Conference Workshops

Melanie DeMore

Songs of Gratitude and Hope

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 9:00am CT

You won’t want to miss this workshop led by our 2024 Magic Penny recipient, Melanie DeMore. The workshop will include original and traditional songs that feed the heart and spirit in troubling times. There will be singin’!

Singer-songwriter Melanie DeMore has a remarkable voice, weaving the fibers of African American folk music with soulful ballads, spirituals and her own original music. DeMore beautifully brings her audience together through her music and commentary. She has toured extensively, singing at festivals, universities, in coffee houses and concert halls. Her recordings Share My Song and Come Follow Me are both heartfelt collections of her music.

Ants on a Log

Musical Improv

Sunday Sept 29, 2024 at 9:00am CT

As performers for live audiences, we never know what will happen during a show. Learn to love the spontaneous, the unplanned, and the surprising, as we play musical improv games, and then create a musical–improvised together without any planning! More than just very fun, improv is a study in teamwork, flexibility within structure, mutual support, and can be modified for various ages.

Objectives:

1. Learn improv warm-ups to generate creative ideas and to get loose and playful before a show
2. Experience in-the-moment unplanned collaboration
3. Learn the format of an improvised musical

Ants on a Log (Julie Be and Miles Crabtree) creates music for children and other childlike people, songfully advocating for positivity, social justice, and silliness. Featured widely in national media, their award-winning music serves as a soundtrack for social justice education and progressive parenting. Known for skillfully weaving together joy and justice, the Ants have produced four albums, two musicals, and numerous singles, music videos, and educational resources. @antsonalogmusic

Ashley & Ceylon Wise

Creative Community Collaborations

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 3:15pm CT

Ceylon and Ashley Wise believe in the power of music and creativity to bring people together and effect positive change. In this workshop they guide participants through the process of using their creative skills to effect positive change in their communities. They share their experiences leveraging music and creativity to address various community issues and also provide practical steps for others to do the same.

By the end of the workshop participants will be equipped to do the following:

1. Identify Their Impact: Recognize their unique skill sets and understand how they can be used to make meaningful change in their communities.
2. Address Specific Issues: Learn how to identify specific issues in their community for maximum impact.
3. Leverage Their Networks: Understand the importance of and methods of how to utilize their personal, professional, social, and community circles to further their community projects.

These are the first three of a five step process.  Join Ceylon and Ashley to complete the process and go out into your communities ready to make change happen!

Ashley and Ceylon Wise, college sweethearts who met at Middle TN State University, are now Columbus-based musicians and content creators. Ashley holds multiple degrees, including a B.M. in Piano Performance from MTSU and an M.M. in Piano Pedagogy from the University of TN. With over 25 years of experience as a piano teacher, she owns a private studio, has taught at Denison University, and accompanies various ensembles in Columbus. Ceylon, with a B.S. in Recording Engineering from MTSU, owns TooWise Productions and contributes as an arranger, producer, musician, and content creator.

Together with their two boys, Ceylon and Caleb, they create family-friendly content on their YouTube Channel, The Wise Channel. Their family music group, also named The Wise Channel, was part of the Grammy-nominated project All One Tribe with the One Tribe Collective.

Tara Trudel

How To Write A Funny Song (Bonk!)

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 10:30am CT

Join Tara Trudel to learn techniques used by professional comedians to create fresh material and find the funny in your songwriting. We'll do exercises to generate ideas, develop comedic point of view, heighten emotion, and craft memorable laugh lines guaranteed to get kids giggling. BONK! (Workshop title created by Tara’s 7 year old.)

Objectives:

• Learn concepts such as direct and satirical point of view, parody, misdirect, wordplay, clash of context, and how to apply them in child-centered ways
• Practice executing concepts through real-time group and individual writing exercises
• Build a repertoire of exercises, techniques, and suggestions for further study for continued practice after the workshop

Tara Trudel is a versatile songwriter, composer, and writer. She toured nationally as a Music Director with the Second City Touring Company and has taught comedy for the Second City Training Center, ComedySportz Chicago, Second City Works, and the Writing Barn. In kidlit, Tara has written theme songs for picture books and YA novels, including Amy Krouse Rosenthal's New York Times Bestselling UNI THE UNICORN. Her work as a composer has been featured in SXSW, Vulture's Best Comedy Shorts of the Year, Sony's Voces Nuevas, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Citizen Musician, and Broadway Video's Más Mejor. Tara's children's album, Fractured: Fairy Tales Remixed, is currently being adapted for stage productions. Follow along @Tara_Trudel or visit www.taratrudel.com to see and hear more. 

