Vander Cook Sign 1 1

Where the most Inspired Musicians
become the most Inspiring Music Teachers

Summer 2023 MECA

Continuing Education Courses

Online

Making Key Changes: Refresh Your Program (Level 1)

Date

June 5-July 28, 2023

Course Code

7313

Credits

3 Graduate Credits

Tuition

$1,080 is due in full with registration.

Overview

This course is open to ALL subject areas and levels of teaching. Are you in search of mentorship and motivation? Make key changes to refresh your teaching techniques in face-to-face and/or remote instruction! Course assignments are developed with the intention of immediate implementation in your classroom/program. Discover a successful plan to organize efficiently, instruct skillfully, manage behavior effectively, communicate clearly, and collaborate inclusively. Topics will include refreshing various parts of your teaching, including a shared vision, mission statement, motto, handbook/syllabus, classroom management, routines, behavior plan, administrative support, recruitment/retention, collaborative opportunities, adjudication/assessment, organizational procedures, professional development, cultural diversity, inclusivity, and other topics relevant to participants’ needs. Make key changes to refresh your teaching! 

The course is a creative mentorship and motivational approach intended to encourage reflection, inspiration, collaboration, creation, and ultimately – refreshment!

 

Zoom Meeting Times (Listed in ET = Eastern Time!)

  • Week 1:  Thursday, June 15 @  12 pm – 3:30 pm ET
  • Week 2:  Thursday, June 22 @  12 pm – 3:30 pm ET
  • Week 3:  Thursday, June 29 @  12 pm – 3:30 pm ET
  • Week 4:  Thursday, July 6 @  12 pm – 3:30 pm ET
  • Week 5:  Thursday, July 13 @  12 pm – 3:30 pm ET
  • Week 6:  Thursday, July 20 @ 12 pm – 3:30 pm ET

Requirements

Chat Session

This is a synchronous course that meets from June 15 - July 20, 2023 with 6 live required chat sessions. All course sessions are mandatory. Students are expected to attend all interactive Zoom meetings each Thursday beginning June 15 and ending on July 20 for the full-time commitment with audio and video ON throughout each meeting. Please see "Zoom Meeting Times" in Overview for a full calendar.

Prerequisites

None.

Required Text(s)

All course readings: https://makingkeychanges.com/publications/articles 

Learning Platform Information - Online Courses Only

Schoology is a learning management system that allows you to interact directly with your instructors, fellow students, and members of the greater VanderCook community.

The evening  before your class begins, be on the lookout for an email from Schoology with log-in instructions. Once you receive credentials, visit www.online.vandercook.edu to login. 

Some courses have specific online chat meeting times (please see course descriptions), while others have a flexible meeting schedule. You can expect all courses to meet together in a live online chat. If a live meeting time doesn’t work, you can work with your instructor to make other arrangements.

More information about Schoology can be found at www.schoology.com

Please see specific software/hardware requirements in the course description.

Online course grades are available within two weeks of the course(s) completion.  If you need a transcript, please CLICK HERE to access the online transcript request form. For a faster turnaround time, please submit the transcript request to the registrar prior to the end of your course(s).

Instructor

Screen Shot 2021 02 08 at 11.55.53 PM

Dr. Lori Schwartz Reichl

Dr. Lori Schwartz Reichl (b. 1978) is a champion of mentorship and motivation. Dr. Reichl’s mission is to encourage individuals to reflect on our practices while making key changes to refresh strategies that represent a shared vision to enrich the classroom, company, and community. Dr. Reichl’s unique experiences have permitted her to expand her multifaceted career into a portfolio as a clinician, conductor, instructor, writer, and speaker. She is the author of nearly 100 articles that have been reprinted with permission by more than 10 organizations worldwide. Since 2019, she has had at least one article per year highlighted on the Top-10 Most Accessed Music Education Blogs for the National Association for Music Education, earning the #1 spot in 2022. She designed these mentoring pieces into two graduate courses that she instructs at The University of the Arts (Philadelphia) and VanderCook College of Music (Chicago). She also creates inspirational content for a monthly newsletter consisting of thousands of subscribers. Musically, Dr. Reichl has served as an adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor for honor bands in several states. Generally, for all areas and levels of education, Dr. Reichl has presented more than 100 professional development sessions and keynote speeches for educational systems and organizations in almost half of the nation’s states including at international events. In addition, she has been interviewed for 16 education and leadership podcasts. Dr. Reichl is co-founder of Women Banding Together, a global group that cultivates mentoring relationships and fosters the development of women band directors. For Women Band Directors International, she serves as the Maryland State Chair and a member of the mentoring committee. She is a member of the K-12 Repertoire Diversity Task Force for the National Association for Music Education and the Executive Advisory Council for the Institute for Composer Diversity. In addition, she has previously served as a member of the advisory committee of the Status of Women Mentoring Program for the North American Saxophone Alliance and as an ensemble director on four European summer tours for American Music Abroad. Dr. Reichl is a premier instructor for Music Reading Class, a resource to help people of all ages learn to read music. Dr. Reichl has served as a proud educator since 2001. She has lovingly taught students and successfully led secondary music programs in Pennsylvania and Maryland schools that are located in rural and suburban areas, labeled Title I, and have been assigned to “corrective action.” In both states, Dr. Reichl has had the opportunity to open two new school buildings, develop new curricula, and collaborate with various communities. In Pennsylvania she received the Superintendent’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Daniel Boone Area School District and in Maryland she has been a finalist for the Howard County Parents for School Music Educator of the Year Award and the Howard County Public School System’s Teacher of the Year Award. Dr. Reichl attended the Northeastern School District in York County, Pennsylvania. She was fortunate to have her father as her elementary and high school band director and musical mentor and her mother as her creative cheerleader and present-day editor. She credits her large extended family, and especially her parents, for her love of creativity, music, and teaching. Dr. Reichl received her Bachelor of Science in Music Education from West Chester University, Master of Music Education from Lebanon Valley College, Administrator I Certification through McDaniel College, and Doctor of Music Education from Liberty University. Dr. Reichl’s research is rooted in the student voice and effective strategies of Diversity/Equity/Inclusion/Belonging. Dr. Reichl resides near Baltimore, Maryland where she maintains a private saxophone studio and coaches her daughter’s basketball team. She travels the world both in-person and virtually when invited for conducting, consulting, and speaking engagements. She shares an exciting life with her (non-musical!) engineer husband, 7-year-old daughter, and 5-year-old son. Dr. Lori Schwartz Reichl’s motto is to Embrace Uniqueness! 💗

The mission of VanderCook College of Music is to enrich the lives of present and future generations by developing uniquely skilled music teachers who exhibit strong character, professionalism, and a commitment to excellence.

© 2023 VanderCook College of Music. All Rights Reserved.
Scroll to Top