Music Education Workshops
Shenandoah Conservatory has been an active leader in music education since 1875. As a part of our ongoing commitment to music teaching and music learning, we offer varied professional development opportunities for the practicing music education.
Master of Music Education
The Master of Music Education (MME) program is intended for practicing music educators, and includes targeted study in pedagogy, scholarship and musicianship. The summers-only program is offered during four-week summer-intensive sessions and culminates with a research teaching project. Most students complete their course of study in three summers.
Workshop & Conference Credit
To register for credit for the event(s) listed below, please follow the directions to find, select the courses as described below. Make sure that the course number matches the workshop or conference you will attend (VMEA, ASTA, VKE). Also be sure to download the syllabus and complete the required assignments by the given due dates.
Virginia Organization for Kodály Education (VOKE)
Oct. 11, 2025 | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Shenandoah University (SU) is pleased to host the fall workshop for VOKE. Melissa Fuller Flores will present “Our Classrooms ARe Poppin’: Teaching Folk Dances and Musical Concepts with a Pop Tune Twist!” Find the description and registration link through VOKE.
Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA)
Nov. 20–22 | Norfolk, VA
Conference attendees can sign up for one, two, or three graduate credits. Download the syllabus to read more about the assignments for each credit. Register through instant enrollment by November 22.
Register for the course numbers below starting with 597 and adding 598 and 599 to add a second or third credit.
1 credit = MUCC-597-VMEA
2 credits = MUCC-597-VMEA + MUCC-598-VMEA
3 credits = MUCC-597-VMEA + MUCC-598-VMEA + MUCC-599-VMEA
2026 American String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Conference
Feb. 25–28 | San Francisco, CA
Registered participants of the ASTA national conference have the opportunity to also register for 1 or 2 university credits through the registration link below. Download the course syllabus that details the course assignment(s) for credit.
1 credit = MUCC-597-ASTA
2 credits = MUCC-597-ASTA + MUCC-598-ASTA
*Need help registering? View the Instant Enrollment documentation to get started. Contact Dr. Stephanie Standerfer via email at sstander@su.edu if you have any questions about registration or assignment.
2026 Summer Workshops
Fostering Music Literacy in Rehearsals and the Music Classroom
Dr. Hillary Ridgley
June 22–24, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Ruebush Hall, Room 128
Helping individuals become musically literate is central to the school, community and church music curriculum. Working from the premise that students learn musical skills in much the same order as they do language skills, participants will explore how we ‘learn’ music through hearing and imitating patterns before reading and writing. The pedagogy also includes sequential techniques for teaching improvisation and dictation, key components of music literacy. Workshop participants will also be presented with teaching strategies and techniques for integrating and applying literacy skills to appropriate repertoire. Special attention will be given to the development of music literacy curriculum maps and diction maps.
Please indicate if you will join us in person for the best experience, or if distance is prohibitive, please select the online option when you register. Online connection information will be emailed the week before the event.
Registration information coming soon . . .
Bringing Music to Life: Conducting and Rehearsal Techniques
Dr. Hillary Ridgley
June 24–25, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Ruebush Hall, Room 128
This in-person workshop will include insights and renewal of conducting gesture and skills for church and public school choral and instrumental conductors/educators will be the main focus of this two-day workshop. Special attention will be given to strengthening and clarifying physical presentation, developing essential hand dexterity, self-analysis and matching gesture with the musical ideas embedded in the score. Mixed meter, independence of hands, phrasing, articulation, cues and releases will be explored.
Registration information coming soon . . .
About Dr. Hillary Ridgley
Hillary Ridgley is assistant professor of music education at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University. Ridgley holds a Ph.D. in choral conducting/music education from Florida State University. An active conductor, clinician and adjudicator, Ridgley most recently presented seminars in Mississippi, New York and Virginia, interest sessions at Eastern Divisional and Southern Divisional ACDAs, and conducted the Kentucky SSAA High School All-State Choir. Her research interests include choral text, the poetry of Sara Teasdale in choral music, music literacy, and community service partnerships and field experience for music therapy and choral music education students. Previously, she taught 12 years in the public schools.