Some of the most popular questions from string educators center around the issues of picking the perfect repertoire for their ensembles. This session will present various ways and strategies of selecting the perfect repertoire and present various resources for string teachers. In addition, the session will examine and present some pieces that have proven to be effective in the classroom.
James Mick
- Biographical Information
James Mick, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Music
Education at Ithaca College in upstate New York. He teaches undergraduate and
graduate courses in string pedagogy, orchestral rehearsal techniques,
instrumental conducting, and the psychology of music teaching. Additionally, he
serves as music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and as a
popular guest conductor, regularly working with students in a variety of
settings ranging from all-state and all-county honor festivals to all-district
and individual school events. Mick frequently presents at music education
conferences across the country, and he is a past-president of the New York
American String Teachers Association. In 2020, Mick was awarded Ithaca
College’s Faculty Excellence Award. Mick previously taught elementary and
middle school orchestra in Texas and high school orchestra and jazz in New
York. He holds degrees in music education from Florida State University, Ithaca
College, and Texas Christian University.
Brenda Brenner is Eugene O'Brien Bicentennial Executive Associate Dean (Interim) and associate professor of music in music education at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She specializes in string music education, teaching applied violin and courses in violin and string pedagogy.
In addition to her appointment to the Jacobs Music Education Department, she serves as co-director of the IU String Academy, a position she has held since 1993. Her String Academy students have been featured in concerts in major venues throughout the United States and have presented tours throughout Europe, Asia, and South America.
As director of the Fairview Project—a program in which every first and second grader in an underserved school is taught violin as part of the curriculum—Brenner is researching the cognitive, academic, and social outcomes of early instrumental music instruction.
An active performer of chamber music throughout the United States, she partners with pianist Kenneth Huber and her husband, organist Christopher Young. She also teaches and conducts at the IU Summer String Academy and is assistant director of the IU Retreat for Professional Violinists and Violists.
Dr. David Pope is associate professor of music education and chair of the professional studies department at the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music. In addition, he serves as an education clinician for Alfred Music and as the American String Teachers Association’s national conference chair.
Prior to joining the faculty of Baldwin Wallace, Pope taught middle- and high-school orchestra for 11 years in Tennessee, Florida and Ohio. He also conducted the Camerata Orchestra at Case Western Reserve University, taught string pedagogy courses at the VanderCook College of Music and served as conductor and executive director of multiple youth orchestra programs.
As an active adjudicator and clinician, Pope has conducted numerous all-state orchestras, regional honor orchestras and university summer camps throughout the United States. He has presented string pedagogy clinics and his research at state, regional, national and international conferences.
He received the Distinguished Music Educator Award from the Yale Symposium for Music in Schools and is recipient of the Outstanding Young Music Educator Award for the state of Tennessee. Pope was the recipient of the String Researcher Award from the American String Teachers Association at their national conference in March 2020.