Session Proposals

Dr. Emily Saenz is the High School Choir Director at Benbrook Middle-High School in Ft. Worth ISD. Emily regularly clinics choirs around the DFW metroplex, and has presented at national conferences including TMEA, KMEA, TCDA, SWACDA, DCMEA, UMEA and CEDFA. In 2021 she was awarded "The Friedman Chair for Teaching Excellence in Performing Arts". Emily served as the Soprano Section leader for the Texas All State Small School Choir at the TMEA Convention in 2023. In 2025, her Treble Chamber Choir “24” performed at the TMEA Convention as an Invited Choir.
In addition to her work at Benbrook, Emily partners with the Education Department of the Metropolitan Opera to create opera-centered classroom content for teachers around the globe. In her role as a “Met Opera Master Teacher” she presents at the Metropolitan Opera Educators annual convention, where teachers from around the country explore the benefits of using opera in their classrooms. Locally, Emily spearheads the Metropolitan Opera’s Partnership with Fort Worth ISD, bringing hundreds of students to watch the opera live in HD at a local movie theater each opera season.
Emily holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from The University of Oklahoma, a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from The University of Louisville, and a Doctorate of Music Arts in Voice from The University of Texas at Austin.

Gina Hanzlik, The Metropolitan Opera
Nicholas Rinehart, The Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera's groundbreaking HD Live and MET Live On Demand platforms have given students intimate access to the inner workings of the operatic stage. How can music educators take advantage of the wealth of free materials provided by the Met in their classrooms? Join members of the Metropolitan Opera’s Education Team as they illustrate practical techniques for engaging students of all ages with popular rep from the Met's historic stage.

Teachers will receive free access to the Met’s Education Guides, octavos of famous arias arranged for a variety of choral and instrumental ensembles, sightreading materials, and Core Competency-supported plug-and-play lesson plans to introduce opera to students of all ages Members of the the Metropolitan Opera's Education Department will present content, and demonstrate how to bring time honored operatic stories to the music classroom using a variety of student-centered approaches that consider both instrumental/vocal pedagogy and standard classroom techniques.

• Upper Elementary/General Music (Grades 3-5)
• Band - Secondary
• Choral - Secondary
• Orchestra - Secondary