2023-2024 Workshops

Inspiring Students to Create in the Music Classroom: Inquiry, Standards, and Active Music Making. How can we encourage more student-centered learning in the music classroom while meeting standards and inspiring lifelong learning? Learn to use an inquiry-driven approach to meet (and exceed) standards - that keeps active music making at the center of student learning.  In this workshop, participants will experience a create-focused inquiry lesson that can be applied or modified for use across grade levels in music classrooms.  Leave with ideas for immediate classroom implementation as well as an understanding of how to create your own inquiry-based lessons in the music classroom that keep students actively engaged in “music-ing.”  This workshop will use standards as a springboard and draw on inquiry, backward design, and concept-based tools and strategies for intentional curriculum design.

Nyssa Brown, Clinician
Saturday, April 6, 2024
Workshop: 9:30am-12:30pm (Pacific Time)
Offered on Zoom and/or recording only

Nyssa Brown is an international arts education consultant with Music Ed Forward who works with arts educators around the globe to build student-centered, concept-driven, inquiry-based music curriculum. With 25 years of teaching experience with both students and adults, Nyssa empowers learners of all ages to build on their current knowledge and envision new possibilities. 

Nyssa has 18 years of experience in elementary and secondary music classrooms, as well as teaching and leadership experience at the team, school, district, state, national and international levels.  Ms. Brown served on the writing committee for the National Core Arts Standards and is an Erickson and Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Certified Trainer. She was one of ten finalists for 2004 Minnesota Teacher of the Year and received a prestigious Milken Educator Award in 2004 from the Milken Family Foundation. 

Passionate about teaching in a global context, Nyssa taught at American School of the Hague and the International School of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, The American Embassy School in New Delhi, India and in both Namibia and South Africa, through a fellowship offered by the Eastman School of Music's Umculo: The Kimberley Project. Nyssa is a faculty member of the Kodály Levels Courses at Indiana University and the University of St. Thomas. With a focus on strong relationships and collaborative processes, she aims to help transform students, teachers and communities through music education.

Music of My Hawaii: Songs, Ukulele, and Cultural Context. Being the third generation born and raised on the island of Kauai, my musical upbringing includes a mix of my Japanese heritage and Hawaiian culture. This workshop will explore the varied styles of Hawaiian musical traditions including cultural context, and will address the idea of “What is traditional folk music?” Material for all ages will be presented, along with Kodály-inspired pedagogical connections, ukulele arrangements, dances, games, and literature. Repertoire will include Hawaiian music, as well as music representative of other prominent cultures in Hawaii and Hawaiian-style covers of popular music. Participants are encouraged to bring a ukulele or guitar to play along! Download the workshop flyer here.

Jana Kitamura Martin, Clinician
Saturday, March 2, 2024
9:00am-1:00pm (Pacific Time)
In-person with option to participate on Zoom and/or view the recording*

Garfield Elementary School
1640 22nd Ave
Oakland, CA 94606

Jana Kitamura Martin is in her 22nd year of teaching music, with experiences in PK-12 vocal and general music. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado and Masters in Education in Curriculum and Instruction. She completed her Kodály Certification at New York University, and Orff certification at DePaul University. She also had the opportunity to continue her musical learning by participating in the 2017 Kodály Seminar at the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary to learn more about the methodology in the birthplace of Kodály. Martin currently teaches general music and choirs at Highcrest Middle School in Wilmette Public School District 39, and directs the Wilmette High Five Junior Choir for students of all abilities. Martin has been a member of the faculty at the DePaul University Summer Kodály Institute, teaching musicianship classes since 2016, and began teaching level 3 pedagogy and literature classes at the Kodály Institute at California State University at Bakersfield in 2023. Martin is a Member At Large on the OAKE Board of Directors, chair of the OAKE Equity Committee, serves on the Teacher Education Committee, and serves on the board for the Chicago Area Kodály Educators. She has presented professional development sessions for ILMEA (2018, 2020, 2022), OAKE (2022, 2023), and IKS (2023) conferences, as well as local workshops in several states for teachers and university students.