Tina and Mark Harris

YouTube and Spotify Analytics: 
Learn to Use Them & Start Making Money from Your Videos and Music

Monday Sept 23, 2024 at 7:30pm ET virtual

Participants will master three essential skills. 

1. An intro into YouTube analytics, enabling them to decipher crucial metrics such as watch time, audience retention, and engagement, ultimately optimizing their content strategy for maximum reach and impact.
2. Attendees will delve into Spotify analytics, uncovering insights into listener demographics, streaming trends, and playlist performance, empowering them to fine-tune their music promotion efforts and cultivate a loyal fan base. Lastly, 
3. Participants will learn actionable strategies for monetizing their creative endeavors on both platforms, exploring revenue streams such as ad revenue, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and more. 

By mastering these key areas, aspiring children's entertainers and musicians can elevate their online presence, grow their audience, and turn their passion into a profitable venture.

Tina and Mark Harris co-created the children’s band Lah-Lah in 2008, releasing multiple albums and producing TV content for Nickelodeon and ABC TV.  The Lah-Lah's Big Live Band YouTube channel now has over 1.5 Million views every 48 hrs and over 574k Subscribers. The largest video has over 157 Million views and is growing. Since COVID Mark and Tina have pivoted their touring business to now be 90% online focussing on YouTube and digital music. They now help other creatives learn how to make better videos and create passive income streams online.

Kelli Welli

Beginner's Guide to Film Festival Submission

Wednesday Sept 25, 2024 at 6:15pm CT virtual

This is a BEGINNER’S GUIDE to entry. In this workshop, we will look at the basics of entry into film festivals using FilmFreeway.com. 

We will cover:

1. How to set up an account and collect the right materials for a polished project submission
2. How to find and evaluate which film festivals to enter
3. How to honestly self-evaluate your music videos or short films for submission
4. Things to watch out for or not to be afraid of when entering
5. Attending a festival
6. Other ways to find festivals

Kelli Welli (Kelli Caldwell) has been called “The Pixar of Children’s songwriters” for her award-winning work and commitment to keeping even the silliest of songs super smart, with full respect for kids’ brains. Recently named the Grand Prize Winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and Top 3 in the International Songwriting Competition, Kelli draws upon her unique upbringing to create songs that often defy categorization. Kelli’s wide-ranging songwriting is clever, fun, often hilarious, sometimes reflective and deeply sweet.

Julio Petersen III

Crafting Engaging Content for Contemporary Children's Programming

Tuesday Sept 25, 2024 at 7:30pm CT virtual

Greetings fellow children's entertainers! I am thrilled to present a workshop centered around my YouTube program, "Mr. Pete's Playhouse." As a content creator dedicated to providing children of all ages with a fun learning experience,I am excited to share insights, strategies, and creative approaches to crafting engaging content for contemporary children's programming.  

The objectives of the workshop are:

• Explore the multifaceted nature of contemporary children's programming.
• Share practical tips and techniques for creating captivating and educational content.
• Foster collaboration and exchange ideas among fellow content creators.
• Inspire innovation and creativity in children's programming.

Julio Petersen III was born and raised in St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands, where he discovered his musical talents in the fourth grade.  After spending many years serving his country, Julio founded his former Theatre Company “JPete Theatre Company” in 2014, which produced five Main Stage productions in Houston TX.  Julio attained his bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance (Theatre minor) from Texas Southern University in 2017, and currently works as a Drama Teacher in Houston Independent School District, where he won his campus’ “Beginning Teacher of the Year” award in 2019. 

In 2020 Julio created a Children’s YouTube channel called “Mr. Pete’s Playhouse” to teach and entertain kids, virtually. The series has grown into a fully fledged operation spanning various platforms including Roku TV and Amazon Fire TV. Mr. Pete’s Playhouse also does live performances, DJ events, and the original songs from the series can be found on Apple Music, Spotify and other Music streaming services. In 2022 and 2023 Julio authored and published the first two books of his “Adventures of Khari” series. 

