Midwest Clinic 2023

December 18–22, 2023

McCormick Place West
2317 S Indiana Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
United States

Join us for the 77th Midwest Clinic! Be sure to stop by the Alfred Music booth (#1139) to see and hear new music, meet your favorite authors, and learn about new resources for your programs!

Sign in to receive a free score and 20% off your entire purchase, including the titles performed at the conference, as well as Sound Artistry Intermediate Method, the newest addition to the Sound Innovations series.

Don't forget to attend one of our sponsored clinics taking place throughout the show. See the schedule below.

Register

Pre-Conference Session:String Teaching Simplified: Teaching Strings for the Secondary String Player

David Pope

From the basics of teaching strings to refining your pedagogical string knowledge, this 4-hour immersive session will provide non-string specialists with the information, tools, and resources needed to teach any string player. This informational and practical session will focus on the foundational principles of string playing and teaching. Instrument position, tone production, articulation, bowings, and fingerings will be presented. Participants will select a primary string instrument to learn during this hands-on workshop. The Midwest Clinic and American String Teachers Association have come together to sponsor this exciting opportunity.

Band New Music Reading Session

Orchestra New Music Reading Session

Sight Reading Your Way!

Ted Scalzo

Prioritizing sight reading in your ensemble leads to students’ increased ability to decode music faster and with more accuracy. With MakeMusic Cloud’s Sight Reading Studio you have the ultimate tool to meet your sight reading needs with your students. We will demonstrate how to save you precious time using the tools and resources that Sight Reading Studio offers, including the volumes of sight-reading material in MakeMusic Cloud for all ensemble types and performing individuals. We will also show you how to use the new Sight Reading Studio and the Playlist function to design a sight-reading program that fits your students’ needs and saves you hours of work.

Symphonic Sounds: Creating, Rehearsing, and Performing with a Symphony Orchestra

Jim Palmer

This clinic will present the techniques required to achieve a blended Symphony Orchestra sound. The clinician will use a demonstration Symphony Orchestra to highlight the techniques presented. The repertoire will include exercises created by the clinician, excerpts from the Sound Orchestra Ensemble book and excerpts from selected Symphony Orchestra repertoire.

The Missing Link: How To Get Your Band Students From Beginner To Advanced

Chris M. Bernotas and Peter Loel Boonshaft

Have you ever felt like your students have hit a wall with their development from band methods to advanced performance? Are the resources you currently use at the intermediate to advanced levels stale and dated? This missing link will help bridge the gap from band methods to advanced individual study. Join educators/authors Peter Boonshaft and Chris Bernotas, and special guest performers, as they share a fresh, new approach to help students grow in technical ability, musicianship, and independence.

The Phygital Musician: How Blurring the Lines Can Focus and Deepen Our Musical Connections

Brian Balmages

While the world continues to evolve digitally, music will always exist in both physical and digital spaces. The ability to move seamlessly between these environments is the key to unlocking new experiences for our students, challenging them in new ways, and reigniting a sense of joy for both practice and performance. Join Brian Balmages and his special guests as they joyfully blur these lines, leaving you with innovative ways to power your teaching.

Let's Hit The Easy Button

Ted Scalzo

Discover how your colleagues have found innovative and creative ways to use technology with their students. Develop strategies that will enhance and enrich learning and reduce workload. Build long-term assignments that address daily technique development, and turn your students into sight-reading ninjas.

Jazz New Music Reading Session

How We Teach Is As Important As What We Teach: 20 Ways To Energize Your Rehearsals

Peter Loel Boonshaft

This session offers ways to improve and focus our rehearsing and teaching, offering specific techniques to solve everyday concerns. A practical look at what, why and how we can teach to achieve better results faster, easier and more efficiently. Useful for teachersand conductors of any level and type of ensemble.