Teaching Artistry and Music Education Concentration Workshop Series
NEC will host seven to eight workshops per year as part of its Teaching Artistry and Music Education Concentration. These workshops expand on the curricular and experiential learning opportunities in the concentration by inviting experts in their respective fields to present interactive learning opportunities on a variety of topics related to teaching artistry. While these workshops are designed to fulfill part of the requirements for students earning the concentration, they are open to the NEC community at large as well the general public. All of these workshops will be free. Please see the listings below for information on workshop content, clinician bios, and the opportunity to register to attend.
Music to Improve Well-Being in Dementia Care
Sunday, March 3
2:00-4:00pm
St. Botolph 231 - New England Conservatory
Leticia Prieto Álvarez
This interactive workshop will present therapeutic strategies to engage older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and other related dementias. We will actively explore how music can be used to support their cognitive, emotional, physical, and social wellbeing. Please bring your instrument and a curious mind!
A native of Spain, Leticia Prieto Álvarez holds a B.A. in Piano, Chamber Music Performance, and Viola Performance from Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Madrid and a Master of Music in Viola Performance as well as a Graduate Diploma from New England Conservatory, where she studied as a Fulbright scholar. In 2010 she obtained a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Music Therapy from Lesley University and in 2021 she completed a Ph.D. in Health Sciences from Rey Juan Carlos I University (Madrid) after defending her thesis on the effects of neurologic music therapy with older adults with dementia. This research study was also published by the peer-reviewed journal Music Therapy Perspectives. Her current research is focused on gait and music-based interventions for fall prevention in older adults.
As a member of the Filarmonica de Madrid Orchestra, she has performed at the Royal Auditoriums of Madrid and Murcia and was part of the award-winning Spanish children’s TV program ‘El Conciertazo.” She collaborates regularly with Infinity Dance Collective and performed in the shows Activate and Transmute at the Cambridge Community Center for the Arts in the past year
Leticia is a licensed music therapist, a neurologic music therapy fellow, and a mental health counselor. She is the Director of Expressive Therapies and Brain Health Initiatives at Hebrew Senior Life and adjunct faculty at Lesley University. She received the 2019 Massachusetts Assisted Living Association Program Innovation award and loves supporting people’s creativity and artistic expression.
Who Owns the Story: Creative Youth Development in Film and Music
Wednesday, March 6
6:00-8:00pm
St. Botolph 315 - New England Conservatory
Jenny Herzog
In this workshop, participants will examine how can the arts be used to facilitate a platform for the voices and stories of community members who often go unheard? By asking the question what responsibility do artists have to address some of the most pressing social issues of our time, participants will explore how they might use their artistic practice to engage diverse demographics in the crafting and sharing of their own stories. Music and narrative (film, live performance, storytelling), when integrated together, can shift hearts and minds, hold systems accountable, and facilitate vital dialogue between those with lived experience and those in a positions of power. This workshop will share some of Jenny's previous work including bits from a recent documentary on gun violence in Massachusetts. Participants will also interview one another, create their own narrative arcs, and then compose/improvise an original music score; they also will have the option of scoring a short documentary featuring community members who served long prison sentences. Participants will leave with a set of tools for engaging diverse populations in the crafting and sharing of their stories.
Jenny Herzog is the founder of Chaos Theory, which uses the arts to connect community members who have been impacted by the cycle of violence with stakeholders, policy makers, and the public. Jenny's work uses documentary film, narrative, and music to hear directly from the experts--those with lived experience. She has worked with incarcerated women, young men with gang affiliations, those who have been impacted by gun violence, teenagers with a history of complex trauma, and currently: teenagers in Massachusets' juvenile detention centers. Each of these projects addresses a pressing and relevant social issue through the lens of personal narrative, composed by a cast of experts, to bring these issues to the forefront of public consciousness. www.jennyherzog.com
Designing a Stress-Free Studio: Creating a Performer/Teacher Life of Balance
Tuesday, April 2
7:00-9:00pm
Virtual on Zoom (register to receive the link)
Laura Sinclair
Establishing a teaching studio can be daunting to any musician, particularly if you have the
desire to balance a performance career. In this session, current and future educators will
explore various contexts in which one could teach. We will discuss common pitfalls of studio
development, studio structure, policies, and how to build community. Participants will receive
resources and action steps they can implement immediately to increase their income, enjoy
their teaching, and still have time to practice.
Topics covered will include: myths around teaching and performing, intentional program design, business systems, and attracting the right students. This session will outline steps to success that future educators can take while still in school, allowing them to emerge in the working world with a plan of action.
