2026 MMC HEADLINERS
MASTA - Michigan Chapter of the American String Teachers Association
Dr. LaSaundra Belcher
Dr. LaSaundra Belcher is a respected conductor, educator, and arts leader with over 20 years of experience in public schools, higher education, and community music programs. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra in North Carolina, where she leads initiatives that expand access to high-quality music instruction for students from rural and under-resourced communities.
Dr. Belcher is a sought-after guest conductor and clinician for All-State and Honors Orchestras across the country, with recent engagements in Montana, Georgia, California, Minnesota, Nevada, and North Carolina. She is also a featured speaker at major music education conferences, including the Texas Music Educators Association, Michigan Music Conference, and NAfME’s Pacific Northwest Conference. In 2026, she will serve as an adjudicator for the American String Teachers Association’s National Orchestra Festival.
In addition to her national presentations, she provides professional development for music educators, equipping teachers with practical strategies to foster student success, increase engagement, and strengthen music programs. Dr. Belcher teaches at Shenandoah University, where she equips aspiring arts entrepreneurs with the tools to build successful, sustainable businesses. Her work reflects a deep commitment to inspiring joy through music, fostering student growth, and empowering educators to create uplifting, engaging learning experiences for all students.
Sessions:
MASTA Headliner #1: Building Community Through Accessible and Inclusive K-12 String Music - Friday, 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
MASTA Headliner #2: Teaching Music Through a Culturally Inclusive Lens - Friday, 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
MASTA Headliner #3: Grant Writing 101: From Idea to Application - Saturday, 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
MMEA - Michigan Music Education Association
Michelle McCauley
Michelle McCauley Bobadilla is an inspiring Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal member artist and educator whose work bridges cultural artistry and inclusive education. As a women’s fancy shawl dancer and Paiute buckskin dancer she honors her tribal heritage while captivating audiences with graceful, vibrant movements rooted in tradition. Michelle has also contributed her expertise to the Musicast podcast, Decolonizing the Music Room, Fflat books, Chorus America grants board, National Association for Music Education, and various other music ed organizations discussing the vital importance of incorporating Native American music in academic settings. Michelle has taken to a few social media platforms where she fosters culturally responsive practices and champions the needs and voices of Indigenous students.
Sessions:
MMEA Headliner #1: Cultural Appropriation: Authentic Native American Representation Verses Stereotypes - Friday, 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
MMEA Headliner #2: What is Appropriate for Curriculum When You Are Not A Member of A Tribal Nation - Friday, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
MMEA Headliner #3: Tribal Members in the United States: Who Gets to Represent Themselves as a Native American Composer and Educator - Saturday, 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
MMEA Research Headliner
Bridget Sweet
Bridget Sweet is Professor of Music Education and the Marilyn Pflederer Zimmerman Endowed Chair in Music Education at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Illinois. After completing her Bachelors Degree in Music Education at Western Michigan University, Dr. Sweet enjoyed a successful tenure as a middle school choir teacher for nearly ten years. Her interests in adolescent music education intensified during her Masters and Doctoral programs in Music Education at Michigan State University, which contributed to her research focused on characteristics of effective and exemplary middle-level music teachers. At the University of Illinois, Dr. Sweet teaches secondary music education pedagogy, including choral methods and literature, graduate courses in music education, as well as a course focused on the development of healthy practices for all musicians. She is a Licensed Body Mapping Educator through the Association for Body Mapping Education.
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Dr. Sweet continues to work extensively with adolescent singers as a teacher, clinician, and conductor; she has been invited to conduct middle and high school All-State Choirs and Honors Choirs in over a dozen states. Dr. Sweet wrote the books Growing Musicians: Teaching Music in Middle School and Beyond (2016, Oxford University Press) and Thinking Outside the Voice Box: Adolescent Voice Change in Music Education (2020, Oxford University Press). She co-edited the book Motherhood in the Music Education Academy (2025, Oxford University Press). Dr. Sweet’s research interests include middle level choral music education, [assigned at birth] female and male adolescent voice change, musician health and wellness, intersections of LGBTQ+ topics and the music classroom, as well as intersections of motherhood and academia. Her research has appeared in publications of Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Choral Journal, International Journal of Music Education: Research, Journal of Research in Music Education and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education. She has authored chapters within The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research in American Music Education (2014), The Oxford Handbook of Care in Music Education (2023), and The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Queer Studies in Music Education (in press). She is currently the guest editor of a Music Educators Journal special focus issue on health and wellness in the music education profession (anticipated, 2026). Dr. Sweet was initiated as a Friend of the Arts to the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity (2021).
