Information for Presenters

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CONVENTION THEME:

“Foundations of the Future”

The 2024 convention theme celebrates the role of early childhood music and movement in providing foundations for both young children and the individuals who make music with them. The foundational areas may include:

Increased global, interpersonal and intrapersonal connections through music and movement.
Music and movement pedagogical practices of tomorrow for all children.
Culture and language as the root of music and movement making.

Session proposals should be related to any of the foundational areas discussed above.

Important Dates and Deadlines

Deadline for proposal submissions: Sunday, October 22, 2023, 11:59pm PDT
Notification of acceptance: Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 11:59pm PST
Deadline for presenter acceptance: Friday, December 15, 2023, 11:59pm PST;

Session Formats

Practical Session Options:

Option 1) Practical Workshop: Selected presenters will engage convention participants in an interactive workshop-style presentation focusing on the convention theme.

Option 2) Practical Poster & Lightning Talk: Selected presenters will prepare a poster and a 1-minute lightning talk focusing on the convention theme.

Research Session Options:

(Reviewed by representatives from the NAfME Early Childhood Music Special Interest Research Group)

Option 3) Research Talk: Selected authors will share findings from an original research project based on the convention theme. Research must be completed at the time of the submission to be considered for a research talk.

Option 4) Research Poster & Lightning Talk: Selected presenters will prepare an original research poster and a 1-minute lightning talk based on the convention theme. Completed or in-progress research will be considered for this option.

Terms and Conditions

Submitting a proposal indicates the authors’ commitment to attend the convention and present on the date and time assigned by the convention organizers.
If selected, presenter(s) agree to hold a current membership in ECMMA. Membership must be current during the 2024 convention. To join or renew your membership, click here: https://ecmma.org/members/individual-members/
All presenters must register to attend the convention by Friday, January 1, 2024, to confirm their acceptance and be included in the program.
Presenters are responsible for their own convention registration, travel, room, and board.
All rooms include a projector, screen, and sound system. AirPlay will also be available for both Mac computers and PCs. Authors presenting workshops and talks are responsible for supplying a laptop computer, as well as necessary cords and adapters. While AirPlay is available, authors should bring the necessary cables to hardwire their connection should the AirPlay functionality not work properly.
Presentations of any type may not be an endorsement for a commercial or for-profit program.
Presenters are responsible for providing digital copies of their handouts. Presenters may choose, at their own cost, to provide printed handouts as well.

Authors provide permission for ECMMA and the NAfME Early Childhood Music Special Research Interest Group (ECM-SRIG) to share session content, information, and materials for accepted submissions (e.g., via professional website(s), convention program, social media).
In your session and subsequent materials, you agree to abide by the ECMMA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Commitment Statement, which can be found here: https://ecmma.org/dei/"
RESEARCH TALKS: Authors of Research Talks understand that the research must be completed by the time of submission.
RESEARCH POSTERS & LIGHTNING TALKS: Authors of Research Posters & Lightning Talks understand that research may be in progress by the time of submission. We encourage these authors to complete their research by the convention.

Keynote Presenters

Elaine Bernstorf, PhD, CCC-SLP

Dr. Bernstorf serves as Professor of Music Education at Wichita State University, and co-author of The Music and Literacy Connection published by Rowman and Littlefield. She holds a BME and MME in Special Music Education, PhD in Communicative Disorders and Sciences, and certificate of clinical competence as a speech-language pathologist. Her specializations include elementary vocal music, special music education, early childhood arts education, speech pathology (voice, fluency, and child language), literacy development, and curriculum development.

Dr. Bernstorf will address the roles of caregivers, teachers, and children in developing literacy learning through creativity. Appropriate music and movement activities often become personal anchors with special meaning for individual children or groups of children. We will explore developmentally appropriate activities that lead toward language and literacy anchor standards.

Elizabeth Andang'o, PhD - Kenyatta University

Elizabeth Andang’o is a lecturer in the Department of Music and Dance, Kenyatta University, in Nairobi, Kenya. Her main research interests are on culture and curriculum development in Early Childhood Music Education. She has published articles in several peer reviewed journals and co-authored chapters in several books. Dr. Andang’o is the Associate Editor (Africa) of the International Journal of Music in Early Childhood and a current board member of the International Society for Music Education.

Dr. Andang’o will discuss young children’s musical engagement and how it contributes to the construction of their self-knowledge (their feelings, motivation and character, etc.) and identities in and through music. The discussion will be framed within the Kenyan/African cultural context. Examples will be drawn from school, home and community settings.

Donna Brink Fox, PhD - Eastman School of Music

Dr. Fox, an authority in early childhood (EC) music education, is a founding member of the EC Special Research Interest Group of the National Association for Music Education and has served on ECMMA’s Advisory Board. She co- authored Classroom Music for Little Mozarts, a curriculum for teaching music in EC classrooms.

Dr. Fox will share her experience creating Eastman’s early childhood music program and developing the early childhood music methods course to prepare teachers. She will focus on the importance of understanding the culture and development of children and will consider what has changed and what is needed for the future.

Cynthia Crump Taggart, PhD - Michigan State University (Emeritus)

Cynthia Crump Taggart is Professor Emeritus of Music Education at Michigan State University, where she directed and taught in the Early Childhood Music Program. She is co-author of Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum, Music Play: The Early Childhood Curriculum, Music Play 2, and numerous book chapters and journal articles.

From an early age, children can express themselves musically. Yet, often adults are so focused on getting children to sing, chant, and move correctly that they forget to encourage musical play. This session will focus on how to empower children to express themselves musically using their bodies and voices.