Laura Sinclair is an active performer and Suzuki teacher. She can be found on the concert stage
with ensembles like the Naples PhilharmonicAtlantic Classical Orchestra, Boca Symphonia,
Symphony of the Americas, and the Kravis Center Pops Orchestra, in the pit with National
Broadway tours and the Miami City Ballet, and at private events with Elan Artists. A former Title
I public school strings director, she is the music curriculum director for the Volta Foundation,
providing educational training and support to their teachers and developing a diverse repertoire
sequence. Laura firmly believes that music can be a powerful tool for breaking down barriers
and building good citizens of the world.
As a self-proclaimed Suzuki fanatic, Laura is registered through Book 10, in addition to many
supplemental courses in Pre-Twinkle, Group Class, Suzuki in the Schools, Spiccato, Priority
Teaching, and Energy work. She blends high-level teaching with her interest in neuroscience
and attachment parenting. She shares this with her vibrant home studio, and parents and
teachers worldwide.
As a studio owner, Laura is passionate about helping other teachers develop smart business
practices and enjoys teaching to its fullest. You can hear her on Time to Practice with Christine
Goodner and Tech Conversations at FIU's Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator with guest host Neil
Ramsey. Learn more at https://linktr.ee/lauraksinclair.
Teaching Artistry Careers: NEC Alumni Panel Discussion
Wednesday, April 17th
2:00-3:15pm
St. Botolph G01 - New England Conservatory and Virtual Webinar (register to receive link)
Alumni Guests to be Announced
This workshop will feature NEC alumni who have pursued a variety of careers related to teaching artistry. Moderated by Assistant Dean of Community Engagement Erik Elmgren, the conversation will be focused on the balancing of teaching and performing, the role teaching artistry plays in a holistic career, tips and tricks for seeking opportunities post graduation, and best ways to prepare for a teaching artist career while still a student! Offered in conjunction with "Foundations of Teaching Artistry Course" at NEC.
Elizabeth Stefan holds a multifaceted career as violist, educator, and arts administrator. Currently, she teaches young violinists and violists at musiConnects, after previously serving as Program Director (2016-20) and longtime Resident Musician (2012-20). Previous teaching positions were held with Making Music Matters and the Community Music Center of Boston. She received a META Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the inaugural class of fellows (2016-2018) and presented her teams’ research on the support Teaching Artists need versus the support they receive. As a performing violist, Elizabeth is a founding member of Phoenix, an innovative, Boston-based chamber ensemble, in addition to the founding violist of the Sumner Quartet. Elizabeth holds a BM and Arts Leadership Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and a MM from New England Conservatory. She is currently the Director of Education and Partnerships at Rockport Music.
Joseph Borsellino III is a Boston-born producer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. On his principal instrument-- saxophone-- he has entertained audiences along the eastern coast with popular jazz repertoire laced with gospel-oriented improvisations and original music. His compositions have been selected by both Jazz Education Network and the International Society of Jazz Composers and Arrangers for their dynamic expression and cross-cultural sensibilities, drawing from distant corners of the African diaspora. In 2021, Borsellino was awarded the inaugural ISJAC Emerging Black Composer Prize for his jazz suite, “The Police State,” which has been broadcasted by Germany’s WDR Big Band. He enjoys teaching piano and saxophone lessons remotely from his home-studio in addition to recording, producing, and mixing creative projects both of his own making and for local musicians. On April 16th, 2021, Borsellino released his second EP, “Last year was a beautiful, terrible mess,” a collection of collaborative projects recorded throughout 2020’s extensive lockdown. Currently, Borsellino is serving as a Student Success Advisor at Berklee College of Music, where he coaches young musicians on time management and goal-setting, helping them achieve their academic and personal goals.
Holly Alper is a teaching artist and double bassist from East Islip, NY. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Music performance from SUNY Fredonia in 2017 and her Masters Degree from New England Conservatory in Double Bass performance in 2019. Since finishing her Masters, Holly has been teaching strings in an El Sistema based music program in Boston since 2020. Holly is most passionate about giving her students ownership of their learning, empowering her students, building strong connections, and making joyful music. She is committed to consistently learning and growing her teaching skills through participating in fellowships, online courses, and professional development opportunities.
Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Holistic Teaching Approach
Wednesday, October 18
6:30-8:30pm
Virtual on Zoom (register to receive the link)
Monique Van Willingh
This interactive workshop will explore how to infuse culturally responsive pedagogy into the various components of one's teaching practice such as the classroom environment, content, instruction, communication of expectations, and classroom dialogue. We will look briefly at the history of asset pedagogies, explore how to see student backgrounds and prior knowledge as assets in the classroom, learn how to support students with varying socio-cultural backgrounds and discover how building genuine connections with students can lead to deeper engagement and learning outcomes.
Originally from South Africa, Monique Van Willingh is an educator, musician, and advocate for social and racial justice with cultural humility and brave dialogue as her central approach. As the Director of Cultural Equity and Belonging at the New England Conservatory of Music, Monique is committed to creating and sustaining spaces of belonging.
