Session Proposals

Brian Dunagan is an orchestra teacher at Union Public Schools, where he teaches 6th-8th grade orchestra. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education and a Master of Music Education from the University of Central Oklahoma, as well as a Bachelor of Music in violin performance. Brian is dedicated to finding new ways to inspire and challenge his students, fostering both their technical skills and musical growth. Outside of the classroom, he plays with the Tulsa Signature Symphony to stay active within the local music community. He is dedicated to finding new ways to inspire and challenge his students, fostering both their technical skills and musical growth.

Help your middle school students build tuning independence and strengthen ensemble intonation through a structured, three-stage approach that guides them from beginning tuners to confident, independent tuners. This method combines visual feedback from clip-on tuners with aural training to build pitch discrimination and pitch matching as distinct, teachable skills. Participants will learn ready-to-implement activities that not only improve accuracy and confidence but also support classroom management. Built-in checkpoints at each stage help track student progress and ensure readiness before moving on. This session will equip teachers to build more confident, self-reliant musicians, contributing to an improved ensemble sound.

• Orchestra - Middle School