Kodály Association of Southern California
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Professional Development for Music Educators
Upcoming workshops 2025-2026
Workshop #1: KASC and LACAOSA Chapter Share
Chapter Share featuring members of KASC and LACAOSA
Date: Saturday, September 6th, 2025
Registration: 8:30am - 8:55am
Workshop: 9:00am - 1:00pm
In Person Only
Location: Hollyglen Elementary
5039 W.135th Street
Hawthorne, CA 90250
Description:
Join us as we collaborate with the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (LACAOSA) in a Chapter Share to kick-off the school year! Members of KASC who will be presenting include Simon Carrol, Kelly Adams, and Renée Gehlbach.
Workshop #2: What is the Kodály Method?: a Mini-Workshop for Anyone New to the Kodály World
Clinicians: Kelly Adams and Dr. Kathy Hickey
Date: Saturday, September 13th, 2025
Registration: 9:30am - 9:55am
Workshop: 10:00am - 12:00pm
In Person Only
Location: Cal State Fullerton
Clayes Performing Arts Center, Room 119
800 N State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92831, USA
About the workshop:
So what is the Kodály Method all about? Come to our mini-workshop to get a ground level overview that is interactive and full of activities! Learn about Kodály scaffolding, principals, and experience the power of discovery learning. While this mini-workshop is designed for undergraduate students curious about music education, it is available for anyone to join! Come get a fun introduction to the world of Kodály with songs, strategies, and more.
Please note: After this workshop, a luncheon will occur with the Kodály Board Members and CSUF Music Education students. This is a closed lunch that will launch our partnership with the Cal State Fullerton’s Music Education Department. If your campus or community is also interested in a partnership with us, please reach out any time. Thank you!
About the Clinicians:
Kelly Adams is a twice-over graduate of the University of Southern California where she received a Bachelor of Music degree in music industry and a Master of Arts degree in music education. In 2013, she attended the Kodály Association of Southern California (KASC) Summer Institute where she fell in love with Kodály’s revolutionary methods and ideology, eventually receiving her certification under Dr. Kathy Hickey and Dr. Niké St. Clair in 2016. She served on the KASC Board for over a decade, and currently teaches Level I Pedagogy during KASC’s Summer Institute at Azusa Pacific University. She continues to build Kodály-based curricula for the National Children’s Chorus as Senior Associate Conductor and Artistic Coordinator, and recently conducted students from schools across Los Angeles in the 2023 KASC Honor Chorus Festival. Kelly is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Teaching and Learning at the University of Southern California. When she’s not teaching or conducting, Kelly performs, writes, and records with the band Karmina (search Queens of Heart to hear Karmina’s latest album) and sings in feature films (How to Train Your Dragon, Wonder, Pan, The Lorax, Promising Young Woman). Kelly is thrilled to conduct her daughter Rudi at the NCC!
Experienced music educator Dr. Katherine Hickey earned degrees in piano performance from California State Universities, including a year at the Liszt Academy of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Education from University of Southern California. She has presented at local, state, national and international conferences, courses and symposia on the topics of Kodály Approach, music literacy, choral music, and elementary music education over the last four decades. She presented at IKS Symposia in Poland, Hungary, Canada and Scotland and Los Angeles.
Dr. Hickey’s research activity is centered on Jenő Ádám and his role in the Kodály approach. A transcription of twenty hours of Ádám’s oral history of 20th century musical life in Hungary and Europe, and the development of the Kodály approach is being prepared in Hungarian and English for publication. The audio recordings were recorded in Santa Barbara, CA at the home of Dr. Ernő and Katinka Dániel, in the 1960-70s.
Dr. Hickey is currently Professor of Music at the Conservatory of Music, School of Performing Arts, University of Redlands in California. She has served as Past President (2000-06) and Treasurer (2011-2018) of the Organization of America Kodály Educators (OAKE), as well as Division and local leadership positions. Dr. Hickey co-directs the biennial Los Angeles International Liszt Competition for Piano and Voice with Dr. Éva Polgár. A third-generation American-Hungarian, she grew up in the rich cultural life of the Hungarian Reformed Church and Hungarian community in Los Angeles, CA.
Workshop #3: Creative Music Teaching & Cultural Connections; Strategies for Moving from Simple to Complex Learning Across Grades
A Joint Workshop with AOSA-OC
Clinician: Dr. Miriam Factora
Date: Saturday, October 25th, 2025
Registration: 8:30am - 8:55am
Workshop: 9:00am - 3:00pm
In Person Only
Location: Concordia University Irvine
1530 Concordia
Irvine, CA 92612, USA
This workshop will be a collaboration between KASC and the Orange County chapter of AOSA (American Orff-Schulwerk Association.)
About the workshop:
How can music educators create learning experiences that are more meaningful, engaging, and culturally responsive in today’s diverse classrooms? In this post-pandemic time, how can we maintain students’ attention and help them rediscover the joy of learning? How can lessons be designed to differentiate according to students’ individual needs, interests, and skill levels across various grade levels? How can we encourage creativity in ways that inspire students to take greater accountability for their own learning and success?
