Conference Schedule
Below is the current conference schedule for June 2022. (Please note that the schedule below is subject to change.) After completing the conference and participating in the sessions below you will have practiced:
- Identifying and analyzing critical issues and challenges facing music schools
- Demonstrating an understanding of the essential operational components of higher education administration
- Developing successful strategies for implementing initiatives designed to meet these challenges
- Exploring and implementing best practices for effective leadership in music schools
- Understanding the leader’s role in fulfilling an institutional vision
- Developing skills for building, leading and engaging successful teams
Wednesday, June 22
1:00pm
Registration and Welcome Reception
As everyone begins arriving from colleges and universities from all over the country, we’ll set you up with a name badge, conference booklet, and some snacks so you can mingle and meet your cohort of fellow conference attendees.
1:30pm
Conference Welcome
Director of the IML, Rachel Roberts, will welcome everyone to the conference. You’ll also get a chance to introduce yourself as we go around the room and meet everyone!
2:00pm
Keynote Address: Challenges, Opportunities, and Beautiful Music
Faculty: Jamal Rossi
Addressing challenges and embracing opportunities are inevitable responsibilities of leadership. This session will consider how leaders can prepare to engage in foreseeable situations, as well as those that are unanticipated.
2:30pm
Workshop #1: The Administration / Faculty Relationship
Faculty: Mary Ellen Poole
How does the effective music school leader engage in transformative change at their institution?
4:00pm
Break
Stretch, refill your coffee, catch up on some emails, or take some time to digest what you’ve just heard. Snacks and beverages will be there to fuel you!
4:15pm
Deans Panel Discussion #1: Leadership Journeys
Faculty: Jamal Rossi, Toni-Marie Montgomery, Todd Queen, Mary Ellen Poole
Our first panel of deans will discuss transitioning from faculty to administration. We’ll ask: How do you get there? What have you learned? How has the position changed over time?
5:45pm
Group Dinner
We’ll walk a few blocks to Branca Midtown, a local Italian eatery in the center of downtown Rochester, to continue getting to know one another while enjoying some great food and drinks. Afterward, we’ll have shuttles to bring you back to your hotel. You can also choose to walk back, or head back to Gibbs St. to take in the Rochester International Jazz Fest.
Thursday, June 23
8:00am
Coffee, Treats, and Conversation
Breakfast will be provided by your hotel, but we’ll have hot coffee, tea, water, and some snacks to keep you going throughout the day. This is also a great time to build your network and connect with other participants and faculty.
8:30am
Dean Strategy Session #1: Best Practices for Effective Leadership
Faculty: Toni-Marie Montgomery
What are ways to exemplify effective leadership? How do you build trust and navigate challenges? What are strategies to continue development, including identification of mentors?
10:30am
Break
Stretch, refill your coffee, catch up on some emails, or take some time to digest what you’ve just heard. Snacks and beverages will be there to fuel you!
10:45am
Deans Panel Discussion #2: Reflecting on Leadership
Faculty: Jamal Rossi, Toni-Marie Montgomery, Todd Queen, Mary Ellen Poole
In our second panel with the deans, we ask how to talk about change and navigate an organization’s ability to adapt to changes? (pandemics included!) What are strategies for navigating a change in leadership – your own leadership role, or the role of a University President or Provost.
12:00pm
Lunch & Conversation
We’ll walk to a nearby hot-spot: Mercantile on Main. This historic building turned restaurant row has something for everyone – a famous Rochester deli, fresh pasta, Spanish food, salads, fresh steaks and chops – even phở! Talk about the day’s session or just get to know your colleagues.
1:30pm
Workshop #2:
Do’s and Don’ts of Finances
Faculty: Susan Lopez
What are the factors that drive the music school budget process? What are strategies for understanding and managing the music school budget?
3:00pm
Break
Take some time to reflect on what you’ve heard and reset for the next session. Oh, and we’ll still have plenty of coffee and snacks.
3:30pm
Workshop #3: Changing Tempos – How Music Programs Navigate This New Landscape
Faculty: Crystal Sellers-Battle
Anchored in the scholarship of inclusion and transformative practice principles, we will explore and engage with the conditions that mitigate bias and discrimination while promoting a sense of belonging in our learning environments.
