Teaching Artist Professional Development Online Series presented by OrKidstra
As Teaching Artists, we are constantly flexing our creativity muscles to adapt and change our craft to reach our students in these current and challenging times. To help you grow your practice, OrKidstra presents the Teaching Artist Professional Development Online Series, a FREE monthly workshop series where special guests from across Canada’s El Sistema inspired programs will share their expertise, passion and tools for engaging students in this new digital format.
Hosted by OrKidstra, these free, 90-minute training sessions on the third Tuesday of every month will be an opportunity for music educators from all backgrounds to come together and grow the excellence of their craft while continuing to empower kids through music. More workshop topics and presenters coming soon – stay tuned!
Upcoming Online Workshops:
Tuesday November 17, 2020 from 12:00-1:30 PM (EDT) via Zoom – Honing Citizen Artistry: Developing a Social Curriculum
Sistema Toronto’s Social Curriculum includes three important planks: equitable teaching practices, experiential learning, and social curriculum activities. This presentation will explore how these work together in our teaching methods, behaviour and discipline practices, and classroom activities, to support our mission of social change through music education.
Registration is now closed. Stay tuned for information on our next workshop!
Presenters:
Andrés Tucci Clarke, Operations Manager and Centre Director, Scarborough with Sistema Toronto.
Cellist, Arts Administrator, and Music Educator Andrés Tucci Clarke has worked with Sistema Toronto since 2013 as Cello Instructor, Centre Director, Orchestra Conductor, and Operations Manager. During this time, he has supervised the opening and subsequent operations of three new centres, and now spends his time divided between the main office where he works to help the program run smoothly across all centres and being Centre Director in East Scarborough, where he has been since the centre opened in 2015.
Andrés received his Master’s Degree in Music Performance at the University of Ottawa, and is a certified Suzuki Instructor. He has been fortunate enough to study with many amazing musicians and pedagogues and has incorporated many different aspects of their teaching into his classes.
Alex McLeod, Academic Manager and Centre Director, Parkdale with Sistema Toronto.
Alex McLeod is the Academic Manager and Parkdale Centre Director for Sistema Toronto, and violist of the Ton Beau String Quartet. In 2014, Alex completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Toronto, where he completed his dissertation “Violin Pedagogy and the Physics of the Bowed String”. Alex has presented and given masterclasses at the University of Toronto, Wilfrid Laurier University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Lethbridge, York University, the American Viola Society Festival, and the 2019 El Sistema USA conference in Detroit.
Past workshops:
Tuesday, October 20, 2020, from 12:00 – 1:30 PM (EDT) via Zoom – Improv Jam: Exploring Music Improvisation in the Online Space
Presenter: Margaret Maria Tobolowska
Come join us for a music improv jam where Margaret Maria Tobolowska, OrKidstra co-founder, composer, guest conductor, cello Teaching Artist will lead us through an interactive music improvisation workshop where she will share her expertise on how you can improvise with your students in the online space. Margaret is a teacher trainor in the Creative Ability and Development method that aids children in developing the creative side of the brain. As an avid improviser and Artist-Educator, Margaret will share examples of her engaging with our OrKidstra students in music improvisation.
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 from 1:30 – 3 PM (EDT) via Zoom – Community Connection
Looking towards the Fall, this next OrKidstra Presents workshop invites us to take an active posture in listening to the needs of our community. We will explore creative frameworks fueled by wholistic learning, mission and vision. Presenters from the Youth Orchestra Of Northern Alberta (YONA)-Sistema will share about their experiences connecting with community through a wholistic arts education practice.
This workshop invites us to:
– Design arts programming that deepens community connection
– Wholistically support students in their learning
– Develop programming that centres around a child’s creativity and the needs of the community
Presenters:
Jacquie McNulty (she/her) is a community organizer and harpist living in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) on Treaty 6 land. Originally from Calgary, she formally studied the harp at McGill University where she earned her Bachelor of Music and she earned her Master of Music in Harp Performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston. She also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Los Angeles where she studied how music can be a vehicle for positive social change.For the past six years, she has had the privilege of working as Site Manager with the Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta (YONA)-Sistema; a program that strives to have lasting positive community impact by providing free music-centred programming for youth in Northern Alberta’s priority neighbourhoods.
Nathan Chan is a music educator and advocate for music education that believes in modeling high level musicianship and teaching accountability through actions. Nathan believes in teaching through intrinsic enjoyment, motivating students to work harder through gains of personal accomplishment. Having formally studied at University of Alberta where he earned his Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education, Nathan is currently a Violin Teaching Artist and Academic Liaison at YONA-Sistema. In addition to his role at YONA-Sistema, Nathan also runs different education programs at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music.
Andreas Wegner formally studied double bass at MacEwan University, earning a Bachelor of Music degree. As a freelance acoustic and electric bassist, Andreas is a regular feature in the Edmonton music scene and has performed across Canada. He has played on over a dozen albums, including one under the direction of multi-Grammy award winning producer Jim Scott. Also a passionate educator, he is the double bass teaching artist at YONA-Sistema and the Society for Talent Education.
Tuesday, July 21, 2020 from 1:30 – 3 PM (EDT) via Zoom – Adapt & Change: Planning, and Innovating Through Uncertain Times
As we look towards September, there are still many ‘unknowns’ in terms of how we will be able to engage and create in the arts. This OrKidstra Presents workshop takes a closer look at creative planning in these uncertain times, and will focus on the ‘how-tos’ of programming that keeps our artistic and social values at its centre.