Sessions:
MMEA Research to Practice I: Growing Musicians: Teaching Music in Middle School and Beyond - Friday, 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm
MMEA Research to Practice II: Thinking Outside the Voice Box: Adolescent Voice Change - Saturday, 9:00 am - 9:45 am
Healthy Music Practices: Maintaining Longevity in the Music Education Profession (NAfME Collegiate: Session 2) - Saturday, 10:00 am - 10:45 am
MSBOA - Michigan School Band & Orchestra Association
Dr. Matthew Arau
Internationally renowned speaker, author, and conductor, Dr. Matthew Arau empowers people to their shatter limiting beliefs, unlock their full potential, and orchestrate their lives in alignment with their values and vision. As the founder and CEO of Upbeat Global and author of the bestselling book, Upbeat! Mindset, Mindfulness, and Leadership in Music Education and Beyond, Dr. Arau believes in the power of gratitude and joy to make meaningful, transformative change from within. Drawing on his 29 years as a conductor, music educator, leadership expert, and professor, Matthew empowers educators to create inner harmony and rekindle their inner spark through focusing on well-being, purpose, and mindset.
Additionally, Dr. Arau is an Associate Professor of Music and the Chair of the Music Education Department and Symphonic Band Conductor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin and the Leadership Editor for GIA Publications. Dr. Arau has guest conducted, led professional development, and presented clinics on leadership, mindfulness, wellness, growth mindset, rehearsal techniques, and creating positive cultures in 40 states and 4 continents in person. Thousands of high school students and educators have attended his Upbeat! Leadership Workshops across the United States to develop their leadership skills and reach for their fullest potential. In addition to being in demand as a keynote speaker, presenter, and professional development facilitator, Dr. Arau has conducted honor bands in Australia, Thailand, Greece, Cyprus, and
Malaysia, and All-State honor bands across the United States.
Dr. Arau draws on a deep reservoir of fifteen years of experience as a successful middle school and high school band director in Loveland, Colorado, where he led his bands at Walt Clark Middle School and Loveland High School to numerous honor performances and championships and pioneered the Leadership Symposium. He lives with his wife Merilee in Neenah, Wisconsin accompanied by their sugar glider, Flash, and two Dachshunds, Savannah and Eli. Learn more about Dr. Arau at www.upbeatglobal.com.
Sessions:
MSBOA Headliner #1: Upbeat! The Power Within - Friday, 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
MSBOA Headliner #2: Edge of Your Seat Rehearsals: Engage All Students Always- Friday, 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
MSVMA - Michigan School Vocal Music Association
Elaine Hagenberg
Elaine Hagenberg’s music “soars with eloquence and ingenuity” (ACDA Choral Journal). Renowned for her ability to seamlessly weave lush harmonic landscapes, captivating melodies, and evocative piano and orchestral accompaniments, she offers a unique blend of artistic sophistication and universal appeal.
In addition to composing full-time, Elaine is a guest artist and clinician, seeking to foster meaningful connections through music and texts. Her recent and upcoming residencies and speaking engagements include ACDA conferences, Carnegie Hall Festivals, the Incanto Mediterraneo International Choral Festival in Milazzo in Italy, the Vox Anima London Choral Festival, and the Galway Choral Festival in Ireland.
Sessions:
MSVMA Headliner #1: Pursing Your Creative Voice - Friday, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
MSVMA Headliner #2: Reading Session with Elaine Hagenberg – Friday, 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
MSVMA Headliner #3: Behind the Score: Demystifying the Compositional Process - Saturday, 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
MSVMA Headliner #4: Headliner Q&A - Saturday, 11:00 am - 11:45 am