Join Kate Carmona Arbelaez and Lydia Mills for ¡Cantemos! Latin American Songs and Games for the Classroom, a morning of singing games and traditional songs from Latin America, appropriate for children ages 4-13. Teachers are welcome to bring their guitars, ukuleles, or percussion instruments. Download the workshop flyer here.

Lydia Mills & Kate Carmona Arbelaez, Clinicians
Saturday, September 9, 2023
9:00am-12:30pm (Pacific Time)
In-person with option for Zoom*

Garfield Elementary School
1640 22nd Ave.
Oakland, CA 94606

Lydia Mills has specialized in teaching music with the Kodály method for the last 20 years. She received her Master in Music Education with an emphasis in Kodály from Holy Names University in 2002. Lydia has taught PreK-6th grade music in bilingual schools in the Bay Area as well as in Santiago, Chile. Besides teaching children, Lydia has led teacher training programs in the Kodály approach throughout Latin America, and started the Kodály institute training programs in both Puerto Rico and Chile. She has researched children's traditional singing games in Spanish in collaboration with other music teachers and folk musicians from Latin America. Lydia has self-published a number of music books and recordings of children’s music in Spanish for teachers and families, and is currently working on a book on the Kodály approach in Spanish. Her website is www.lydiamillsmusica.com. Lydia recently returned with her three children from living ten years in Chile, and currently lives in Berkeley, California.

Katerine Carmona Arbelaez is an accomplished bilingual music educator and clarinetist from Cartago, Colombia. Katerine holds a B.A. in Music from the Technological University of Pereira, a Master of Arts in Teaching from San Jose State University, and a Master in Music Education with Kodály emphasis from Holy Names University.

Currently, Katerine teaches general music at two elementary schools in the Palo Alto School District and she is also the Training Associate Conductor of Vivace Youth Chorus in San Jose.

Katerine has been a member of the teaching staff for the Sing, Play, Move early childhood music program; she has also been a guest lecturer at HNU as well as a tutor for Master students of the Music Pedagogy class in the same university. Katerine has performed as a clarinetist in multiple symphonic bands, including The Alexandria Symphonic Band, The San Ramon Symphonic Band, and the DVC Symphonic Band.

Katerine’s passion for teaching led her to create her own company, Musicalizando, where she produces bilingual Early Childhood Music programs in Spanish and educational videos for children in her YouTube Channel, Musicalizando con Kate.

2022-2023 Workshops

Struggles & Strategies-A 3-part Series

A three-part series offered by the Northern California Association of Kodály Educators that addresses classroom behavior management with strategies and perspectives employed through music therapy and early childhood specialists.  

This three-part series will begin with a discussion that identifies challenges and provides a platform for participants to share tools and approaches that they have implemented in their classrooms.  

Free Discussion Session

Join us for a free discussion session regarding the application of strategies learned in the What is Music Therapy? workshop with Maya Zebley.

• Wednesday, April 19 from 7:00-8:15pm

Saturday, March 11, 2023
9:00AM - 1:00PM (PST)
In-person with option for Zoom
Diablo Valley College (Music Bldg, Rm. 101)

Download the workshop flier here

This workshop is designed to give you a basic understanding of the profession of music therapy. Participants will gain an understanding about the history of the profession, education and training, and will emerge with concrete strategies to increase social emotional needs.   

Maya Zebley, a board-certified music therapist, works throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area providing services to acute psychiatric patients. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music, followed by the music therapy equivalency program at California State University, Northridge. After completing her internship at MusicWorx Inc. in San Diego, she received a Master of Arts in Music Therapy from University of the Pacific.

Mrs. Zebley is a current member of the American Music Therapy Association. At national and regional conferences, she presented lectures on topics such as a collaborative partnership of music therapy supervision in a clinical setting and songwriting as a therapeutic approach. Her Master's thesis focused on the role of music while coping with cancer and has presented her research at professional conferences.

Currently, Mrs. Zebley is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of the Pacific, teaching at both the San Francisco and the Stockton campuses.

Gemma Arguelles, Ildikó Thész Salgado & Marni Strome, Clinicians
Saturday, October 29, 2022
9:00AM - 1:00PM (PDT)
In-person with option for Zoom*
Studio Theater (VCPA Building)
Holy Names University

Download the workshop flyer.