In this interactive workshop, Dr. Miriam B. Factora will guide participants in exploring effective strategies for integrating students’ cultural backgrounds into music instruction, while developing sample approaches that build musical skills progressively—from simple to complex—across grade levels.
Drawing from her lived experience in the Philippines under a Western colonial education system and her extensive fieldwork in diverse communities, Dr. Factora invites educators to reimagine music instruction as a dynamic, inclusive, and culturally grounded practice. Participants will explore how to intentionally incorporate the musical cultures within their school communities to teach core music concepts in engaging, student-centered ways. Through hands-on activities, multimedia examples, and practical teaching tools, this workshop inspires music educators to make musical learning relevant to students’ lives, foster cross-cultural connections, and address the evolving needs of post-pandemic classrooms—where relevance, attention, and joy are more essential than ever.
Come ready to sing, play, move, reflect, and reimagine music education as a space for rigorous, joyful learning and meaningful cultural celebration.
About the Clinician:
Dr. Miriam B. Factora is an energetic and accomplished educator who truly inspires students of any age group with her passion for music. She has a wide range of teaching experiences in early childhood, elementary, middle school, high school, university, and postgraduate levels in public and private institutions.
Dr. Factora is a fervent advocate for cultural relevance in education. As an esteemed music educator, international speaker, and clinician, she has shared this passion through keynote speeches, workshops, paper presentations, and training sessions for university students and teachers in different parts of the world.
As for her educational background, Miriam earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, magna cum laude, from the University of Santo Tomas, Philippines; specialized in conducting at California State University, East Bay; completed Orff Certification at the San Francisco International Orff Course, California; earned a Master of Music Education with Kodály Emphasis from Holy Names University, Oakland, California; studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics at the Juilliard School of Music, New York; earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Music from the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; and was an International Kodály Society scholar at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, Hungary.
Currently, Dr. Factora is serving as one of the Board of Directors of the International Kodály Society and is a co-chair of the International Kodály Society Lászlo Vikar Folk Music Research Forum. She has been a consultant for the Kodály Society of the Philippines for so many years. She retired from the California Public School System due to her decision to make a major move to Washington State to focus on research and writing.
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Workshop #4 Conectar los Corazones: Connecting the Hearts of our Students
Clinician: Lydia Mills
Date: Saturday, February 7th, 2026
Registration: 9:00am - 9:25am
Workshop: 9:30am - 3:00pm
In Person Only
Location: Cal State Fullerton
Clayes Performing Arts Center, Room TBD
800 N State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92831, USA
About the workshop:
As music teachers using Kodály’s approach to music education, we are taught to use songs from the musical mother tongue of our students. For those of us who teach in classrooms with native Spanish speakers, how do we find and select beautiful songs in Spanish that come from the hearts of our students, their history, their homes, and families? And what is most important about these songs? That they play an active role in the pedagogical sequence, that we can analyze them and find a perfect song for do or rest? Or should we choose a song in Spanish regardless of its pedagogical content? In my experience teaching in both Spanish speaking and bilingual English/Spanish classrooms, both aspects are essential. Choosing songs that connect the students immediately to their hearts and to their roots, creating joy and magic in the classroom is primary. And, by including songs with specific pedagogical content that we can use in our focus segments, the Spanish speaking students will have the opportunity to create a deeper connection to a song, when the love for the song and the delight in singing it connects to the understanding of its musical content, hence, to musical literacy.
In Conectar los Corazones, we will sing and play traditional songs and singing games from Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, and Puerto Rico for children in grades TK-4. Some of these songs can be used for teaching musical elements, and others for the pure joy they bring to the classroom. Both native Spanish speakers as well as non-native Spanish speakers will enjoy singing and participating in circle games, chase games, solo-singing games, games with puppets and traditional dances.
About the Clinician:
Lydia Mills has specialized in teaching music with the Kodály method for over twenty years. She received her master’s in music education with an emphasis in Kodály from Holy Names University in 2002. Lydia has taught TK-6th grade music in bilingual schools in the Bay Area as well as in Santiago, Chile. Lydia has led teacher training programs in the Kodály approach throughout Latin America and started the Kodály institute training programs in both Puerto Rico and Chile. She has researched children's traditional singing games in Spanish in collaboration with other music teachers and folk musicians from Latin America. Lydia has self-published several music books and recordings of children’s music in Spanish for teachers and families, and recently published "La Magia de Kodály," a book on teaching music in Spanish. Her website is www.lydiamillsmusica.com. Lydia currently directs the Instituto Kodály Fundación Ibáñez Atkinson in Santiago, Chile and teaches TK-5th grade music and choir at Melrose Leadership Academy on Oakland, California.
