2026 Conn Selmer Institute Midwest: Experience and Retrospective
Date
June 14-June 17, 2026
Conference & Retrospective
Mishawaka IN
Course Code
6056B (1 credit) or 6066B (2 credits)
Credits
1 or 2
Tuition
$180 (1 credit) or $360 (2 credits)
Course Description
Join us in Mishawaka, IN for the 29th year of our flagship event. It’s back and better than ever with the longer format, Sunday, June 14 through Wednesday, June 17!
The event will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 14, and conclude at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17. For those attending the Blue Devils Experience on Wednesday at Mishawaka High School, it will conclude at 5:00 p.m.
Held on the peaceful campus of Bethel University, CSI National is the perfect retreat for busy educators, college students, and fine arts administrators. Recharge your batteries with concerts, reading band and rehearsal strategy clinics, and relevant and actionable sessions. Get the support you need from the CSI family of music educators and strengthen your network of colleagues and friends.
CSI National would not be complete without the iconic Conn Selmer factory tour – built into the curriculum for those attendees wishing to visit with the artisans responsible for creating the beautiful instruments you play.
Once again, Conn Selmer Institute is partnering with VanderCook College of Music to provide graduate credits for CSI National. We have had several past attendees take advantage of this opportunity to maximize the benefits of attending CSI National in conjunction with their graduate studies.
Instructor
Sarah Giordano is an instructor at VanderCook College of Music, where she teaches the following courses:
- Secondary General Music Methods
- Musical Theatre Methods
- Combat Piano for Choral Directors (offered through the MECA program)
- Beginner Choirs, Big Impact: Inclusive Teaching & Repertoire for Emerging Ensembles (an upcoming Summer 2026 MECA course)
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Ms. Giordano serves as a VanderCook master’s project advisor and is an active choral clinician, adjudicator, and accompanist in the Chicago suburbs.
With over 24 years of experience as an educator and musician in the Chicago suburbs, Ms. Giordano spent two decades as a middle school general music teacher, choir director, and drama director. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Music Education from Eastern Illinois University and a Master’s degree in Choral Music Education from VanderCook College of Music. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctorate in Music Education at Boston University.
Ms. Giordano is passionate about musical theatre and actively directs, music directs, and serves as vocal director for various youth, professional, and community theatre programs. Her youth theatre productions include Frozen JR, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: Youth Edition, The Pirates of Penzance, and Godspell. On the mainstage, her credits include Spamalot, Guys and Dolls, The Bridges of Madison County, Hairspray, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.