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Join the Northern California Association of Kodály Educators for a Choral Reading Workshop featuring Gemma Arguelles, Ildikó Thész Salgado and Marni Strome. This workshop will highlight music for treble and mixed voices from:
- The Philippines and Asia
- Hungary and Europe
- Canada and Women composers

These conductors bring a wealth of experience and passion to this workshop. We look forward to engaging with participants in-person and online.

This workshop is generously hosted by The Kodály Center at Holy Names University.

Electronic reading packets generously donated by J.W. Pepper Sheet Music.
Contact us! info@NCAKE.org

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Gemma Arguelles has taught music learners of all ages as music educator and choir director in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Philippines. She is a frequent presenter at local and national professional conferences and workshops for music organizations including OAKE, ACDA and NAfME. Currently, she teaches PreK-4 music and directs three choirs at The Nueva School in Hillsborough, CA, serves as adjunct music lecturer at the world-renowned Kodály Center at Holy Names University in Oakland and conducts the Vivo Chorus of Young Women’s Choral Projects in San Francisco.

Gemma earned her Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Choral Conducting from the University of the Philippines and her Master’s degree in Music Education with Kodály Emphasis from Holy Names University. She has completed all course work for PhD in Music Education at the University of Oklahoma. Recognized for excellence in teaching and service to music education, she was honored with the 2017 OAKE Outstanding Educator Award. She conducted the 2020 OAKE National Conference Children’s Choir in Portland, OR.

Ildikó Thész Salgado was born and raised in Hungary, where she earned a diploma in choral conducting and music education from the Liszt Academy of Music in 1999. She was on the faculty of Holy Names University, teaching conducting and musicianship for 20 years. Her other teaching experiences include working with the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys. Salgado has held choral and musicianship workshops in Washington, Utah, and throughout California.

Until June of 2021, Marni Strome worked with the Calgary Children’s Choir as conductor beginning in 1988, and as Artistic Director since 1993.  The program consists of five choirs, ages 4-adult, and continues to flourish under new directorship today. Marni also directed the St. Giles Presbyterian Church choir (SATB) for over twenty years. Under Marni’s leadership, the Calgary Children’s and Calgary Youth Choirs completed fourteen tours -  to various parts of Europe, North America, and Japan.  Her choirs performed in local, provincial, and international festivals, and worked with internationally recognized conductors such as Henry Leck, Dr. David Flood, Dr. Will Kesling, and David Ferguson.

For 32 years, Marni worked as a public school music educator in Calgary, Canada, with the Calgary Board of Education, in a variety of settings from K- grade 12. Currently she is teaching K-8 music in San Francisco, and has worked as a sessional instructor at Holy Names University.

Marni enjoyed volunteer teaching in South Africa for many summers – returning to a small impoverished school to teach music, and to learn the culture and music of the region.

Marni has also worked as a summer sessional instructor at University of Calgary, the Silverwinds Hutterite colony in Manitoba, and University of Alberta, teaching Musicianship, Conducting, and Choir to music teachers in Kodaly summer programs.

Marni completed her Masters of Music degree at Holy Names University in Oakland, CA, with an emphasis in Kodaly inspired music education. She has sought many professional development opportunities over the years. Some of these include conducting workshops in Indianapolis and Bulgaria, and Kodaly seminars in Hungary and California. In 2022, Marni was the recipient of the Patricia Cook Memorial Award from Choir Alberta, in Canada. The award is presented to a person, choir, institution, program or corporation who/which demonstrates an exemplary commitment to music education in schools or the wider community.

Marni is grateful for so many colleagues and mentors – too many to mention all – but they include her mother, Marian Smith, Rosemarie Sherban (founder of the Calgary Children’s Choir), David Ferguson, Maree Hennessy, and Janos Horvath.

2021-2022 Workshops

Disrupting Deficit Thinking in Diverse Classrooms

Dr. Nirali Jani, Clinician
Saturday, May 21, 2022
9:00AM - 12:00PM (PT)
Online via Zoom*

Download the workshop flyer.

