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2027 Eastern Division Conference

PD Outreach Program – Closes Oct. 8th!

OPENING SEPTEMBER 29TH!

The Professional Development Outreach Program provides an opportunity for districts to bring relevant, quality and affordable professional development sessions into their own school districts.

Click HERE to see our list of sessions being offered this year.

Click HERE to apply for this opportunity!  Applications close October 8th!

Congratulations to the following school districts who were awarded this opportunity during the 2025-26 school year:

East Hartford

Ron’s PD session was engaging and fun! All the music teachers thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent discovering the Tik-A-Tee rhythmic sight reading method. It makes a lot of sense in terms of vertical alignment for a district to use the same counting system. 

North Branford

I can’t say enough great things about our experience with Ron yesterday! This was truly one of the best organized, professional, useful, and intentional professional developments I have ever been a part of! My music colleagues all agreed that his method is incredibly accessible and useful and we all plan on applying this to our classrooms!
We reviewed his method book “Rhythmic Sight Reading”, and worked through examples as a group while he explained the rationale and usefulness of each section.  He also showed us a phenomenal online component that not only has classroom benefits, but allows students to practice their learning independently at home.  This “flipped classroom” model is a true example of what our district has been working on in our joint goals, so this enhances that greatly.
What we loved most about this was that although we all teach different grade levels and disciplines in music in NB, this presented a VERY useful tool to vertically align how we are all teaching rhythm.  All of us were able to articulate big ways we can incorporate this to help our students get to the next level.  We were able to collaborate in small groups and created activities that use this method. It is incredibly flexible and fluid, and allows the teacher to address their students’ needs while having autonomy of creativity within their lesson planning. Scaffolding, adjustment of pacing and review of learning tasks are very easy with this system.
Thank you so much for providing this invaluable session to our district! It is my hope that many other districts will get to work with Ron in the future!

Newington Public Schools

On Thursday February 12, 2026 the Newington Music Department had the opportunity to work with Ron Castonguay through the CMEA PD Outreach Program.  Ron presented his rhythmic sight-reading approach called the “Tik A Tee” method.  It was something that our entire department was able to benefit from.  It makes sense for anyone that is working with students from the general music classroom to a performing ensemble.  His method is scaffolded so that it can be put to use right away with any group of musicians.  Throughout the workshop Ron gave us many “real world” examples that he has tested with the ensembles he has worked with.  He gave us time to explore the various exercises in the book and answered all of our questions about how to implement this in a class/performance environment.  He encouraged us to be creative in our presentations and to make the content exciting for students.  In addition to the method book he has created many audio resources for teachers and students to use.  It was a very enjoyable PD day. 

Manchester Public Schools

Thank you to CMEA for providing an incredibly useful and invigorating PD for our 4-12th grade ensemble teachers! Steve Zimmerman’s presentation was engaging and relevant across our wide teacher audience of different disciplines and student levels. Our teachers enjoyed the afternoon greatly and reported that there was much to take away and be able to use right away. I have also seen several new conversation threads emerge in our department with regard to the topics of his presentation. Thank you again for making this PD possible and for providing us with this opportunity!

Congratulations to the following school districts who were awarded this opportunity during the 2024-25 school year:

Danbury Public Schools

On May 23, 2025, music educators from the elementary, middle, and high school levels gathered at Danbury High School for a three-hour professional development session titled “From Good to Great: Strategies for Ensemble Excellence,” presented by Steve Zimmerman. Hosted through the CMEA Professional Development Outreach Program, the session offered a fast-paced and engaging exploration of practical approaches to elevate ensemble performance. Zimmerman emphasized daily habits, instructional techniques, fundamental musicianship, and cultivating a positive program culture. His enthusiastic and clear presentation kept the session moving swiftly, leaving participants energized and equipped with actionable strategies tailored specifically to music classrooms. Many attendees praised the relevance and quality of the training, with one teacher noting, “This is the first professional development that I feel like I actually learned strategies that I can use in my classroom.” The session was a valuable and refreshing experience, especially in contrast to less targeted PD offerings typically provided to music educators.

Norwalk Public Schools

Coming fall 2025

Region 15 Public Schools

The elementary music teachers of Region 15 were delighted to welcome Lauren Lambert for a presentation on integrating children’s literature into the general music classroom. Educators explored a variety of texts suitable for PreK-5 students, while Lauren also shared valuable reference materials, including choral selections, dances, and visual aids to enhance the student experience. The Region 15 music teachers extend their sincere gratitude to both CMEA and Lauren Lambert for this enriching opportunity!

Questions? Email the CMEA PD Chair at prof-dev@cmea.org