Past Events

Certification Courses

April 4 – May 9, 2025
Conversational Solfege Upper Levels Certification Course
Online/Virtual – Crever Hosts John Feierabend Virtually

Aug. 5-8, 2024
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Portland, Oregon

July 29 – Aug. 1, 2024
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Portland, Oregon

June 24 – 27, 2024
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Portsmouth Public Schools – Portsmouth, VA

October 27, 2023 – April 3, 2024
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Great Falls Public Schools – Great Falls, MT

May 12 – June 16, 2023
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Online/Virtual – Crever Host John Feierabend

April 14 – May 19, 2023
Conversational Solfege Upper Levels Certification Course
Online/Virtual – Crever Host John Feierabend

February 10 – March 17, 2023
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Online/Virtual – Crever Host John Feierabend

October 11 – November 17, 2022
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Online/Virtual – Crever Host John Feierabend

August 24 – November 22, 2022 –
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Medford Public Schools – Medford, OR

June 13 – 17, 2022
First Steps in Music Certification Courses
Online Virtual with Sand Point, Idaho School District
Crever Host John Feierabend

May 31 – June 3, 2022
First Steps in Music Certification Courses
Mesa Public Schools – Mesa, AZ

March 7 – April 13, 2022
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Online Virtual – Crever Host John Feierabend

January 24 – March 2, 2022
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Online Virtual – Crever Host John Feierabend

July 20 – August 26, 2021
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Online Virtual

June 8, 2021 – July 15, 2021
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Online Virtual

November 4, 2019 – March 8 , 2020
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
White River School District,
Buckley, WA

August 26-28, 2019
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Bend School District
Bend, OR

August 14-16, 2019
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
The Perpich Center for Arts Education
Minneapolis, MN

August 7-9, 2019
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Salt Lake City (South Jordan), UT

July 1-3
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Camino Nuevo Carter School and YOLA
Los Angeles, CA

June 24-26, 2019
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Portland, OR

June 17-19, 2019*
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Kelso, WA

June 10-12, 2019
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Helena, MT

April 15-17, 2019
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Rock Springs, Southwest WY

January – March 2019
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Portland Public Schools
Portland, OR

Winter Break – December 17-19, 2018
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Portland, OR

August 27-29, 2018 
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Bend Public Schools
Bend, OR

August 8-10, 2018 
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Perpich Center for Arts Education
Minneapolis, MN

August 1-3, 2018 
First Steps in Music Certification Course
South Jordan, UT

June 27-29, 2018 
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Seattle, WA 

June 20-22, 2018
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Portland, OR

June 13-15, 2018
Conversational Solfege Certification Course 
Great Falls, MT

March 26-30, 2018
First Steps in Music Certification Course 
San Diego, CA

December 18-20, 2017
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Portland, OR

September 18-20, 2017
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
San Diego, CA

August 16-18, 2017
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Portland, OR

August 9-11, 2017
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Seattle, WA (Phinneywood)

July 28-30, 2017
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Seattle, WA (Phinneywood)

July 12 -14, 2017
First Steps in Music Certification Course
Portland, OR

November 11-13, 2016
Conversational Solfege Certification Course
Walla Walla, WA

Workshops/Conferences

April 26, 2025
Techniques for the Feier-Drill  – Musical Thinking Games for Literacy Development
NAfME 2025 General Music Virtual Mini-Conference
Online

March 15, 2025
Techniques for the Feier-Drill  – Musical Thinking Games for Literacy Development
Portland OSA Spring Share
Portland, OR

March 8, 2025
OAKE National Conference
Elevate Expressive Storytelling in the Music Classroom
Chicago, IL

February 16, 2025
An Ear-First Approach to Teaching Ensemble Harmony and Improvisation
Northwest NAFME Super Conference
Spokane, WA

February 1, 2025
Arizona Music Educators’ Conference
Music and Movement in the Early Years
An Ear-First Approach to Classroom Music Reading 
Mesa, AZ

January 17, 2025
California Music Educators’ Conference –
An Ear-First Approach to Musical Thinking: The Feierabend Way
Sacramento, CA

January 19, 2025
Oregon Music Educators’ Conference
An Ear-First Approach to Musical Thinking: The Feierabend Way
Eugene, OR

November 7-8, 2024
Association for Music in International Schools in-service Conference
An Ear-First Approach to Musical Thinking: The Feierabend Way
Music and Movement in the Early Years: Developing Tunefulness, Beatfulness, and Artfulness
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

July 19-20, 2024
Feierabend Association Biennial Conference
Circlesongs: Spontaneous Vocal Compositions 
An Ear-First Approach to Learning Harmony and Improvisation with Conversational Solfege.
First Steps in Music Pre-conference Mini Course
Chicago, IL

March 16, 2024
OAKE National 50th Anniversary Conference, Chicago.
An Ear-First Approach to Learning Harmony and Improvisation with Conversational Solfege.
Co-presented with Chris Anne Powers
Chicago, IL

February 17, 2024
Washington Music Educators’ Conference
An Ear-First Approach to Music Reading Part 1 – Rhythmic
An Ear-First Approach to Music Reading Part 2 – Tonal
Yakima, WA