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This workshop will focus on disrupting deficit thinking and working with asset-based models within diverse classrooms. Participants will gain an understanding of the histories of deficit thinking and the ways in which critical theories about race and class attempt to undo harmful patterns in the classroom, and will emerge with some concrete strategies for identifying, engaging, and building from students’ assets and strengths.

Nirali Jani is an Assistant Professor of Education and Director of the Liberal Studies program at Holy Names University. She teaches across the undergraduate, teaching credential, and M.Ed programs in the School of Education, and is active in both local and statewide education politics. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Political Science from UC Davis, an MA in Education from San Francisco State University, and a PhD in Education from UC Berkeley. She is a former secondary teacher whose areas of specialization span the breadth of teachers’ work, including school reform, Critical Policy Analysis, and culturally competent and asset-based educational practice.

Joy Through the Magic of Music:
Creative Musicianship Class

Introduction to the Kodály and Kokas Music Education System

Kata Körtvési, Clinician
Saturday, April 2, 2022
10:00AM - 12:00PM (PDT)
Online via Zoom*

Download the workshop flyer.
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This workshop combines the pedagogy of Zoltán Kodály and Klára Kokas. The two methods should not be separated from each other; their goal is the same, but they reach it in different ways: both compliment and help each other in practicing, instrumental and general music teaching. The fusion of the Kodály philosophy with the Kokas concept provides a perfect, holistic basis for all musical understanding and activity.

“Solfege is not only the alphabet of music but also its grammar, syntax, style, it is the key to the full understanding of music.

— Kodály Zoltán

The Kodály concept was inspired by the philosophies of the Hungarian composer and educator, Zoltán Kodály (1882 – 1967). Throughout Kodály’s writings are the notions that a person cannot be complete without music and that music serves to develop a person on all levels – emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. The use of the voice is one of the most defining features of the Kodály approach. The voice is the most accessible of all instruments and this makes it most suitable for musical instruction and can lead to a highly developed musical ear.

“Children capture music with their imagination, this is why they are able to take in intimately even the most difficult pieces of music.
What they are learning is not the music itself, but the sensitivity leading to music.

— Klára Kokas

The Kokas pedagogy developed by one of Hungary’s most inspiring music pedagogues, the late Klára Kokas, who proved that the Kodály concept of music education is not a closed educational system but that it can be complemented by various creative pedagogical approaches. This experience based pedagogy has its roots in the Kodály philosophy. An encounter with the most beautiful songs and lyrics of our folk music, the active, profound reception of classical masterpieces is the most authentic manifestation of Kodály’s idea that "music belongs to everyone."

Kata Körtvési is a graduate of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music (Hungary) in Music Education and Choral Conducting.

Kata was Assistant Lecturer in Solfege, Music Theory, Score Reading and Choir Conducting at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Teacher Training Institute. She worked as the Solfege Teacher of the Hungarian Radio Children's Choir. Kata was also the music director in drama and musical performances as well as the conductor at Sure Chamber Theatre, Szkéné Theatre, Jókai Mór Theatre and Jászai Mari Theatre.

Since 2010 she has been working as Artist Teacher at the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

As a Music Teacher, Choir Conductor and Kokas Educator, Kata has given workshops in Australia, Canada, China, England, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Scotland, Singapore, South-Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United States of America.

Hip Hop for Change

Marlon Richardson, Clinician
Saturday, November 20, 2021
10:00AM - 12:00PM (PT)
Online via Zoom*

Download the workshop flyer.
Attend the live session for a chance to win a raffle prize!

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Please pay what you can
Recommended NCAKE/OAKE Member Price: $15
Recommended Non-Member Price: $20

Your support allows NCAKE to provide financial support for other initiatives (i.e. providing assistance for book club materials and scholarships for continuing education)
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This interactive workshop will focus on songwriting and the history of Hip Hop as a tool to educate people about socio-economic injustices and advocate solutions through Hip Hop culture.  

Sharing Tried Repertoire and Activities that Lead to Facilitating SEL & Chapter Share

Conway Tan, Clinician
Saturday, August 21, 2021
10:00AM - 1:00PM (PT)
Online via Zoom*

Sharing Tried Repertoire and Activities that Lead to Facilitating SEL will be followed by a Chapter Share.

