Dear world-changing colleagues,
Congratulations on wrapping up another year of transforming lives through music. Through difficult budgetary challenges and governmental challenges questioning the worth of music and arts education, you persevered. As summer arrives, take a few moments to celebrate your accomplishments—the students who had breakthroughs, the students who found a place of belonging and safety, the students who blew you away with their nuanced musicality or revelatory scholarly insights. In this challenging time, what you do in the classroom, in the studio, in the rehearsal hall, or in serendipitous hallway conversations matters. Give yourself a standing ovation. Find a warm, sunny spot, put your feet up and take care of yourself.
Summer is an excellent time to focus on you. Attend to your mental and physical well-being. Find some joy and dive into playfulness. And when your life-long learner-self emerges and wants to engage in a vibrant learning community as a student and collaborator instead of as the instructor, CMS has you covered.
Check out these CMS summer offerings:
ASTA Virtual String Teachers Summit (July 13-14)
The 2026 Virtual String Teachers Summit will bring together educators from across the field for a two-day, synchronous event focused on practical tools, teaching techniques, and professional connection. Developed in collaboration with multiple national and international partner organizations, including CMS, the summit emphasizes shared strategies and global perspectives in string teaching. CMS will contribute a session on experiential music education learning labs, highlighting approaches that support teacher retention and long-term success.
CMS Interdisciplinary Roundtables (June 19, July 17, August 14)
The CMS Councils on Music Education and Musicology will host a series of virtual interdisciplinary roundtables centered on rethinking 21st-century curricula. These sessions are designed to foster discussion around culturally responsive teaching, evolving student needs, and the impact of technological change, including artificial intelligence.
The specific focus of this initiative will be music teacher education, framed as a response to the ongoing national teacher shortage. While music education majors receive direct pedagogical training within their designated music education coursework, their preparation extends far beyond that sequence. Students learn how to teach history, theory, composition, performance (through ensembles and lessons), and other musical areas from faculty across the entire School of Music.
Participants will have opportunities to share institutional practices, including brief lightning talks in the first session, and engage in collaborative dialogue focused on practical implementation and curricular innovation.
Collaborate: Practical Strategies for Teaching Aural Skills and Music Theory
A CMS Lightning Symposium (August 8)
This Lightning Symposium will be held virtually, offering a concentrated program of short, practice-oriented presentations. The event will feature guest speakers Roger Graybill and Betsy Marvin, alongside a series of five-minute lightning talks focused on innovative teaching techniques that can be applied immediately in the classroom. Topics will range from rhythm pedagogy and sight-singing strategies to grading approaches and educational technology, providing attendees with a range of adaptable ideas to enhance student learning and engagement.
Finally, I received a compelling response to my April message focusing on alumni surveys and how music schools can better understand what our graduates are actually doing after they leave our colleges and universities. Larry Kaptain, Professor and former Dean at University of Colorado, Denver, shared this message.
Keep Listening. Keep Dreaming. Keep Growing.
Brian Pertl
President, College Music Society
Director, Lamont School of Music, University of Denver
[email protected]
