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.
The progress of popular music programs in the last decade have been the cornerstone and development of aspiring artists, songwriters, and music business careers. Modern degree programs are reflexive, designed in tandem with current industry trends and practices while incorporating modern academic and performative experiences. At times, this bespoke approach can be isolating, creating a silo whereby students pursuing the more traditional practices of classical or jazz music are unable to collaborate and create with their contemporary/popular peers. Unsurprisingly, the results such a collaboration are innovative and rewarding. Incorporating classical instrumentalists into popular music ensembles at the collegiate level bridges stylistic gaps, fosters musical versatility, and enriches creative collaboration. This presentation explores strategies for effectively blending classical instrumental timbres and textures with the dynamic energy of popular music, providing a new framework for both educators and students. While classically trained musicians often bring technical proficiency, interpretative depth, and unique tonal colors to contemporary ensembles, they may face challenges adapting to improvisation, rhythmically driven styles, and amplified settings. Furthermore, we will examine how classical musicians become involved in the writing and creative process. Conversely, popular music students gain exposure to the nuanced expression and discipline of classical traditions. The presentation examines practical solutions to these challenges, including writing/arranging techniques that blend classical and popular textures, fostering an understanding of diverse music genres, and designing ensemble formats that encourage mutual learning. As director of the Frost School’s Coffeehouse Ensemble, I will use select footage from our most recent showcase to share and discuss the process and journey of recruiting, integrating, and rehearsing a contemporary ensemble comprised of popular singer/songwriters and classical instrumentalists.