We will be hearing from three presenters at Sistema Winnipeg, who serve as manager, music director, and teaching artist, respectively. From these different capacities, they share how their values anchor them in various aspects of decision-making, and how they facilitate collaboration and communication between everyone in the teaching environment. This approach also emphasises the hopefulness and possibility inherent in any challenge!
This workshop will invite us to:
- Develop strategies for adapting to change in programming
- Navigate team communication through changing programming models
- Explore ways to take advantage of unexpected encounters as opportunities for innovation.
Please note: All participants will receive a recorded video copy of this workshop following the event. Please contact workshops@orkidstra.ca if you have questions or would like more information. Zoom is free to use and can be downloaded here.
Presenters:
Naomi Woo
Canadian musician Naomi Woo joined the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Conductor in the 2019-2020 season. She also has an active career as a pianist, spanning opera coaching, collaborative piano, and solo performance. Passionate about education and outreach, she became the first Music Director of Sistema Winnipeg, and conducts the Great West Life Kids Concert Series with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Naomi holds degrees in mathematics and philosophy from Yale College, in piano performance from the Yale School of Music and Université de Montréal, and is completing a PhD in musicology at Cambridge University as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. http://www.naomiwoo.com
Leandro Saltarelli
Currently living in Winnipeg, MB, Leandro Saltarelli recently obtained his Master in Music degree (cello performance) from the University of Manitoba. Leandro has over ten years of performing experience as a soloist and member of small and large ensembles and loves to share the knowledge acquired over those years with students and audiences of all kinds. A dedicated teacher, Leandro currently divides his time between his private studio and as a cello sectional instructor at Sistema Winnipeg. Leandro started his musical studies at the Conservatory of Tatuí (Brazil), and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Campinas (Brazil). https://www.leandrosaltarelli.ca
Chelsey Hiebert
Chelsey Hiebert has a diverse background as a musician, music educator, and administrator. Currently the Sistema & Special Events Manager with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, she is thrilled to be working as a non-profit arts administrator in her hometown of Winnipeg, MB. Prior to moving back to Winnipeg, she was the Centre Director and oboe Teaching Artist at Sistema New Brunswick’s Moncton Centre. She holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Manitoba, Diploma in Chamber Music from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Music degree in oboe performance from Brandon University.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020 from 1:30 – 3PM (EDT) via Zoom. Better Together: Group Learning and Fostering Community in the Online Space
Whether it be in the learning environment or the concert setting, there is something magical that happens when we experience art collectively. As we continue in this season of physical distancing and online learning, this OrKidstra Presents online workshop outlines best practices and learning models for fostering community and teaching in the group class setting:
Together this workshop will invite us to:
- Explore best practices of running group programming via online video conferencing
- Outline pedagogical frameworks that incorporate technology into group class teaching
- Navigating community engagement and connection in the online space
Presenters:
Andrés Tucci Clarke, Operations Manager and Centre Director, Scarborough with Sistema Toronto.
Cellist, Arts Administrator, and Music Educator Andrés Tucci Clarke has worked with Sistema Toronto since 2013 as Cello Instructor, Centre Director, Orchestra Conductor, and Operations Manager. During this time, he has supervised the opening and subsequent operations of three new centres, and now spends his time divided between the main office where he works to help the program run smoothly across all centres and being Centre Director in East Scarborough, where he has been since the centre opened in 2015.
Andrés received his Master’s Degree in Music Performance at the University of Ottawa, and is a certified Suzuki Instructor. He has been fortunate enough to study with many amazing musicians and pedagogues and has incorporated many different aspects of their teaching into his classes.
Alex McLeod, Academic Manager and Centre Director, Parkdale with Sistema Toronto.
Alex McLeod is the Academic Manager and Parkdale Centre Director for Sistema Toronto, and violist of the Ton Beau String Quartet. In 2014, Alex completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Toronto, where he completed his dissertation “Violin Pedagogy and the Physics of the Bowed String”. Alex has presented and given masterclasses at the University of Toronto, Wilfrid Laurier University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Lethbridge, York University, the American Viola Society Festival, and the 2019 El Sistema USA conference in Detroit.
Andrew Gesing, Artistic & Social Impact Coordinator at OrKidstra (bio available here)
Tuesday, May 19 from 1:30 – 3 PM (EDT) via Zoom. Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Presenters for Whose Line Is It Anyway? a Teaching Artist Professional Development Online Workshop presented by OrKidstra on May 19, 2020
Kathryn Patricia Cobbler, loop pedal violist, composer and OrKidstra viola Teaching Artist (bio available here)
Margaret Maria Tobolowska, composer, cellist, OrKidstra Co-Founder and guest conductor (bio available here)
Rebecca Russell, Development and Communications Officer, OrKidstra, mezzo-soprano and theatre performer/creator, Artistic Associate with 9th Hour Theatre Company (bio available here)
About the Workshop: During the workshop, Whose Line Is It Anyway? we will be exploring verbal and non-verbal communication and connection in the online space. With varying WiFi bandwidths, and the potential of computer glitches, what we communicate and how, holds even more importance. Through our time together, we will be unpacking the concept of engagement; looking at our teaching skills through the crafts of acting and videography – including emotional, vocal and spatial awareness as well lighting, sound and framing. We will explore Multiple Intelligence modalities to help reach students of different learning styles, and unpacking reflection tools and the art of asking good questions to help our students to become “their own best teacher.”
