Sweetwater Director Academy

You are encouraged to attend any session that is relevant to your journey. While we offer specialty tracks within the Director Academy, you are free to attend any session in any track. We also offer “intensives” which encourage a deeper dive on a specific topic over multiple sessions.

Our basic specialty areas, or “majors,” on campus for the Music for All Summer Symposium are:

• High School Director
• Middle School Director
• College Student
• Color Guard Instructor
• Percussion Specialist
• Marching & Movement Instructor

Our “intensives” on campus for the Music for All Summer Symposium:

• Judging
• Conducting
• Music Arranging for Marching Band
• Mastering the Yamaha Harmony Director
• Amplification, Technology, and Electronics
• Body Movement/Dance for Marching Band Directors

Bring your instrument and read new music, expand your repertoire, and discuss rehearsal strategies with your colleagues and our director Richard Saucedo. This is always one of the most fun and meaningful experiences at camp according to recurring participant feedback.

Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps will be in residence June 26-28. Attend rehearsals, learn about the DCI/BOA judging system, participate in clinic sessions with the Carolina Crown staff and attend the DCI Muncie show on Friday night.

The Music for All Summer Symposium Director Academy is the only professional development experience to offer unlimited one-on-one “parlor sessions” with our world-class faculty as part of your tuition. Bring your marching band show ideas, pedagogy questions, program challenges  , or professional ponderings. Enjoy priceless one-on-one time engaging with the most successful directors and designers in the business to find relevant solutions.

We encourage all directors to take part in the “Professionalism and Ethics for Teachers and Non-Certified Staff” session. This session will be a frank discussion about professionalism and ethics for new and experienced teachers.  Creating a safe learning environment must be the number one priority for staff members, boosters, volunteers, and teachers.

Music for All will provide a Certificate of Attendance to two-time participants who are non-certified teachers such as percussion instructors (PSA) and color guard instructors (CGIA) within the Director Academy. This will certify that a person has attended two years of the Summer Symposium Director Academy.  In order to receive this certificate, you must attend one of the two ethics sessions each year.

In keeping with its mission statement, Music for All recognizes director sustainability as critical to providing quality music education opportunities for all students. Music for All has made a financial commitment to make camp more accessible as you continue.

Bring students and save: receive $50 off the Director Academy fee for each student of yours attending camp!

Enjoy performances from the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Program (YYPA), which recognizes outstanding young musicians from the world of classical, jazz and contemporary music. On Friday night attend the DCI Central Indiana show, featuring Carolina Crown, the Cavaliers, Boston Crusaders, Phantom Regiment, and the Blue Stars. More concert acts will be added in the coming months.

Directors at the Bands of America Summer Symposium will benefit from our world class curriculum for Total Program Success.  High school and middle school band directors as well as college students, color guard instructors, and percussion specialists will all learn systems and processes revolving around these core competencies:

• Evaluation
• Visualization
• Prioritization and Organization
• Communication

In addition, sessions will extend to topics such as: the big picture, content-specific pedagogy:  score study, conducting, show design, hiring designers, leadership, rehearsal efficiency, time-management, sequencing of content, lesson planning, season-long planning, ethics, SEL, interventions, finances, DEI, drill writing, music arranging, copyright issues, choreography, electronics, and more!

In addition to the core curriculum, directors will have opportunities to “major” in other areas for large periods of time!  High School Band, Middle School Band, College Students and New Teachers, Percussion, Color Guard, and Marching & Movement.

Credits available through VanderCook College.

Music for All will provide a Certificate of Attendance to two-time participants who are percussion instructors and color guard Instructors within the Director Academy.  This will certify that a person has attended two years of the Summer Symposium Director Academy.

Music for All will also provide letters verifying attendance for music educators for Professional Development credit purposes (where applicable).

Room and Board

Director Academy attendees stay in Kinghorn Residence Hall on the Campus of Ball State University. Built in 2010, it features state-of-the-art technology, first-class amenities, kitchen and lounge spaces, and semi-private bathrooms. The dorm is a short walk from Worthen Arena and North Dining Hall, and the Director Academy sessions are a mere 10-minute walk away. Breakfast and dinner will be at North Dining Hall and lunch is catered for all adults at the Student Center each day.

