Shenandoah Conservatory Attends 2022 VMEA Conference

Students, faculty and alumni from Shenandoah Conservatory’s music education department attended the Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) conference in Richmond, Virginia, from Nov. 17, through Nov. 19. Sixty-three undergraduate students represented the conservatory at the event.

Director of Jazz Studies and Trombone Artist-in-Residence Matthew Niess, D.M.A., and the Studio Big Band performed in a featured concert.

Director and Professor of Music Education Stephanie Standerfer, Ph.D., co-presented the session, “Music Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Virginia,” with colleagues from Virginia Commonwealth University, Christopher Newport University, George Mason University, Henrico County Public Schools and Stafford County Public Schools.

Shenandoah University was well represented in two performances at the collegiate recital: Laila Schwartz ’23 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education) and Sarah Gorman ’23 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education) performed “O mio babino caro” by Puccini, and a vocal quintet including Bailey Kinsella ’23 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education), Violet Neikirk ’24 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education), Maddison Shawkey ’24 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education), Grace Frame ’24 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education) and Sarah Gorman ’23 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education) performed “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”