Call for Clinicians – Due December 10, 2025
The Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association’s state conference planning committee invites you to submit a proposal for the 2026 State Conference. This year’s conference will be held in person on June 12-14, 2026, on the campus of Seton Hill University, in Greensburg, PA.
The conference theme is “Musicians’ Search for Meaning: Artistry, Connections, and Resilience During Challenging Times.” This theme explores the transformative insights of Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, and their relevance to our calling as musicians. How can music teachers continue making a meaningful impact during a time of significant change, adversity, and uncertainty for all educators?
In his influential book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl reflects on his experiences as a concentration camp survivor and leading psychiatrist in Vienna before and after World War II. From his experiences, he concludes:
“We can discover…meaning in life in three different ways:
- By creating a work or doing a deed,
- By experiencing something (goodness, truth, and beauty) or encountering someone [love], and
- By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.” (p. 111)
Our conference theme will explore the transformative power of Frankl’s insights on our work as musicians. Preference will be given to presentations that connect to at least one of the following three channels that correspond to Frankl’s three pathways to meaning. The topics below provide examples.
Artistry: sustaining creative output, maintaining high standards, or adapting pedagogical approaches despite limitations or disruptions.
- Connection: preserving community, identity, and collaboration amid isolation, uncertainty, or systemic change.
- Resilience: strategies to navigate adversity, burnout, or instability in the arts.
College students are invited to apply!
The deadline for submissions is December 10, 2025.
For consideration, please e-mail the following to both co-conference chairs:
Seulki Yoo seulkisusieyoo@gmail.com AND
Jonathan Flowers jonathan@mindfulmusicllc.com
General Sessions
- A 250-word proposal outlining the proposed session for a 50-minute session.
- A 50-word or less description of the proposed 50-minute session.
- A full biography and a 50-word biography of each of the proposed presenter(s).
- A color photo of each proposed presenter.
College students (open to students currently enrolled in a music program anywhere in the country)
- A 250-word proposal outlining the proposed session for a 25-minute session.
- A 50-word or less description of the proposed 25-minute session.
- A 50-word biography of each of the proposed presenter(s).
- A color photo of each proposed presenter.
All components listed above must be sent to Seulki Yoo and Jonathan Flowers by December 10, 2025.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent by January 25, 2025.
As you prepare your proposal, please visit the PMTA website for information about our concert and masterclass artist, Brian Ganz, and keynote speaker, Kính T. Vũ.
We look forward to receiving your application!
