Teaching Artistry and Music Education Concentration Workshop Series
NEC will host 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.
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
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