In her past position as Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program at Longy School of Music of Bard College, Monique oversaw Longy’s one-year music education credential program in Los Angeles, that focused on music pedagogy, performance, and social justice. Monique has taught graduate level courses such as Historical and Social Foundations of Education, Social Justice Music Research Project, and Culturally Responsive Teaching. A graduate of the Sistema Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory of Music in 2013, Monique explored the Venezuelan El Sistema music for social change program model. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching Degree from Longy School of Music of Bard College. Monique was the Music Director for the El Sistema inspired program, Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) serving over 275 youth and families.
Monique serves as the Vice Chair of the El Sistema USA national board. In this capacity, she co-led the ESUSA Equity-centered Pedagogy Working Group and serves as the chair of the Governance Committee. Monique has been a panelist, presenter, or facilitator at conferences and organizations such as ProArts Consortium, Sphinx, YOLA National, iTAC, Global Leaders Program, Global Arts, From the Top, El Sistema USA, and various K-12 and university music education programs.
The Musician’s Offering: Putting Community at the Center of Artistry
Sunday, November 5
2:00-4:00pm
Pierce Hall - New England Conservatory
Dr. Erik Elmgren and Vijay Gupta
This workshop will present a framework for how to approach relationship and engagement with a community audience, including advice for programming, relationship building, how you practice your instrument, and how to communicate your and the composer’s artistic intention to audiences outside the typical concert hall setting. Most importantly, this workshop is designed to inspire a new model where musicians position community engagement as a core part of their daily practice, creating art that advances the community's goals and simultaneously elevates their own artistry.
Erik Elmgren believes that the role of artists in our society is to stand in the gaps of cultural, social, and ideological differences and create musical experiences that reaffirm our connection to our shared humanity. As an arts leader, saxophonist, and educator, Erik seeks to create artistic spaces grounded in belonging, trust, and imagination. Erik’s research and writing at the intersection of community arts practice and higher education is an ongoing and deep exploration into the role of community connection in training the musicians of the future. His work touches on elements of social work, community engagement, nonprofit organization, teaching artistry, and music education to cultivate a holistic artistic practice that prepares musicians to become engaged citizens and transformative advocates for equity, inclusion, and healing within their communities.
Erik currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Community Engagement and Teaching Artistry at the New England Conservatory of Music. In this role, he helps oversee the school’s flagship Community Performances and Partnerships Program which works with conservatory students and community partners to create impactful programming throughout Boston. He is also deeply involved in community arts initiatives across the country, most notably serving as a frequent consultant for the work of Street Symphony in Los Angeles. Erik holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Saxophone Performance as well as a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Georgia, as well as degrees from the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Illinois. www.erikelmgren.com
Vijay Gupta is a violinist, speaker and collaborative artist. He serves as the Artistic Director of Street Symphony, an organization he founded in 2011 which provides thousands of musical experiences for people in reentry from homelessness, addiction and incarceration in Los Angeles. Gupta is also the 2023 Artist in Residence at Music Worcester, curating a wide array of musical and community collaborations.
Vijay has performed as an international recitalist, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician for over 20 years, playing his solo debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta. Vijay served as a member of the first violin section of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 12 years. A dynamic recording artist, Vijay’s critically acclaimed discography includes an array of chamber music and solo works. His solo violin albums When the Violin and Transcendent Night are available under his own label, Vidya Projects.
Gupta is a 2018 MacArthur Fellow, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Marist College, and a Master’s in Music from the Yale School of Music. Vijay plays a 2010 violin made by Los Angeles-based luthier Eric Benning, and an 18th century baroque violin from Tyrol. He can be found on Instagram @guptaviolin.
What Musicians Can Learn About Practicing from Current Brain Research
Sunday, December 10
2:00-4:00pm
Virtual on Zoom (register to receive the link)
Dr. Molly Gebrian
This presentation will focus on what neuroscientists have discovered about how our brains learn and how to apply these insights to practicing and teaching so that practicing becomes more efficient and effective, leading to enhanced performance ability, enjoyment, and confidence. Topics include: how to get rid of bad habits, how to make things automatic/reliable on stage, the role of sleep in learning, the power of mental practicing, how to use the metronome to greatest effect, and the benefits of random practice for enhanced performance.
Dr. Molly Gebrian is a professional violist with a background in neuroscience. Her area of expertise is applying the science of learning and memory to practicing and performing. Given this expertise, she is a frequent presenter on the neuroscience of practicing at conferences, universities, and music festivals in the US and abroad. As a violist, her performing is focused on promoting the music of marginalized composers, particular those from groups traditionally underrepresented in classical music. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in viola performance from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and also holds graduate degrees in viola performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and Bachelors degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, in both viola performance and neuroscience. Her principal teachers include Peter Slowik, Carol Rodland, James Dunham and Garth Knox. After teaching for five years at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, she joined the faculty at the Fred Fox School of Music at the University of Arizona in the fall of 2019. www.mollygebrian.com
