How To Modern Band, Gambill, Summer 2026

Course Number:	EDX 5710
Instructor:	Paul Gambill, M.M.
Location:	In-person at Creative Campus at Goddard & Online
Dates and Times:	June 22, 2026 - May 31, 2027.
Credits:	3 Graduate Credits
Tuition:	Set by and payable to the Community Engagement Lab

Course Description

This course explores approaches to modern band/popular music education that will expand your practice and increase access to your band program. The course will run concurrently on the same campus with Sonic Futures: Pop-Rock Modern Band Summer Camp for students in grades 8-12, providing a unique lab opportunity for you to coach the students yourselves, and learn from expert popular music educators as they coach and lead a modern band. The summer session will culminate with an evening performance featuring the Sonic Futures student band and the band we create with the course participants – you!

At the Project Design Lab educators will design a project that uses creative engagement—making things we care about—to strengthen their students’ engagement with curriculum or a school initiative, deepen their learning and intrinsic motivation to learn, and improve their well-being.

Audience: 5-12 music educators with a Bachelor's Degree

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals:

Re-imagine your practice to be steeped in creativity and innovation.
Take on the role of a modern band student: rehearse and perform in your own rock band.
Learn how student centered popular music education practices can extend beyond modern band into your traditional ensembles.
Leave with a plan to build and grow your school’s modern band program

Course Objectives:

Participants will know…

How to build and coach a popular music ensemble

Participants will understand…

The fundamental components of a modern band program, including sourcing repertoire, arranging and producing, songwriting, and rhythm section pedagogy
How to build and foster a student-centered culture of collaboration, curiosity and creativity.

Participants will do…

Create a project plan for launching or expanding a modern band program
Design an evaluation plan to track the impact of your project on student engagement and learning.
Reflect on growth by engaging in self-assessment.

Course Schedule

DAY 1
- Introductions & charting goals for the week
- Creative warm-up
- Assessing impact workshop
- Workshops on modern band fundamentals
- Daily reflection & tomorrow's plan

DAYS 2-4
- Creative warm-up
- Workshops on modern band fundamentals
- Daily reflection & tomorrow's plan

DAY 5
- Finalize projects
- Gallery Walk: sharing your project plan
- Next steps

Online, in-school, and independent work concluding before May 31, 2027.

Required Readings/Resources

Costs for required readings, if any, may not be included in the course tuition.

The required resources below were chosen very intentionally and even though some are more than 5 years old, they provide valuable historical context and foundational knowledge.

Holley, Steve; Reinher, Kate; Moir, Zack. "Action-based Approaches in Popular Music Education". Fflat Books, August, 2021

Booth, Eric, and, Gambill, Paul. "Growing the Ultimate Sustainable Crop: Creative Capacity in Vermont Students". McLemore Ave Music, 28 July, 2021

Golden, Tasha. "From Absence to Presence: Arts and Culture Help Us Redefine “Health”." Grantmakers in the Arts, 19 Jan. 2022, www.giarts.org/blog/tasha-golden/absence-presence-arts-and-culture-help-us-redefine-health

"What Is the CASEL Framework?" CASEL, 2025, casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/

Holley, Steve. "Coaching a Popular Music Ensemble: Blending formal, non-formal, and informal approaches in the rehearsal". McLemore Ave Music, 28‎ May, 2019

For additional course information

Paul Gambill

(802) 595-0087

For additional registration information

This course requires registration with the Community Engagement lab first using the Register Now link below.

Center for Schools Team

(802) 468-1325