Workshop #5 Kodály Based Strategies for the Ensemble Rehearsal
Clinicians: Shelly Suminski Mahpar and Carla Miller-Kupchenko
Date: Saturday, April 11th, 2026
Registration: 9:00am - 9:25am
Workshop: 9:30am - 12:30pm
In Person Only
Location: KIPP Comienza Community
Prep School, Room 203
7825 Santa Fe Ave
Huntington Park, CA 90255, USA
About the workshop:
Integrate Kodály musicianship strategies in both instrumental and vocal ensemble settings. Our two specialists will provide a Kodály-based warm up sequence and musicianship practice routine that can be adapted and utilized across a variety of vocal and instrumental classes. Then, we will dive into three pieces selected by our clinicians that can be used to effectively build sight-reading skills. These pieces will be chosen by level (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced) so you can get a realistic experience of how to support your students as they sight read class repertoire.
This workshop is designed to support secondary music teachers and those who have older beginners in an ensemble setting. Strategies can be applied to a variety of ensembles such as choir, band, show choir, orchestra, jazz ensemble, ukulele, musical theater, recorders, and more! Hard copies of the repertoire will be available for purchase at the workshop for attendees to sample.
Please bring a wind instrument to this workshop! Recorders will also be available on site, but if you are able to bring a personal or borrowed instrument that would be preferred. All levels of musicians are welcome to participate!
About the Clinicians:
Shelly Suminski Mahpar received a BM in Trombone Performance from the University of Southern California as the 2007 recipient of the Robert Marsteller Outstanding Brass Musician Award. In 2009, she earned her Masters Degree at the California Institute of the Arts, studying under James Miller, Associate Principal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
As an active freelance musician in Southern California, Shelly has performed with many local orchestras and musical theatre companies. In addition to classical performance, Shelly also performs and tours with local rock and big bands and has recorded for film, television, and other media projects. Her career has led to play in major venues across the United States, Middle East, and Asia. In 2019 she performed the world premier of Meditation and Decision for solo trombone and piano at the International Trombone Festival (ITF). She returned to ITF in 2022 performing as a founding member of the all-women Empress Trombone Quartet and in 2025 on faculty for ITF's Youth Workshop. In 2023, Shelly became a founding member of organization She Can Play Brass, and organization created to support and elevate women brass players in Southern California.
Devoted to music education, Shelly Suminski Mahpar serves on the Brass Faculty at the Colburn School CSPA, Victor Valley College, and San Bernardino College where she recently was appointed as Director of Bands. She received her Kodály Certification from the Kodály Association of Southern California (KASC) and has taught Kodály levels at CSU Bakersfield and KASC. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the Organization of American Kodály Educators as the Instrumental Advisor and Western Division President and is Past President of the Kodály Association of Southern California. She served as Co-Chair for the 2023 International Kodály Society Symposium in Los Angeles.
Shelly is an endorsed Bach Brass Performing Artist
Carla Miller-Kupchenko is a proud native of the San Gabriel Valley and of Mexican-American Heritage. She currently resides in Pasadena, CA. With over twelve years of experience teaching general music and choir, Carla has served in both private Catholic and public charter school settings. She currently teaches grades 5 through 8 at KIPP Comienza Community Prep, Upper School (Huntington Park, California) where she has been an educator for seven years. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to education, she was named a 2024 "Teacher of the Year" by KIPP SoCal.
In addition to her work in the classroom, Carla serves as a musicianship instructor with the Los Angeles Children's Chorus. She is deeply committed to the choral arts and directs the after-school "Comienza Choir" ensembles at her school. As a performer, she has sung with respected local choral ensembles inclusing Tonality, Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble, and Voices/LA.
Carla holds a B.A. in Music and Classics from the University of Southern California and a M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. A recipient of OAKE's Katinka Dániel Scholarship, she completed her Kodály levels through the Kodály Association of Southern California (KASC) and the Kodály Music Institute (KMI). She has also completed Orff Schulwerk certification through the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Orff Schulwerk Association (LACAOSA). An active member of the Kodály community, Carla has served on the KASC Board for severl years, including as Honor Chorus Festival Coordinator and currently as President-Elect. Carla values the Kodály community for its emphasis on professional growth and the sense of fellowship it fosters among music educators.
Workshop Prices
OAKE (KASC) Members: $30 (members receive coupon code for $10 off)
Non-members: $40
Full-Time College Students and Administrators: FREE
FREE Full-time students:
If you are a full-time student and want to attend our workshops for free, then become a FREE member of OAKE with KASC as your chapter! Be sure to select "full-time student" as your membership type.
https://www.oake.org/become-a-member/
(Current student members will receive a coupon code for free admission via email 2 weeks before each workshop. If you become a full-time student and haven't received the coupon code, email us at kascmail@gmail.com.)
District Workshop PAckage
We are excited to announce we are now offering a special "District Workshop Package" deal where a school district can pay a total of $800, which will allow up to 10 participants to attend each of our workshops through the year. If your district is interested in a package deal, please contact us for more information at kascmail@gmail.com.
OAKE’s Commitment to Equity
The members of OAKE are committed to championing diversity, welcoming all people, and advancing inclusivity and equity for all. Inspired by Zoltán Kodály’s unyielding assertion that music belongs to everyone, we affirm that music is a fundamental aspect of shared human experiences. As such, we pledge to promote active music making merged with intentionally respectful practices as the basis of comprehensive music education.