Clinic Application FAQS

After you submit your finished application, the system will automatically send an email with a unique login code and link to each evaluator. They will follow the link and use the code to access their individual evaluation forms.  You can also access these codes by logging into your account, clicking on Guest Home, and selecting your clinic application. 

On occasion, the automated evaluation emails are filtered into a recipient's SPAM or junk folder.  It is always advised that you follow-up with your evaluators to ensure they received your evaluation request.  If they have not received your evaluation, you can send them a copy of their code and link. For a tutorial on how to access a copy of your evaluator's codes and to see if they have completed their evaluation, CLICK HERE. Late or missing evaluations will render an application ineligible for consideration. 

The deadline for evaluations is Friday, March 13, 2026. 

Clinicians who plan on utilizing live music during their clinic must indicate that in the appropriate place on the application. You are more than welcome to make arrangements for your own demonstration ensemble or Midwest can assist in locating one for you. Live music or a demonstration ensemble may not be added to a clinic after it has been accepted.

When considering your clinic application, place yourself in the shoes of the teachers in your audience: shape a clinic that will be of practical value the next day in their classes and rehearsal rooms.  Clinics that are intentional and directly applicable to today's directors are a must. Applications that rely on more commercial overtones do not receive strong consideration from The Midwest Clinic Board of Directors.

You will also be asked to include a detailed outline of your proposed presentation. The Board of Directors wishes to give as much consideration to applications from newer clinicians as it does to those of well-renowned clinicians.  Your detailed proposal will provide the Board with its best opportunity to assess the session you want to share with attendees.

Prior to beginning your clinic application, we would highly recommend that you review the sample application pages below to ensure you have all of the necessary support materials and information.  In order for your application to be saved, all required fields must be completed on that page. 

If Your Clinic Is Not Accepted

If your clinic is not accepted, understand that your application may still have been of sufficient quality. The decision of the Board of Directors as to which clinic applications are accepted for a given year depends not only on the quality of the proposal and its relevance to our attendees but also on the overall menu of priority topics and how best to serve attendees. Achieving a balance of topics may mean declining a number of excellent clinic applications. We encourage you to re-apply for future clinics.

Unfortunately, due to the high volume of clinic applications received, the Midwest Board and Staff do not offer feedback on non-selected clinics. You should note that many of The Midwest’s successful clinicians are individuals who have applied two, even three times before being accepted to present.

If Your Clinic is Accepted

If your clinic is accepted, you will be expected to prepare a handout for your session.  A pdf draft of your handout needs to be submitted to the Midwest Clinic Office by September 15 for the Board to review.  Final handouts must be submitted by December 1st.  If you wish to provide hard copies of your handout for your clinic, you will be responsible for printing them.  All handouts will be available on the conference app and the website. 

Note that applicants are expected to be available to present their clinic at any time during The Midwest Clinic.  Before you apply, please make sure your calendar is clear for the entire duration of the conference. (December 16- 18, 2026)

Product Promotion During a Clinic

One of the aspects of The Midwest Clinic that makes it unique is its goal to heighten the educational experience of the conference and lessen any potential overtones of commercialism. In short, clinics at Midwest should be focused on teaching educational concepts not promoting products or services. The Board of Directors has found that clinics that focus on a limited number of topics and solutions is best for an hour-long presentation.

You may have a book or product that represents the overall compilation of your approach: it may even be for sale in the exhibit area of The Midwest Clinic. The Board of Directors is confident that you can easily explore any number of educational angles on string bowing, brass playing, jazz theory, or chamber music repertoire without having to “sell” in a text, play-along CD, or technological creation.

Consider the following when creating your clinic:
• What concepts are most critical to my workshop?
• What specific examples from my book or resource are most valuable for my handout?
• Are there applicable views, other than my own—alternate references or approaches—that may serve not only to inform my audience but also increase my integrity as an authority on this subject?

There are a variety of approaches that are very acceptable at The Midwest’s clinic sessions:
• Using excerpts from your publication or resource.
• Including an order blank in your handout.
• Inviting attendees to visit your exhibit booth during the clinic.
• Setting flyers for your product or service on a table at the rear of your clinic room.

But unacceptable approaches would include:
• Titling your session in a way that communicates total reliance on the product.
• Guiding the attendees page-by-page through your publication so as to promote an introduction to the whole product rather than focusing on its educational substance.
• Making repeated references to the availability of the item for purchase.
• Distributing samples of your product at your clinic.

If you are exhibiting at the conference, a better platform for this type of promotion would be a Product Showcase. These sessions are available to Exhibitors for an extra charge and not subject to the same promotional constraints as clinics. For more information, please visit the Exhibitor Information page.

If You Have Questions

If you have questions about these guidelines—or about any aspect of the clinic-application process—please contact The Midwest Clinic Office at [email protected].