I Think I'm Terrible, What Now?
Patrick Sheridan
Sponsor:
Location: Band Room

Freaking about Fillmore? Grim about Grainger? Horrified with Holst? Questioning what, how, and why you are teaching? Need to fall in love with music and teaching again? Want to hear your scores in greater detail? Come to this inspirational clinic about intention and focus. Discover pathways to improved musicianship, inspiration, and meaning in your music education career.

Guitar Chords
Andrew Erickson
Sponsor:
Location: Theatre

Teaching chords from junior high to high school (including your jazz band guitar players!) Andrew will go through a variety of common chord shapes, modifiers, jazz voicings and approaches to chord theory. Guitars provided (first 30 people)

L'apprentissage musical à travers le folklore francophone
Rachelle Landry and Jody Stark
Sponsor:
Location: Library

Dans cette session, Rachelle et Jody vont partager des modèles et principes pour approfondir les connaissances et les habiletés musicales des élèves de M à 6e années à travers le répertoire traditionnel francophone.

Rachelle and Jody will share activities for use in the K-6 French music context using traditional folk

materials to develop students’ musical understanding and skills.

Flute FUNdamentals: Confident Teaching from the First Note

Stéphanie Superle

Sponsor:

Location: 5100

Teaching flute can feel tricky—but it doesn’t have to! This hands-on session gives you the tools to tackle

embouchure, first notes, tone development, and common classroom challenges. Build your confidence

and leave with practical tips to make teaching flute fun and effective! Don’t forget to bring a flute!

Music as a Guide – Aural Training for the Rhythm Section

Fabio Ragnelli

Sponsor:

Location: 5102

What are the challenges in describing a rhythm, feel, and/or stylistic approach when

working with a rhythm section? Does musical terminology or notation work? Using specific

musical examples as a primary resource helps streamline the process.

The session will cover specific styles and recordings, notated examples, rhythm section ‘dictionary’

, and

authentic sound (the beat).

nêhiyawêwin Songs for Choirs

Sherryl Sewepagaham

Sponsor:

Location: MP Room

Join music educator and composer, Sherryl Sewepagaham, as she shares her nêhiyawêwin (Cree

language) compositions for unison, SA, SSA, and SATB choirs. Participants will be introduced to

Cree-focused vocal pedagogy, resonance, sound production, language, instrumentation, and cultural

elements of music encompassing a resurgent, compositional approach. Please bring a smart device.

Vocal Jazz 101 - Part 1

Jennifer Barnes

Sponsor:

Location: Choir Room

In this session, we’ll cover a broad spectrum of the basics of getting started with a vocal jazz ensemble,

with topics to include repertoire, sound reinforcement, rhythm section, vocal jazz ensemble sound and

style, and rehearsal techniques.

Note: Whether or not you’ve attended “Vocal Jazz 101 - Part 1”

, you’re welcome to attend “Vocal Jazz

101- Continued” at 1:00 p.m

Enriching Students with Military Music - An Opportunity

Joel Lessard

Sponsor:

Location: 3200

Explore the benefits of exposing your students (and yourself!) to a military wind band, military music, and

the military environment. Learn about the many ways students can musically and personally gain

independence, confidence, fulfillment, accountability, adaptability, and much more through involvement in

a military Brass & Reed Band.

Making Music More Accessible - Bringing more students more opportunities

Tricia Howe & Sheila Scott

Sponsor:

Location: 3201

This session will talk about some of the equipment currently available to make musical instruments more

available to learners with physical barriers, including instruments from a more universal design

perspective, and allow attendees some time with the equipment.

Mix it Up! Songs and Games for Brain Breaks, Social Interaction and Fun!

Susan Brumfield

Sponsor:

Location: Blue Gym

Whether it’s singing, playing instruments, reading and writing notation, creating or listening intently, many

skill-based activities in music classes require intense concentration and focus. Incorporating intermittent

“brain breaks” throughout your lessons can provide students with much-needed opportunities to rest,

recharge and refocus their minds and bodies, enhancing their overall experience and enjoyment.

These informal activities help to foster social interaction, reduce stress, provide opportunities for sharing

musical ideas, build rapport and camaraderie, and create an atmosphere of belonging and community

within the classroom. In this session, we will actively explore repertoire with a focus on its musical and

extra musical benefits. We'll learn name games,

"mixers" and other songs and games along with fun

activities designed to get students moving, singing and playing while cultivating a joyful, playful, and

relaxed environment for learning.

10:20-11:30 am

Keynote Address: The Musical Sounds of Reconciliation

Sherryl Sewepagaham

Sponsor:

Location: Jubilee Place

Historically, the music and song traditions of Indigenous Peoples were systematically

silenced—demonized, outlawed, and labeled “immoral” under colonial policies that sought to assimilate

and erase Indigenous identities, cultures, and languages. This erasure led to a profound loss of traditional

song practices and the cultural knowledge they carry. Yet, as The Honourable Steven Lewis Point

(Skowkale First Nation), former Chancellor of UBC, powerfully stated in 2022: “Reconciliation is the song

we sing together.

”

In this TEMPO 2025 Keynote presentation, nêhiyâw (Cree) artist, music educator, and 2024 Vanier

Scholar Sherryl Sewepagaham invites music educators into a transformative journey of cross-cultural

collaboration, reflection, and practice. Grounded in her ongoing research and decades of experience in

K-6 music education, Sherryl explores how collective singing and the integration of Indigenous musical

worldviews can deepen cross-cultural understanding and contribute meaningfully to reconciliation.

Through story, sound, and the sharing of a newly-composed song, participants will be invited to engage

with Indigenous voice and artistry as a path toward inclusive and respectful music education.