2026 Teaching Music History Conference

Registration is now available for the 2026 Teaching Music History Conference. The conference will take place at New York University, in New York, NY between 5-7 June 2026. The conference will include a special workshop presented by Dr. Kwami Coleman in conjunction with the AMS Many Musics of America project which will explore methods for teaching improvisation and its history in American music in the K-12 classroom.

Registration rates are dependent upon employment status and attendance mode. Early bird rates will end on 30 April 2026.

The preliminary program for the Teaching Music History Conference will be published soon. All events will be held at 20 Cooper Square at New York University.

K-12 Educator Grants

K–12 Educators Grants in American Music provide grants of $500 to K–12 educators and music educators who have a special interest in American music to attend special events as part of the 2026 Teaching Music History Conference. Grantees will also receive complimentary registration for the conference.

The 2026 conference will feature a special workshop presented by Dr. Kwami Coleman, titled “What’s So ‘Free’ About Free Jazz?” This workshop will focus on what made free jazz such a unique and provocative sound, and discuss ways in which some of these “freer” methods of improvisation can serve as basic tools for students to use towards creative and spontaneous music creation.

The purpose of the grants is to support educator participation in AMS programming that engages with historical pedagogy and American musical traditions. Grants may be used to pay for travel and conference attendance expenses. Grant recipients will participate in relevant activities at the Teaching Music History Conference in New York as part of a cohort of fifteen.

The deadline to apply is 1 April 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET. For more information and application details, visit the K-12 Educator Grants page.