ANBOC 2026

As we know, every minute of rehearsal counts and is important! This clinic (“Creating Meaningful Rehearsals in Limited Time”) will focus on rehearsal planning, ensemble development strategies, and conducting tips to maximize limited rehearsal time. Dr. Nick will share helpful hints and best practices learned over his decades long career as a music teacher and conductor. The session will include collaborative ideas on effective rehearsals, conducting hints to SHOW instead of SAY, and practical suggestions to maximize limited rehearsal time. Additional topics will include using student leadership to enhance the ensemble experience and help create focused and meaningful musical growth time (rehearsals). 

How often do we say to students, “ you learn the violin AND the bow….”?

Come along for a session of warmup exercise exercises and games that get students thinking about the association between speech, rhythm, and bow division.  

Ensemble directors are some of the busiest educators around—constantly balancing programming, preparation, and performance—so finding tools that make rehearsals more efficient and engaging is invaluable. With new technologies emerging every day, we have more opportunities than ever to choose tools that genuinely enhance our teaching and empower our students. But in the ensemble classroom, effective technology use isn’t about having the latest gadgets—it’s about finding simple, purposeful tools that make our rehearsals more musical, efficient, and engaging.


In this practical and down-to-earth session, participants will explore how technology can be used to support, rather than complicate, the rehearsal process. Participants will discover how thoughtful use of tech can streamline day-to-day instruction, open new creative possibilities, and help solve common challenges faced by conductors in today’s ensemble settings.


From improving pacing and efficiency to deepening musical understanding and student ownership, this session focuses on accessible ideas that directors can apply immediately. General usage and contexts of technology will be explored, along with specific recommendations for apps and hardware to make it happen. Whether you’re looking to refresh your approach, modernise your toolkit, or simply make rehearsals run more smoothly, this session offers practical strategies and inspiration for integrating technology in a way that feels natural, efficient, and musically driven.


Teachers will be encouraged to think critically about when and why to use technology, highlighting that it should always enhance the rehearsal rather than distract from it. Whether you’re looking to refresh your approach, modernise your toolkit, or simply make rehearsals run more smoothly, this session offers practical strategies and inspiration for integrating technology in a way that feels natural, efficient, and musically driven.

In this session, we will explore how repertoire can be used to teach fundamental concepts. How we begin a rehearsal and how we begin a sound have a great deal in common. Using real musical examples, we will reinforce these concepts and experiment with ways to shape the music to fit the goals you have for your students and ensemble.

Directing the ‘second’ band or orchestra comes with numerous challenges that are different to those associated with taking the beginner or top ensembles. This group can be an eclectic mix of students from a wide range of experiences, abilities, maturity and ages. This presentation will discuss the unique issues facing directors of these ensembles and strategies to address these, including preparing appropriate repertoire, leadership opportunities, motivational techniques and pedagogical considerations.

Dr Jim Coyle discusses his new book The First Notes and the First Year: How to compose music for children to perform (Routledge, 2026) and the issues it raises for composers, arrangers and ensemble pedagogues.

Jim will also be speaking on the idea of 'poly-technicality'; music deliberately created for musicians of differing technical abilities to perform together. This idea has particular relevance to the Australian school ensemble scene, and challenges some of the conventional thinking in band and orchestra education.

When young musicians first encounter the concept of dynamics, it’s usually presented in very simple terms: piano means quiet, and forte means loud. While that definition is technically correct, it barely scratches the surface of what dynamics are actually for. If we stop there, we’re missing an opportunity to help students discover one of the most expressive elements in music.


Dynamics aren’t just about volume. They’re about energy, character, atmosphere, and emotion. They help shape the music’s message—its personality—and they’re essential to building meaningful performances. The earlier we shift away from a black-and-white view of dynamics and explore their expressive possibilities, the more confident and artistic our students will become.

Teaching beginner band is one of the most rewarding—and most crucial—parts of building a thriving school music program. This clinic explores innovative, practical, and highly adaptable strategies for engaging young musicians in their first year of ensemble playing. As well as establishing traditional method-book routines, this session also introduces creative approaches that promote musical curiosity, build foundational skills, and foster a strong sense of ensemble identity from day one.


Rather than relying solely on traditional routines, the session explores a range of flexible, imaginative ways to introduce core concepts in tone production, rhythm, ensemble awareness, and musical expression. The aim is to equip teachers with adaptable frameworks that can be shaped to suit different school settings, student cohorts, and resource levels.


Participants will consider how to create learning environments that feel supportive, joyful, and musically rich, even for absolute beginners. The clinic emphasises the value of student agency, playful exploration, and collaborative music-making as powerful motivators that enhance technical development. Approaches for scaffolding early success, encouraging creative and independent  thinking, and building a strong ensemble identity will be discussed, with attention to how these ideas can be woven into existing programs without requiring major structural changes.


The session also highlights the importance of developing a sustainable sequence for beginners—one that balances technical progression with musical satisfaction—and invites teachers to reflect on how creative approaches can sit comfortably alongside method books and other established resources.
By the end of the clinic, participants will walk away with a refreshed perspective on beginner band teaching and a collection of broad, practical ideas that can be adapted to their own context. The goal is to support directors in making early band experiences not only educationally sound but also joyful, motivating, and creatively fulfilling for every young musician.

With unpredictable class sizes, less-than-ideal instrumentation, and a rapidly changing physical and digital landscape, the traditional model of full ensemble literature can sometimes work against even the best teachers. In this session, we will explore the many uses and applications of chamber works and flexible ensemble pieces to strengthen your musicians, no matter who is in class.

Whether large or small, the sound of an ensemble is the first impression of any listening experience. This presentation outlines intentional and focused strategies to support ensemble members and their directors in developing an auditory understanding of a cohesive ensemble sound. Central to this approach are creative and challenging activities that engage musicians in proactively developing critical listening skills for blend, balance, intonation, and ensemble togetherness.
Aimed at fostering emotionally responsive ensembles, these dynamic and engaging activities encourage all players to take responsibility for their individual contribution to the ensemble’s sound. Through regular inclusion of these purposeful tasks in the rehearsal process, ensemble members and their directors are equipped to make informed and musical decisions that strengthen the overall ensemble experience.