emphasis area. Pre-registration fees are $20 for current educators and $10 for SC alumni if registration is received before Sunday, Feb 1. Registration fees after Feb. 1 is $30 for current educators and $20 for SC alumni and will remain open until Monday, Feb. 16. Current students interested in attending the workshops may attend for free (lunch fee of $6). Lunch will be provided for all attendees.  For more information or to register for the event email the Community Music School at cms@sckans.edu or call (620) 229-6188.  

“The goal of the event is for current and future music educators to have an opportunity to interact with and learn from Southwestern College’s adept faculty members,” says Dylan Moore, Community Music School director.  “Each faculty member will also conduct a question and answer session throughout the day, so educators are encouraged to come with specific questions to discuss.”