Liz Buchanan

Gracie Nash

Symon Hajjar

Ann Torralba

Mark Pagano

Songwriting Panel

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 3:15pm CT

What are the essential ingredients in crafting an engaging song? Every song is unique and different just like the songwriter themselves. Join five prolific songwriters in discussing their process and perspectives on the art of creating an original song.

Jim Cosgrove

Michael Romero

Julianne Hartley

Jeremy Rashad Brown

Mental Health and Music Panel

Wednesday Sept 26, 2024 at 7:30pm CT virtual

Steve Elci

Modern Day Video and AI Production

Monday Sept 23, 2024 at 5pm CT virtual

The goal of this workshop is to de-mystify the video production and album art process and better understand AI – where it is and where it will be going.

The workshop will cover three types of technology: 

1. Standard video production and scripting for your music including costs and social media presentation and reach and demographics
2. How to embrace AI technology, what is it, and how do we use it as a tool for our video and graphic productions include artist research and the costs involved
3. Graphic design work and costs associated with it. 

Steve Elci has been making children's music for 15 years. He performed all across the country and his music has won multiple awards, including being Emmy nominated. Recently, he has been inducted into the New England Music Hall of Fame class of 2024.

Symon and Princess Hajjar

How To Make Reels While Keeping it Real

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 9:00am CT

Princess and Symon will share strategies for how to develop a thriving Instagram presence without losing your mind.

This workshop will cover:

• the ingredients that make a viral reel
• how to find your relatability and relevance
• tips and tricks for video editing
• cultivating your algorhythm
• the best equipment to get the job done
• translating what you’re already doing into Instagram content

Symon and Princess Hajjar are the founders of Hot Toast Music Company in Tulsa, OK. Hot Toast is both a menu of in-person musical experiences for kids and a mixtape of songs for growing up. We believe that even the youngest children are whole people capable of constructing their own learning, thinking deeply, and having amazing ideas. Hot Toast is here to create a musical environment that awakens their innate curiosity and narrates their journey of discovery. We believe that music is the perfect vehicle for cross-curricular learning. By wrapping metaphors in melodies and mashing up topics that wouldn’t otherwise go together, children are able to grasp intangible concepts like mindfulness and self-regulation. DIY instrument creations, songwriting collaborations, interactive sing and play alongs, immersive provocations, and guitar/ukulele lessons all play an important role in Hot Toast programming.

Cory Cullinan

Interactivity & Collaboration To Create A Shared Experience

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 3:15pm CT

Interactivity is at the core of all Cory Cullinan’s endeavors from his live shows to his  workshops and courses to producing people’s albums and songs.  Join “Dr. Noize” explore how to create a shared experience. 

To teach, and to perform, and to write, you need to be expert at the same counterintuitive thing: Listening. The objectives for this workshop are:

• How to model learning about each other in rapid format
• How to collaborate with each other to actually create a brand new recording leveraging our talents in 90 minutes
• How to collaborate with each other to have that recording give a message representing all the participants in a project

Cory Cullinan is a former high school Arts Dept Head, has served as Director of Recording  Arts at both CU Denver and Regis University, and as a Board member for the former Recording Academy (Grammy).  He runs the summer Recording Arts program at Stanford University.  Cory is a nationally known children’s recording/performing artist as Doctor Noize (doctornoize.com), with chart hits in three decades, and the owner of Reach Studios in CO, where he produces many other artists’ albums.

Marsha Goodman-Wood

Music Videos with Canva

Wednesday Sept 25, 2024 at 5:00pm CT virtual

Learn how to make music videos using the online tool Canva (which has both a free version and a reasonably priced "Pro" version)! Through a real-time demonstration, get some tips to get started and make your own videos including:

• Adding audio, and using your own videos and photos.
• Using the tools Canva offers.
• Working with text, animating lyrics, and adjusting the text timing.
• Keeping it interesting and making your videos fun.

Marsha Goodman-Wood leads DC-based kindie band, Marsha and the Positrons, who specialize in fun songs about science and how the world works with positive social messages! Marsha is a former cognitive neuroscientist, as well as an award-winning songwriter, known for her clever original songs mixing science facts with messages about kindness and friendship. Her music has won a Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award, two National Parenting Products Awards, and various songwriting awards. Marsha and the Positrons songs are playful, educational, and entertaining for kids and grown-ups!  Marsha has also combined her musical work and neuroscience academic training, giving talks on music and the brain, and penning an article for the journal of The Children’s Music Network, Pass It On, called “Where Does Music Reside in the Brain?”. Marsha always brings positive energy and playfulness to the stage and classroom, and loves to inspire curiosity about science through her music! 

