This is the Tempo issue when we draw your attention to some of the exciting sessions planned for the winter conference. As always, it promises to be a fabulous event, with outstanding sessions and ensembles, wonderful clinicians, and multiple opportunities to hone your skills and fellowship with colleagues. I hope you all plan to attend, as it is important for you as a teacher to take time for yourself to learn, to reconnect with each other, and to leave feeling refreshed.

Our 2008 conference is filled with an array of opportunities. As more collegiate members are beginning to attend this even, there are two sessions aimed directly at them. The first, a Collegiate Lunch and Conversation is open to all collegiate members, and will feature a roundtable conversation about current issues in music education. Pizza and drinks will be provided. This is an excellent occasion for collegiate members to get to know one another and begin networking. A second session, focused on the philosophy of music education, will feature current collegiate music education students. This session, entitled, Why Study Music? will be a panel discussion regarding the importance of music education. All years of teaching experience—novice to expert—are encouraged and welcomed, and this is an excellent forum for experienced teachers and future teachers to interact and learn from each other.

For those of you more interested in concrete material, something you can use right away, Dr. Janet Averett, San Jose State University clarinet instructor and orchestra conductor humorously presents, How to Play Clarinet Badly . . . and What Else Did You Want to Know? Providing tips for teaching clarinet within the ensemble setting, and how to get a better sound from your clarinet section, she answers all those pesky questions: Why do they SOUND like that? What kind of reed is that? Why can’t they play that note in tune? —and much more! This session is a must for all instrumental teachers, from elementary through high school.

If you have ever wondered why it is we teach what and how we do, then don’t miss Where Do We Come From? Historical Connections in Music Education. Professor Gordon Haramaki and myself (professors of history and music education at San Jose State University) provide a context for current music education trends. Ever wonder why we teach band, choir, and orchestra instead of something else? Not sure where the band really came from? What about jazz band and marching band? What social influences shaped music education and continue to drive us? In this session you will learn historical context for your ensemble settings and how music education developed within American public schools, so you can better address historical and cultural standards in the classroom.

Finally, for those of you hoping to expand the cultural boundaries of your music classrooms, come to Tracing and Teaching Latin American Rhythms, presented by Professor Abi Ramirez from San Jose State University, formerly from University of the Andes in Mérida, Venezuela. In a lively and interactive presentation, Professor Ramirez will discuss the development of basic rhythmic patterns of Brazil, Argentina, and Cuba, and how you can teach them and use them in your classroom.

I hope to see you all in January. Good luck in your school year.