It all starts with an idea…

THE MUSIC TEACHER GUILD:

For years Elisa has been generating ideas for how to provide more accessible, relevant, and meaningful professional learning for music educators. Her philosophy is that by improving music educators themselves, we can improve all of music education. This means providing high-quality professional learning, including online courses, workshops, collaborative communities, and mentorship.

She designed a new music teacher organization that could house all of these ideas: the Music Teacher Guild. Starting with building a robust director of vetted and trained mentors, then expanding into a new workshop model (created through her work in Instructional Design research), and building a community that nurtures collaboration and connection, the hope is for the Music Teacher Guild to expand to a global force within the first 2 years.

Learn more about the Music Teacher Guild here: https://www.musicteacherguild.org/

THE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC EDUCATION SUMMIT:

In 2017, Elisa wanted to change music educators’ access to professional development. To this end, she decided to create a conference that anyone with an internet connection could attend.

By eliminating the barriers of travel and time, she opened borders and created a 3-day professional development conference that was attended by music educators across the globe. This also meant that sessions could be recorded and made available year-round. The possibilities were immense.

Each year the Summit grew, bringing in world-class clinicians and connecting them to teachers in need of relevant, practical, and affordable learning.

Once Elisa had tested what could be done, she started to explore what should be done.

In addition to the 3-day conference, she started hosting one-hour PD clinics, online performance adjudication festivals, an honor band, a virtual choir…each of these pioneering efforts proving the concept: online learning means accessible learning.

With the crisis the world has faced in 2020, the shift to online learning has taken its toll. For Elisa, someone years ahead in the field, this meant opportunities to help even more music educators than before. The possibilities that Elisa envisioned in 2017 are finally being realized by the world at large.

She founded a Facebook group that as of December 2020 has 49,000 members. She speaks and presents for online conferences, and helps share what she developed with the Summit so that other organizations can elevate their membership as well.

The 2020 IMES was the final event under this brand name. Elisa has decided to use her skills to not only replicate what can be done, but to enhance what should be done, and to do it on a much larger scale.

She now serves as Senior Manager of Online Learning for Conn-Selmer, Inc. You can view many additional projects by visiting: https://www.conn-selmer.com/en-us/education

With her fingers on the pulse of the future of music education, Elisa is often asked to help vet projects, provide marketing strategy insights, and offer recommendations and feedback on potential projects, products, and productions.