Brian Winnie, Southwestern College director of choral activities and voice, selected to co-present a workshop at the Illinois Music Educators State Conference held in Peoria, Ill., Jan. 28-30. 

Along with colleague Brad Pierson from the University of Toledo, Winne presented the workshop “Conduct With Me: The Gestural Language of Mirroring and Empathy.” The session examined the relationship between the science of mirror neurons and the development of a choral rehearsal pedagogy with gesture and sensation. 

According to Winnie, through this new pedagogy the choral director can have more effective rehearsals, less need for verbal instruction, and can help demystify the vocal mechanism and singing voice. The workshop was selected to be presented at the American Choral Directors Association Southwestern Division Regional Conference in Kansas City, Mo, March 6-8.