In the end, the most important reminder from most conferences is, “I am not alone.”
Music teachers almost invariably work in isolation: the only music teacher in your building; the only choral teacher in your district. I am almost always alone in the studio.
At a music conference, you’re around your people. Hundreds of musicians and educators are motivated by the same goals as you.
You get new music at reading sessions; you get inspiration from headliners and featured performers, new ideas from presenters.
But above all of these, you get to reconnect with your true peers. The other teachers who care like you.
You remember: I am not alone.
I am feeling so blessed by my amazing friends: many of whom I only get to see once a year at the Michigan Music Conference. Thank you for the conversation, the laughter, the inspiration, and the reminder that I am part of an amazing group of choral leaders.