Roy Moye III

Empowering Community with STEMusic! 

Sunday Sept 29, 2024 at 9:00am CT

sponsored by Songs for Teaching

Is it possible to make STEM fun, engaging, and exciting for children?  Join Roy Moye III and learn how music makes the difference!!

As educators you will learn:

• to understand how you can make a STEM career relatable for the students you serve including how you can show your students the difference STEM can make in their lives and community. 
• how to incorporate STEM topics into memorable songs that will help make the lessons for their students impactful.
• activities that make learning about STEM physical and fun! 

Roy Moye III is a dynamic speaker, singer, aerospace engineer, and the founder of STEMusic LLC. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Wichita State University and has worked in the aerospace industry for the past 8 years. Roy started his career as a structural design engineer designing parts for different aircraft before pivoting to Talent Acquisition to recruit the next generation of engineers. As an accomplished singer, he has sung multiple National Anthems for professional sports teams, earned a Grammy Nomination with his Group "1 Tribe Collective" and has a music video with 46 million views. Roy is also an accomplished speaker with TEDx talk and SXSW EDU experience and serves as a regular speaker for thousands of students and educators at USA Science and Engineering festival events. He is passionate about the mission of STEMusic which aims to inspire the next generation of multicultural STEM professionals through engaging and entertaining music.

Evalyn Harper

More than the ABCs: Music as an Early Literacy Practice in the Library and Beyond

Tuesday Sept 24, 2024 at 6:15pm CT virtual

Using the ALA’s Every Child Ready to Read program as a framework, workshop participants will learn how music can be used to support the development of young readers. By the end of the workshop participants will be able to identify and define the six key pre-literacy skills (print motivation, print awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and narrative skills) and demonstrate an understanding of music’s role in supporting each of them. This knowledge will help librarians in the selection and incorporation of music into early literacy programming, while providing a vocabulary for musicians to help communicate how their work relates to early literacy. 

Evalyn Harper (she/her), CMN's 2022 Pass It On! Scholarship Recipient, is a graduate student in the Master of Library and Information Science program at the University of Illinois. As an aspiring children's librarian, she studies the ways music can be practically incorporated into library programming to support early literacy. When not in the classroom, she can often be found singing and playing with her friends at story time. She is also the founder and facilitator of CMN's Library Affinity group. 

Griot B

Telling Our Story: Highlighting diverse stories and counternarratives through Hip Hop

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 10:30am CT

Join Brandon “Griot B” Brown (SchoolYard Rap) with the objectives of better understanding the need for a counter-narrative in educational settings, and the basics of utilizing hip-hop to tell these narratives.

Griot B is the founder and CEO of School Yard Rap (SYR). SYR works to build awareness, knowledge, and competencies for excellence and equity in schools.

Prior to starting School Yard Rap, he was a founding school leader in northern California  who  began his career as a public school teacher in Inglewood, California. His success as a teacher and leader led him to take up the mantle of “Griot B” and create School Yard Rap. 

Marty Long

Heather White Luckow

Fostering Early Childhood Development through Music

Monday Sept 23, 2024 at 6:15pm CT virtual

Heather White Lucklow  and Marty Long share specific milestones of early childhood development and how music meets those milestones including songs that demonstrate how to foster that development. There are also songwriting tips and ideas for creating your own songs with specific developmental goals.

Learning objectives include sharing Music to support:

• Executive Function including skills in planning, working memory, inhibition, flexibility, attention, retention, and processing. For example, making music with children and their families, caregivers, or teachers who will model with you helps young children learn to explore new activities, take risks, make mistakes, and recover.
• Gross and fine motor skills. Studies have shown that both gross and fine motor skills foster language development by using rhythmic motions with either finger play or full body movement along with the music. Using music supporting motor skills is also adaptable for children with physical limitations making it important for all children in muscle tone and development.
• Regulation. Self regulation of emotions, movement, and impulses are important things to help young children for school (and life) readiness. For example, using songs that stop/start, slow down/accelerate, and are loud/soft provide skills and motivation to direct and modulate behavior in a way that helps them understand what it means to be part of their community.