A Typical Day’s Schedule

7:30 AM – Breakfast
8:30 AM – First Session
9:30 AM – Second Session
10:30 AM – Third Session
11:30 AM – Lunch
1:10 PM – Fourth Session
2:10 PM – Fifth Session
3:10 PM – Sixth Session
4:10 PM – Seventh Session
5:00 PM – Dinner
6:30 PM – Director Band
8:00 PM – Concert
9:30 PM – Director Social

Want the “secret sauce” to move your band program to the next level while enjoying summer casual dress and hanging out with like-minded friends? The Director Academy offers a comprehensive curriculum for middle and high school band directors geared toward total program success. With focus areas for middle and high school tiers, Summer Symposium’s rigorous, yet flexible, curriculum will equip band directors with the knowledge, skills, and sustainability needed to continually advance programs at all levels. Participants will explore a wide range of topics including: score study, conducting, show design, leadership, rehearsal efficiency, time management, sequencing of content, lesson planning, ethics, SEL, interventions, finances, DEI, drill writing, music arranging, copyright issues, choreography, electronics and more. We’ll help you evaluate, visualize, prioritize, organize, and communicate your program’s goals more effectively.

View a Sample Schedule

The Director Academy offers a comprehensive curriculum for middle school teachers to enhance their teaching practice and total program success.  Designed to support band directors with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to achieve greater success in the classroom and rehearsal settings. Core competencies covered in this curriculum include: pedagogy, evaluation, visualization, prioritization, organization, and communication. Participants explore an array of topics including: recruiting and retention, beginning instrument pedagogy, score study, conducting, leadership, rehearsal efficiency, time management, sequencing of content, lesson planning, ethics, SEL, interventions, finances, DEI, and more.

View a Sample Schedule

As younger teachers, forming lifelong professional relationships is critical to your future success. The Director Academy is a great place to start! College students and new teachers can choose a variety of sessions designed for high school, middle school, color guard, marching & movement, and percussion instructors. Our goal is to prepare young teachers to thrive, not just survive. You too can schedule parlor sessions with the world-class faculty. These professionals are among the most generous and supportive in helping you achieve success. Even better, they’ll be your professional advocates for life!

The CGIA is designed to elevate your teaching of dance, flag, and weapon techniques. This comprehensive program caters to color guard instructors of all levels, offering sessions and classes on technique, pedagogy, recruitment, and retention. Participants engage in hands-on practice to refine their flag, rifle, saber, and dance techniques, while also gaining valuable insights into stretching, physical fitness, warm-up routines, and choreography. The CGIA provides an unparalleled opportunity to learn from industry experts and network with fellow instructors, making it an ideal setting for young teachers, college students, and experienced instructors alike.

The three-day camp options are not available for CGIA attendees.

View a Sample Schedule

Elevate your percussion teaching skills and propel your ensembles to new levels of achievement via the Percussion Specialist Academy. Immerse yourself in a learning environment led by renowned marching percussion experts. Refine your craft through hands-on instruction and interactive sessions. Engage with industry leaders, expand your professional network, and reap the benefits of newly introduced lower pricing for this flexible 3-day option.

Session 1 delves into arranging, tuning, fundamentals/basics, recruiting, percussion teaching techniques, and more.

Session 2 explores electronics, amplification, technology, and beyond – the second 3-day session of the Percussion Specialist Academy will feature many clinics on electronics and amplification on the marching band field for soloists, front ensemble instruments, and more. We will cover the ins and outs of wiring a front ensemble, mixer programming, and the use of effects to shape the sound of your ensemble. We will cover performance software programs like Mainstage and Ableton. Last, we will provide sound design clinics and free resources to get your sound library up and running.

Additionally, you can attend other Director Academy sessions covering band pedagogy, judging, arranging, and more. Whether you’re a young teacher, a college student, or an experienced instructor, the Percussion Specialist Academy provides an unparalleled opportunity to elevate your expertise and inspire your students to achieve peak performance.

View a Sample Schedule