Page 113 - Jan.indd

February 28 - March 3, 2022 Little Rock, Arkansas

Using Popular Music both virtual and in-person settings to the topic. In 2020, Menon received

to Help Students ensure students have opportunities the Texas Choral Director’s Associ-
to express themselves, work collabo- ation’s Young Director of Disctinc-
"Find Their Voices" ratively, and further develop as inde- tion.
pendent musicians.
This interactive session will de- Julie Derges teaches
scribe how to set up collaborative Saleel Menon is a grad- undergraduate courses
small-group projects with clear ex- uate choral conducting in elementary and sec-
pectations and share video examples student at Michigan ondary general music
from the presenter’s own classrooms. State University. Prior methods and graduate
He will also describe and model ex- to his work there, he courses in music education research
ercises that choir teachers can use was a choir director at Ridge Point and pedagogy. Originally from cen-
to develop students’ aural skills and High School in Houston, Texas. tral Illinois, she earned her BME-
musical independence prior to be- Specializing in non-traditional cho- from the University of Illinois at Ur-
ginning small-group work to help ral pedagogy, Menon co-authored bana-Champaign and her master’s
set them up for success. Finally, he an article published in the Music Ed- and doctoral degrees at Michigan
will provide strategies for monitoring ucation Journal on popular music in State University. Derges is an active
and facilitating these small groups in 2019, and presents at conferences on clinician and regularly provides pro-

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2022 Volume 62 Number 5 111