Marty Long is the Preschool Music Specialist at the Raleigh School in Raleigh, NC and holds a Bachelor of Music in music composition. As a songwriter and composer, she has had a variety of experiences in her music career. From maintaining a studio for private piano and composition lessons for 30 years to arranging for and performing with Bill Leslie and the North Carolina Symphony to fronting an award winning alternative rock band, Marty has found her musical home in early childhood education with Raleigh School preschoolers. Her original songs, inspired by her small friends and their creative souls, are collected in the Preschool Rockstar project which she runs with her husband, Kevin. In their home, they have three children, three dogs, some chickens, a betta fish, and a fat little guinea pig.

Heather White Luckow is the owner and Chief Silly-Song-SInger of WeeJam Music in Montreal offering Parent and Child Group Music. She additionally creates curriculum for and teaches at five different preschools/daycare.. She's released one album as "Heather Feather," and is working on a second. Her music is fun and engaging, and each song she writes encourages physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development in young children. Heather holds a BMus in Music Theory and Composition from Memorial University of Newfoundland, she did Master's studies in Theory and Composition at Bowling Green State University, and she completed a PhD in Music Theory at McGill University (PhD in Music Theory). She is the wife of David, the mommy of Rowan, and the Assistant Aquarium Keeper of Fluffy and Cookie, two goldfish threatening to be the size of killer whales

Songswaps are the essence of CMN – members and friends attend songswaps to share a song, or learn new songs to use in their work. We invite you to attend as many as you can!

Miss Katie Sings

Song Swap: “Songs for Justice + Care”

Tuesday Sept 24, 2024 at 5:00pm CT virtual

Come share music that supports our collective work of community care and activism!

Miss Katie Sings (she/her) is a performer, songwriter, and teaching artist based in Chicago. She views making music for children to be truly radical, beautiful work. Through her songs, she  promotes social-emotional learning, creative play, and community care.

Jay Sand

Song Swap: “Global Songs and Culture in the Classroom" 

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 9:00am CT

Join Jay Sand from All Around This World, a global music and world cultures program for kids and their families, for a song swap that will take us EVERYWHERE. Bring a song that originates from a distant country but that's near to your heart. We'll sing in many languages and explore the world through songs. 

Jay Sand developed the All Around This World global music and world cultures curriculum as a way to introduce his three daughters to the many countries he's already visited and the many more he plans to visit with them. Since Jay held his first All Around This World classes in 2009 in his Philadelphia living room he has taught thousands of global music classes to kids all over the US, Canada and in more than a dozen countries. 

Katie Todd

Song Swap: “Balls, Balloons, and Bubbles to the Beat!”

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 10:30am CT

This will be an extra fun song swap with racquet balls, beach balls, balloons and even bubbles to engage with during the songs that are shared!  

If you don't have a song about balls, balloons, or bubbles, you can select any song to share and the group will experiment with how they could incorporate one of those manipulatives to enhance interaction from their audience when performing. 

Katie Todd - “Music is the medium, and helping students feel seen and valued is the goal”.  This is the fuel behind Maize Elementary School teacher Katie Todd’s music instruction to kindergarten through fourth grade students.

John and Jo-Anne Keenan

Song Swap: “Diverse Styles, Roots and Offshoots”

Saturday Sept 28, 2024 at 3:15pm CT

If you have a favorite type of children’s music, then this song swap is for you! Each participant will be invited to select a type of music, briefly tell what they know about it, and perform a children’s song based on this music.

(If the music you select is roots music or an offshoot, you can mention that. For instance, blues is roots music. R&B and rock are offshoots of blues.) 

This song swap will enable members of our CMN community to help increase their knowledge of diverse kinds of music and carry this knowledge forward to children.

John and Jo-Anne Keenan are educators who write, record, and perform children's music. They call their singing duo Bay Song. John and Jo-Anne live near the shore of Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts USA.

Alexandra Louis-Jacques

Song Swap: “The Ultimate Baby and Toddler Music Mix”

Sunday Sept 29, 2024 at 9:00am CT

Choose your favorite tune to reimagine into a 90 second mini-performance paired with interactive movements. Spark joy and learning through music and movement in your classroom today!

Alexandra Louis-Jacques, the visionary force behind Lavender Blues and Lavender Blues LIVE, is a trailblazing creator and host with a passion for early childhood education. Through Lavender Blues LIVE, Alex is dedicated to extending the transformative power of her educational programs to families around the globe, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to embark on their learning journey.