Most participants choose to stay in hotels or Airbnbs in Philadelphia. Popular hotels include the Doubletree in Center City (accessible to campus via the Broad Street Line), and the Conwell Inn on campus.

Limited street parking will be available during the summer. There are also a number of lots on campus in which you can park for a daily rate, including the Liacouras Garage and the 15th Street Lot.

With the exception of morning coffee and pastries, meals are not provided. There are numerous options on campus for lunch each day, including an excellent selection of food trucks. Each morning we will take a head count of who would like to join the group dinner that evening. A reservation will be made at a Philadelphia restaurant and carpools or public transportation plans will be facilitated.

Attire for the workshop is summer casual. Try to avoid white shirts or tops with busy patterns as this tends to make the baton more difficult to see, especially on a video. We have started a tradition of “School Spirit Day” on Friday of the workshop where participants are encouraged to wear attire from the school where they are teaching or from their alma mater.

Yes! After you register for the workshop we will reach out to ask for your primary and secondary instruments. Most people will play their primary instruments, but in some cases we may request a secondary. For those flying to the workshop Temple may be able to provide access to some large instruments for the week.

The ensemble will be comprised of all conducting workshop attendees, including observers. We will supplement the ensemble with Temple University students as needed. 

Wednesday will be “chamber music day” and Temple students will comprise this ensemble. 

Once our ensemble numbers are established, a set up chart will be sent to you. This usually happens 1-2 weeks before the workshop.

You will conduct once per day: shorter time slots on Monday and Friday, and longer time slots on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It is suggested that you plan to conduct one piece or one movement of a piece per day, and you are welcome to repeat a piece more than once. 

You will not be asked to rehearse the group, but you may be asked what you are hearing or listening for. Depending on what the clinicians see you may be asked to conduct longer or shorter passages, or try a section of the piece multiple times. The focus will be on your technique and non-verbal communication.

Each session will be video recorded and shared with you via a OneDrive folder at the end of the day for your reflection. You do not need to bring your own camera or SD card.

You should purchase scores to any of the pieces you plan to conduct. Many attendees choose to purchase additional scores to allow for options throughout the week or simply for reference. While you are welcome to purchase these scores anywhere, Jeff Girard at Gateway Sheet Music has them in stock.

Purchase Repertoire

Note that large ensemble pieces should be selected for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. A chamber piece should be selected for Wednesday. 

This will vary depending on the day. Clinicians will offer lectures on various topics, mixed with guided discussions and self-reflection. We will also build in time for Q&A, and will collect questions from participants to discuss in the closing session each day.

YES! We are happy to offer Act 48 credit for Pennsylvania educators. You will need your PERMS ID in order to initiate this. You will be asked to complete a short journal entry after each conducting session as a self-assessment, as well as a short survey following the workshop. If you attend all workshop sessions, you will receive 24.5 hours/credits.