Download the workshop flyer.

Many music educators know the importance of social emotional learning (SEL), especially in elementary settings, especially as the students return to in-person learning; but some of us are just not quite sure what an SEL-integrated music education looks like. “What activities do I do? What should I say?” You'd be happy to know that it is more about what we DO, than what we say. This workshop demonstrates how SEL can be achieved in the limited time you have in your weekly lessons. Participants will have access to the repertoire that I have used in my lessons and how I use them to go deeper than learning tunes and rhythms.

Questions?  Please email info@NCAKE.org

Conway Tan’s practice in social-emotional learning began right when he started teaching music. Drawing from his experience as a Malaysia-born Chinese and an immigrant, Conway has been attuned to students whose needs are less-represented, who feel like their voices are unheard and powerless. That has led him to be a keen learner about frameworks such as culturally-responsive teaching, restorative justice, trauma-informed teaching, and social-emotional learning. Conway has a Master in Music Education degree with an emphasis on Kodály methodology from Holy Names University. He also received training in Orff-Schulwerk. He is the Director of Music Education with Cantare Con Vivo, a non-profit that will serve about 2,500 Oakland public school students this school year. Conway has been a professional keyboardist and a liturgical musician since 2007. The latest musical theatre production that Conway directed was “Head Over Heels” with Diablo Valley College in Spring 2021. Conway is looking forward to tie-the-knot with the love of his life this November!

2020-2021 Workshops

What’s in it for ME?

Dr. Miriam B. Factora, Clinician
Saturday, April 10, 2021
10:00AM - 1:00PM (PT)
Online via Zoom*

NCAKE will donate all proceeds from this workshop to organizations that are making a difference by taking action and providing resources to stop AAPI hate and violence.

What’s in it for ME? (Making Cultural Connections in Music Education)

Download the workshop flyer.

What’s in it for me? I remember starting to ask this question in my upper primary school years as a young child.  I am a product of Western colonial system of education in the Philippines and I struggled with so many issues in regard to the approach of how music was being taught (pedagogical mismatch) and the materials that were used to deliver content (cultural mismatch). Of course, I could not clearly articulate way back then and could not understand it at such a young age, but the issues of pedagogical and cultural mismatch have weighed heavily on my mind and have made a big impact on my psyche and in my identity throughout my entire life.

As a Music Educator now, this “ME” has taken on a bigger context. As I develop myself to be a better music educator, this question has always been in the back of my mind; moreso, I have been being faced with the increasing reality that many of my students go home to a culture which is different from the school culture. I have strived to discover ways of making the music education that I want to deliver to be more authentic, culturally relevant and responsive, more engaging and meaningful. Therefore, I invite my colleagues to join me in this quest and ask ourselves, "What's in it for Music Education?" so that when a student asks, "What's in it for me?", the connections would be more apparent and clearer.

In this workshop, I will share mostly original recordings from my first-hand fieldwork research from the Philippines, my home country; from Japan where I resided for a long time; and from my current school community where I enjoy the diversity of cultures with more than 20 languages spoken. I will also share several valuable collections from secondary sources that I have used in my teaching career of over 35 years. I will elaborate on the materials that I will have shared in my presentation at the OAKE Conference on March 6, 2021 by showing examples of pedagogical strategies on how I use them in the classroom and discuss approaches that I have employed to unearth cultural treasures as I looked for answers to this big question — What’s in it for ME?

Miriam B. Factora, Ph.D. is an energetic and accomplished educator who truly inspires students of any age group with her passion for music. She has a wide range of teaching experiences in early childhood, elementary, middle school, high school, university and postgraduate levels, both in private and public institutions. 

Miriam was born in the Philippines but moved to California with her family in her third year of teaching in the Philippines. After some years of continued schooling and teaching in the U.S., she took an opportunity to teach at the Osaka International School and Doshisha International School, Kyoto in Japan to explore new experiences. These experiences have proven to be very enriching in her desire to acquire more knowledge and skills to deal with students of diverse cultures and have also enhanced her understanding of global issues and multicultural perspectives.

