Name: From Classroom to Center Stage: Preparing Students for Professional Side Musician Roles
Start: 2025-06-05T14:20:00-0500
End: 2025-06-05T14:30:00-0500

Welcome to the APME Memphis 2025 conference. Here, you’ll be able to register for the conference and update your Sched profile. The conference schedule will be available in late spring 2025. At that time, you can view the schedule and select the presentations you’d like to attend. If you have any questions, please visit our conference website or contact us at conference@popularmusiceducation.org We look forward to coming together as a community June 4–7, 2025.

Thursday June 5, 2025 2:20pm - 2:30pm CDT

Classroom 105 - Legacy Building

Musicians who master the art of being a side musician—those who back prominent artists in high-stakes settings—gain access to unique professional opportunities. At Record High at Prudential Center, we developed an innovative approach to prepare young musicians for such roles. This presentation will spotlight a case study featuring a quartet of high school string players who performed with a well-known country artist on The Today Show. Through targeted workshops, rehearsals, and professional mentorship, we equipped these students with the skills required to thrive in a live performance scenario on national television. Participants will gain insight into how we focused on ensemble cohesion, adaptability, communication with headlining artists, and the professionalism required for fast-paced production environments. A 2-3 minute video will provide a behind-the-scenes look at this journey, showcasing the students' preparation and the on-stage results. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to develop similar programs, engage industry professionals, and create meaningful performance opportunities for their students. Whether you're an educator or program director, this session will inspire you to empower the next generation of versatile, career-ready musicians.

Speakers

Mark Conklin

VP, Artist Relations and Programming, Record High at Prudential Center

Mark D. Conklin is a GRAMMY®-nominated and Billboard-charting musician, interviewer, and educator. As VP of Artist Relations & Programming at Prudential Center, he leads the innovative music and career education initiative, Record High.His debut Gospel album, The Gospel According... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 2:20pm - 2:30pm CDT
Classroom 105 - Legacy Building 3775 Central Avenue 129 Music Building Memphis, TN, 38111

K-12 Education, Pop 10!

Need help? View Support Guides
Event questions? Contact Event Planner

APME Memphis 2025

Mark Conklin

Sign up or log in to save this to your schedule, view media, leave feedback and see who's attending!