Online Courses
All online Summer MECA
courses begin on June 8 and
conclude on July 31, 2020.
Registration for
all online courses
expires at 12:00 noon CST
on June 5, 2020.
Questions?
Visit our MECA FAQs page.
Drop, withdraw or change using
the Add/Drop Form.
For 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 Course Details
VanderCook Online is powered by Schoology (www.schoology.com). Through this learning management system, you'll be able to interact directly with your instructor, students in your classes, and members of the greater VanderCook Online community.
Summer 2020 MECA courses officially begin on Monday, June 8. Soon after you register, you'll be added as a new Schoology user. Be on the lookout for an email from Schoology with log-in instructions. Once you are given credentials, visit
www.online.vandercook.edu to login. On the morning of June 8, you'll have access to your classroom and course material.
Some courses have specific online chat meeting times while others have a flexible meeting schedule; please check individual course descriptions and details. You can expect all courses to meet together in a live online chat. If you are unable to attend the scheduled live meeting time, please consult your instructor to make alternative arrangements.
You'll have the opportunity to work at your own pace each week while completing assignments and posting responses to discussion questions. You'll constantly be interacting with your instructor and classmates online, and working through new material each week. We know how crazy school schedules can get, so our instructors try to make everything as flexible as possible!
Transcript requests can be made online using the Transcript Request Form. Any inquiries regarding transcripts should be directed to the Registrar’s Office at 312.788.1151. If you are in need a quick turn around time for your transcript please submit the request to the registrar prior to the end of your course(s).