As an international speaker and clinician, Miriam has given keynote addresses, lectures, workshops, paper presentations and in-service training to university students and teachers around the Philippines, U.S.A., Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Mexico, England and Scotland. She has conducted a revolutionary research towards the indigenization and localization of the music education program in the Philippines resulting in the publication of several folksong collections. Miriam is at present a music specialist at the Bullis Charter School in Los Altos, California, a faculty member of the Holy Names University Kodály Summer Institute, a co-chair of the IKS László Vikár International Folk Music Forum and is currently serving as one of the Board of Directors of the International Kodály Society. 

Miriam’s broad range of educational background includes: Bachelor of Music at the University of Santo Tomas, Philippines, Magna cum laude; Master of Music Education with Kodály Emphasis at Holy Names University, Oakland; Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Music at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Conducting Specialization at the California State University of the East Bay, Hayward; Orff Schulwerk Certification at Mills College, Oakland; Dalcroze Eurhythmics Studies at the Juilliard School of Music, New York; and International Kodály Society Scholar at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, Hungary.

To Fling My Arms Wide: The Works and Lives of Male Composers from Marginalized Populations

Logan McKinney, Clinician
Saturday, October 10, 2020
10:00am - 12:00pm PT
Online via Zoom

The purpose of this workshop will be to explore the works of male composers from traditionally marginalized populations, with the aim to uncover reflections of underrepresented peoples in the Western Art Music tradition.  Considerations for music literacy, movement, and aesthetics will be made, and participants will receive multiple strategies for using specific works of music in their individual practices.  

Logan McKinney received his Masters degree in Music Education with a Kodály Emphasis from The Kodály Center at Holy Names University. He is a recipient of The Sorenson Legacy Award for Excellence in Arts Education in the State of Utah, currently working as the Kodály Music Specialist at Lakeview Elementary while also directing their orchestra and choir programs. He teaches at the Intermuse Academy of Musicianship and Pedagogy for Kodály Certification at Brigham Young University and serves as the President of the Utah Fellowship of Local Kodály Specialists. He is a member of the Organization of American Kodály Educators Inclusion and Diversity Committee and formerly chaired the Utah Valley String Festival. Logan lives with his wife Sydney, a Kodály-certified violin teacher, and their two daughters in Cedar Hills, Utah.

A Room of One’s Own: The Works and Lives of Female Composers

Logan McKinney, Clinician
Saturday, October 3, 2020
10:00am-12:00pm PT
Online via Zoom*

The purpose of this workshop will be to explore the works of female composers, undeniably overlooked in the tradition of Western Art Music, and to find meaningful ways to help students interact with the music itself.  Considerations for music literacy, movement, and aesthetics will be made, and participants will receive multiple strategies for using specific works of music in their individual practices.

Authentic Assessment in the Music Room

Ashley Cuthbertson, Clinician
Saturday, September 5, 2020
10:00am - 12:00pm PT
Online via Zoom

Using assessment of and for learning enables educators to make responsive instructional decisions for their students. 

In this workshop, we will explore authentic and accessible means of assessment in the music room for in-person and virtual learning that allow music-making to continue! Participants will engage with a variety of means of assessment that allow music teachers to gather valuable information on their students' understanding as well as means for student self-assessment. Strategies for managing data will also be explored. 

Participants will leave this session with a full hand-out of ideas and an understanding of why authentic, data driven instruction is key to student success.

Ashley Cuthbertson is a General Music and Chorus Specialist serving the Fairfax County Public School district in Northern Virginia.  Additionally, she serves as a musicianship teacher with the Fairfax Choral Society’s Youth Program and is an Adjunct Faculty member at the American Kodály Institute of Loyola University Maryland where she currently teaches graduate courses in Kodály Pedagogy.  A Nationally Board Certified Teacher, Ashley holds a Kodály Certificate from the American Kodály Institute and the Certificate of Study in Arts Integration from the Kennedy Center’s Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) program.  Ashley is an active member of the Virginia Music Educators Association where she serves as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council; the Organization of American Kodály Educators where she serves as Eastern Division President-Elect, and the Virginia Organization of Kodály Educators where she serves on the board as President.  Ashley is a passionate educator and lifelong learner dedicated to ensuring that all students have access to high quality, joyful music instruction.