5:00pm
Group Dinner
We’ll take a walk down to the Memorial Art Gallery (the MAG) and head inside to the Brown Hound – a wonderful restaurant situated inside the beautiful MAG space. Shuttles will again be there at the end of dinner to bring you back to your hotel, or you can continue exploring Rochester or walk back to Gibbs St. for more of the International Jazz Fest.
Friday, June 24
8:00am
Coffee, Treats, and Conversation
Breakfast will be provided by your hotel, but we’ll have hot coffee, tea, water, and some snacks to keep you going throughout the day. This is also a great time to build your network and connect with other participants and faculty.
8:30am
Dean Strategy Session #2: Leading Change
Faculty: Todd Queen
Leading change is a necessary part of leadership, but it comes with both opportunities and pitfalls. This session will explore how to effectively lead change in your unit, and how understanding and embracing the identity, values, and brand of your institution will help you in your efforts in creating an identity and effectively advocating for your unit.
10:30am
Break
Stretch, refill your coffee, catch up on some emails, or take some time to digest what you’ve just heard. Snacks and beverages will be there to fuel you!
10:45am
Deans Panel Discussion #3: The Balancing Act
Faculty: Jamal Rossi, Toni-Marie Montgomery, Todd Queen, Mary Ellen Poole
Managing stress is an inevitable part of leadership, and the demands from the pandemic have only exacerbated the overload and burn-out of our society. This session will discuss strategies for taking care of your mental and physical health, as well as that of your community.
12:00pm
Lunch & Conversation
We’ll head back to Mercantile on Main to talk about the day’s sessions or just get to know your colleagues over a satisfying lunch.
1:15pm
Tour of Eastman (Optional)
For those interested, we’ve arranged a tour of the Eastman School of Music. Otherwise, you can use the time to catch up on emails, rest, or enjoy a leisurely, extended lunch break.
1:45pm
Workshop #4: Advancement Essentials
Faculty: Aubrie Willaert
What are the essential elements of a music school advancement program? This session will explore strategies towards building relationships with advancement teams and steps to grow advancement results.
2:45pm
Break
Take some time to reflect on what you’ve heard and reset for the next session. Oh, and we’ll still have plenty of coffee and snacks.
3:00pm
Workshop #5: Recruitment and Enrollment
Faculty: Matthew Ardizzone
What are the unique issues that face admissions directors and enrollment managers at music schools in the 21st century?
4:00pm
Break
Take some time to reflect on what you’ve heard and reset for the next session. Oh, and we’ll still have plenty of coffee and snacks.
4:15pm
Workshop #6: Making Career Changes
Faculty: Mary Ellen Poole
How do you navigate career changes? This session will explore ways to seek opportunities, interview with the intention of exploring whether a school/program will be a good fit, and successfully transition into a new position.
5:45pm
Group Dinner
We’ll take a walk over to Ox and Stone just down the street for some incredible food in a beautiful space building in Rochester. Afterward, shuttles will take you back to your hotels, or you can head down to the Rochester International Jazz Festival for one more night of jazz!
Saturday, June 25
8:00am
Coffee, Treats, and Conversation
Breakfast will be provided by your hotel, but we’ll have hot coffee, tea, water, and some snacks to keep you going throughout the day. This is also a great time to build your network and connect with other participants and faculty.
8:30am
Dean Strategy Session #3: Vision and Strategic Planning
Faculty: Jamal Rossi
This session will consider how to advance ideas into action, and transforming institutional visions into strategic plans that are focused on achieving goals.
10:30am
Break
Stretch, refill your coffee, catch up on some emails, or take some time to digest what you’ve just heard. Snacks and beverages will be there to fuel you!
10:45am
Deans Panel Discussion #4: Open Q&A
Faculty: Jamal Rossi, Toni-Marie Montgomery, Todd Queen, Mary Ellen Poole
Our final panel with the deans will be an open session where you can pose the questions you’ve been dying to ask all conference long! We’ll start the conversation off by asking the deans: what are ways that you see hope, optimism, and possibility for the future of our music schools?
12:00pm
Farewell and Lunch To-Go
After the final panel, we’ll wrap everything up, say our goodbyes, and all head back to our respective homes. We’ll have to-go lunch options you can grab on your way to the airport as well as a token of our appreciation for attending.