APME 2024 Recap
I’m currently flying at 35,000 ft on my way from LAX to Mishawaka, IN for the Conn-Selmer Institute Midwest Conference after spending the last 4 days with some incredible music educators at the 2024 APME Conference on the campus of USC in Los Angeles titled Come Together: Considering the Past, Present, and Future of Popular Music Education on behalf of MusicFirst. As I have about 4 hours in the air this morning, I thought I would write down my thoughts about this conference for those of you who have either never attended, or those who know just how great an event this is.
This is the 3rd time I’ve been to an APME Conference, and this was BY FAR the best one yet. APME President Dr. Steve Holley and the indefatigable APME Board members knocked this one out of the park. First off, there were more companies and sponsors than ever. I had the absolute pleasure of exhibiting for MusicFirst in the unofficial music tech aisle with some amazing companies, including Rising Software, the Focusrite Education group, and the Young Producers Group. Sitting in an exhibit hall for 3 days is not necessarily my idea of a good time, but sitting with this amazing group of like-minded companies made for a LOT of fun and great discussions with conference attendees. Our aisle was rocking the whole time!
For me, there were a couple of highlights - the first being the launch of the brand-new Modern Band Bundle from MusicFirst - something that I have been diligently working on with my amazing content team to bring to the market over the past 9 months. I presented a session titled Modern Band & MusicFirst: Perfect Together to a full room and the reaction from the attendees was overwhelmingly positive. The purpose of this new offering is to provide EVERYTHING a music teacher might need to get a popular music/modern band program started in their school. Whether you’ve taught popular music ensembles for years or whether you have no idea how to even get started, this is the perfect solution. One of the most gratifying parts of the session was that MANY of the content authors were in attendance, including Mike Packer and Dr. Ethan Hein. I was thrilled with the reaction to our Modern Band Bundle, and I was able to speak with some additional ROCK STAR music educators about writing MORE course materials for our offering, including songwriting, music business, licensing, and planning performances. This offering is going to grow and grow over time, and I am proud that MusicFirst is there to provide it.
Another highlight for me, which I am still buzzing over, was the amazing keynote address by Nate Sloan - cohost of Switched On Pop. Take a minute to read my full post about his talk if you haven’t done so already. I am looking forward to building some curriculum around these podcasts so that teachers and students to be inspired from these podcasts as much as I am. Watch this space!
On a slightly more person note, one of my favorite moments was finally getting to see Julian Abramo perform. Julian is the son of Dr. Joe Abramo and Dr. Melissa Abramo - two of my favorite music educators and I have had so much fun watching their VERY talented son Julian grow up and evolve as a song writer and musician. Julian performed twice during the conference, including this lunchtime performance (above). I love that APME features student performances throughout the conference, including offering feedback from music industry experts to student groups and individual musicians. I look forward to seeing Julian’s career develop and I urge you to check out his music. He’s a very talented young musician.
Finally, my favorite part of ANY conference is catching up with colleagues and friends - many whom I’ve been friends with for decades at this point, and some awesome NEW friends. I also had the chance to catch one of my favorite bands, Tedeschi Trucks Band, at the Greek Theater in the Hollywood Hills - a gorgeous venue and a kick-ass performance.
If you’re not already a member of APME, I highly recommend joining NOW. They are a great support system and community for music educators who are interested in incorporating popular music into their curriculum - whether you just want to teach it - or start a new ensemble. I look forward to returning to LA soon, and participating in many more APME conferences in the future. Until next time!