2019-2020 Workshops

NCAKE 40th Anniversary Celebration

August 25, 2018 at 4:00 pm

Holy Names University

3500 Mountain Blvd, Oakland

This year, NCAKE celebrates 40 years of music-making, inspiration, and community. We hope you will join us for our 40th anniversary celebration! Join us for a retrospective of NCAKE's history, fun songs and games with NCAKE members, and a chance to socialize with fellow music educators. A great opportunity to strengthen our ties as a community, catch up with old friends and learn about NCAKE's history as we look ahead to the future!

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NCAKE Workshops: 2018-2019

AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSICAL TRADITIONS: MELANIE DeMORE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2019 9:30 AM- 1 PM

FAIRVIEW ELEMENTARY: 23515 MAUD AVE, HAYWARD

Local treasure Melanie DeMore is a musical force, empowering singers of all ages to use music to promote social justice. She will introduce us to musical practices and songs from the Georgia sea islands along with other music from the African-American tradition, and inspire us with the power of music to build community.

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CHORAL WORKSHOP: MELISSA HEADRICK

April 6, 2019 9:30 am -1 pm

Burlingame United Methodist Church

Singing is fun! (And learning is sneaky!): Using Kodály-inpired teaching strategies in the choral rehearsal to infuse musical learning while instilling joy and love of music making.

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SINGING THE STRUGGLE: AGUSTÍN LIRA & PATRICIA WELLS

Singing the Struggle: Agustín Lira & Patricia Wells

SINGING THE STRUGGLE: AGUSTÍN LIRA & PATRICIA WELLS

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2018 @ 3 pm

Community Music Center: 544 Capp Street San Francisco

Agustín Lira was the musical voice of the farmworkers’ movement in the 1960’s. Join us for a rare opportunity to hear this national treasure perform and share historical background about music that shaped California history.

Choral Repertoire with Teaching Strategies

Joyce Keil and Kent Jue
Saturday, February 3, 2018  9:30 am -1 pm

Holy Names University
3500 Mountain Blvd, Oakland, CA

Two experienced choral directors will share some of their favorite repertoire for children’s choirs and will present with teaching strategies for these pieces. Joyce Keil, co-founder and artistic director of Ragazzi Boys Chorus, will present repertoire for middle school treble voices, and Kent Jue, associate artistic director, will present repertoire for elementary-aged choirs. The workshop will also include the selections for the mass choir of the 2018 HNU/NCAKE Children’s Choral Festival, enabling choral directors to prepare their choirs for participation in the festival. This workshop will be an inspiring opportunity to learn from two music educators with years of experience creating beautiful music with young singers.

Little Feet, Big Beats: Music for Early Childhood

Kate Offer and Kevin Gerzevitz
Saturday, April 14, 2018  9:30 am -1 pm

Pacific Primary School
1500 Grove St, San Francisco, CA

Young children fundamentally need to play, sing, and move. This workshop aims to explore kid-tested material that fulfills those needs while discussing concrete strategies for working with children ages 3-5. We will discover how to adapt songs and games with different age groups; how to design activities that embrace repetition; and how to develop fundamental musicianship skills while fostering creativity in the preschooler.

Please note that the ideas presented in this workshop will be full of valuable ideas for all early childhood educators, so please invite classroom teachers!

Presenters Kate Offer and Kevin Gerzevitz are full-time music specialists at Pacific Primary School in San Francisco.

¡Cantamos Juntos! Mexican Music for the Classroom

Featuring a special performance by Cascada de Flores
Saturday, September 16, 2017 9:30 am -1 pm

East Bay Center for the Performing Arts
339 11th Street, Richmond, CA

Kick off your school year with a wealth of Latin American repertoire presented by the Bay Area’s Arwen Lawrence and Jorge Liceaga. Arwen and Jorge are lifelong performers, travelers, and educators, committed to sharing music and culture with students around the world, who are excited to share “tried and true” materials with you. The workshop will close with a free performance by Arwen and Jorge’s professional ensemble: Cascada de Flores performing nostalgic song and traditions of Mexico and its neighbors –invite your family and friends!