SUMMER 2021
All online Summer MECA
courses begin on June 7
and conclude on August 1,
except as noted.
Registration for
all online courses
closes at 12:00 noon CST
on May 28, 2021.
Questions?
Visit our MECA FAQs page.
Add, drop, change or withdraw
using the Add/Drop Form.
For all other MECA-related
questions, contact us at
meca@vandercook.edu
or 312.788.1139.
Conductor/Teacher/Leader:
Successfully Navigating Instruction for the
Middle School Band
ONLINE
June 8–July 31, 2020
The multi-faceted ways our students, colleagues and community members view the hats we wear as a band director can be daunting. This two-credit online course lays out best practices for establishing a culture conducive to learning, caring and high-quality musicianship in a middle school band. Discussion and development of ideas will center around curriculum, choosing repertoire, warming up the ensemble, rehearsing and assessing with technology, and individual conducting skills.
Instructor: Stacey Larson Dolan
Stacey Larson Dolan (MMEd ‘98) is dean of undergraduate studies and associate professor of music at VanderCook, where she teaches music education courses, conducting courses and band at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dolan enjoyed success teaching elementary, middle and high school music before joining the faculty at VanderCook in 2004. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music education from Millikin University and her master’s from VanderCook. Dolan was on the design and teaching staff for the National Champion Lake Park Marching Band for 12 years and was the creative director and conductor of the Bensenville Young Musicians Mentor Band from 1995 to 2007. She has conducted honor bands and presented workshops at MEAs and festivals in China and throughout the United States. She has taught tens of thousands of middle school and high school students through her work as a clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor. Her professional affiliations include NAfME, Phi Beta Mu, NBA and CBDNA.
Course Details
Conductor/Teacher/Leader:
Successfully Navigating
Instruction for the
Middle School Band
Course Code 7290
Instructor
Stacey Larson Dolan
2 Graduate Credits
Tuition
$700, due in full with registration
Online Chat Sessions
TBD
Prerequisites
None
Required Text(s)
None
Software/Hardware Requirements
Internet access is required.
MECA Online
is powered by Schoology
Schoology is a learning management system that allows you to interact directly with your instructors, fellow students, and members of the greater VanderCook community.
Summer 2021 MECA courses officially begin on Monday, June 7. Soon after you register, be on the lookout for an email from Schoology with log-in instructions. Once you receive credentials, visit online.vandercook.edu to login. On the morning of June 7, you'll have access to your classroom and course material.
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.
Online grades will be reported by mid-June. If you need a transcript, please visit the online transcript request page. For faster turnaround time, please submit the transcript request to the registrar prior to the end of your course(s).
More information about Schoology can be found at www.schoology.com.