Session Proposals

Dr. David Tyson is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. He received a Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of Florida, a Master of Music in Music Education with a concentration in Jazz Studies from East Carolina University, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His research is focused on popular and culturally significant music integration, comprehensive musicianship, creativity, and access to teacher education for non-traditional musicians. He has presented at conferences such as APME, FMEA, NCMEA, SMTE, IMTE, Desert Skies Symposium on Research in Music, and the Technical University of Kenya Arts Education Postgraduate Symposium in Nairobi. Dr. Tyson is an in-demand clinician for concert and jazz honor bands and maintains an active performance schedule singing, and playing guitar, trumpet, bass, and piano in the areas of jazz, rock, and classical music.

The National Core Arts Standards are recommendations for music educators to use at every age level and teaching area. However, many preservice and inservice teachers have expressed frustration when planning to meet each of these standards. While using a predetermined framework for planning, these standards can support teachers trying to create and extend their lessons in a meaningful way and enrich the student experience. This session is intended to model a lesson with activities from each of the four major categories (performing, connecting, responding, and creating). Participants will engage in rote learning, performance of popular music, creative musicking, and opportunities to create connections to students’ musical lives outside of school.

• Lower Elementary (Grades PreK-2)
• Upper Elementary/General Music (Grades 3-5)
• Collegiate