January 7, 2024
Arizona Music Educators’ Conference
Music and Movement in the Early Years
Mesa, AZ

February 18, 2023
California Music Educators’ Conference
Growing Tuneful, Beatful, Artful Children the Feierabend Way, Part 1: Singing  
Growing Tuneful, Beatful, Artful Children the Feierabend Way, Part 2: Movement  
Fresno, CA

February 4, 2023
Arizona Music Educators’ Conference
Meeting Music Reading Standards with Conversational Solfege: Part 1 Rhythmic  
Meeting Music Literacy Standards with Conversational Solfege: Part 2 Tonal
Teaching Harmony and Improvisation with Conversational Solfege
Mesa, AZ

February 4, 2023
Oregon Music Educators’ Conference
An Ear-First Approach to Teaching Harmony and Improvisation with Conversational Solfege

January 30, 2022
Arizona Music Educators’ Conference
Meeting Music Reading Standards with Conversational Solfege: Part 1 Rhythmic  
Meeting Music Literacy Standards with Conversational Solfege: Part 2 Tonal
Growing Tuneful, Beatful, Artful Children the Feierabend Way, Part 1: Singing  
Growing Tuneful, Beatful, Artful Children the Feierabend Way, Part 2: Movement  

September 15, 2021
OAKE Western Division Virtual Conference.
Adaptions to Sight-Reading Curriculum for Online Instruction.
Online

February 12, 2021
Minnesota Music Educators’ Conference.
Early Childhood Online in the Vocal Classroom Setting, Co-presented with Jane Kahan.
Adaptions to Sight-Reading Curriculum for Online Instruction.
Online

Conference February 5, 2021
Utah Music Educators
Growing Tuneful, Beatful, Artful Children the Feierabend Way, Part 2: Movement, co-presented with Jane Kahan (Co-Author: The Book of Movement Exploration).
Online

Conference: July 16-19, 2020
Feierabend Association of Music Education Biennial
Due to Covid-19 pandemic, postponed till July 2021 
Featured Presenter, pre-conference day-long mini course: Conversational Solfege
Co-Present Session with Spencer Thornton: Move, Move, Move: The expressive movement steps of the 8-Part work-out for early childhood music.
Co-Present Session (with Melinda Workman): Conversational Solfege in the Private Studio

January 31-Feb 1, 2020
Arizona Music Educators’ Conference
Meeting Music Reading Standards with Conversational Solfege: Part 1 Rhythmic  
Meeting Music Literacy Standards with Conversational Solfege: Part 2, Tonal Growing Tuneful, Beatful, Artful Children the Feierabend Way, Part 1: Singing   Growing Tuneful, Beatful, Artful Children the Feierabend Way, Part 2: Movement  
Mesa, AZ

October 4, 2019
AOSA Fall Mini-Conference
Conversational Solfege Overview; First Steps in Music Overview
Boisem, Idaho

August 5, 2019
One-Day Conversational Solfege Overview
State PD in the Arts Education Day at The Perch Center
Minneapolis, MN (Golden Valley)

July 27, 2019
Conversational Solfege Overview; First Steps in Music Overview
Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles National A “Take a Stand” Symposium
Los Angeles, CA

April 5, 2019
Nevada Music Educators’ Conference
Conversational Solfege Overview;
First Steps in Music Overview
Las Vegas, Nevada

February 15-16, 2019
First Steps in Music: Overview & Pathway to Singing in Harmony
Northwest NAFME Super Conference
Portland, OR

January 19, 2019
Conversational Solfege Overview; First Steps in Music Overview
Hawaii MEA

January 11, 2019
Conversational Solfege Overview
Perpich Center for Arts Education
Minneapolis, MN

July 18-20, 2018
Feierabend Association Biennial Conference and
Conversational Solfege Pre-conference Mini Course
Chicago, IL

April 21, 2018 
Music with Pre-school Ages – Oregon AEYC in-service
Eugene, OR

April 20, 2018 
OR-AEYC Spring In-service Conference 
Infant Toddler Institute
Springfield, OR

February 12-13, 2018
Conversational Solfege Overview; First Steps in Music Overview
Idaho MEA

January 13, 2018
Oregon Music Educators’
Conversational Solfege Overview; First Steps in Music Overview
Eugene, Oregon

October 13, 2017
First Steps in Music
Lower Columbia River Music Educators Education & SWOKE
Vancouver, WA

July 16, 2016
Next Steps into Harmony: Repurposing the First Steps Repertoire as a Tuneful Pathway into Upper Elementary Singing.
FAME Biennial Conference
Wenham, MA

Seven Steps to a District-Wide Curriculum Certification

1. Attend a conference session to learn about this approach and follow-up online.
2. Book John for a PD day.
3. Seek a majority of the department chairs and admins for sponsorship.
4. Get with Music-ade to acquire delivery date & curriculum ideas.
5. Get Approval & Contracts signed.
6. Certification Course Delivery. It’s your starting point to ALL the benefits of having your music department on the same literacy page.
7. Book follow-up sessions to answer questions and fine-tune your experience using the Feierabend curricula in your music department.