A hands-on professional development evening for NJ elementary and middle school band and orchestra teachers. Rotate through our repair stations with the technicians who service 2,000+ instruments a year, then stay for dinner, conversation and a live closing set.
Limited to 12 spots. Register now.
Most professional development wasn't built for instrumental music teachers. This evening was. You'll spend 90 minutes at working repair benches learning the fleet maintenance, triage and care skills that keep beginner instruments playing — hands on the instruments, not watching slides.
You'll leave knowing what you can fix in the band room, what needs the shop, and how to tell the difference in under a minute. And you'll get a certificate of attendance to bring back to your district.
Small groups of four rotate every 30 minutes through three benches. Each bench is run by the technician who does that work in our shop every day.
Bench 01 Led by Dave Gonos
Bench 02 Led by Gerry Falco
Bench 03 Led by Shawn Goodwin
Doors open at 5:00 with a warm welcome, so you can arrive whenever the last bus leaves. The PD hours start at a hard 5:30: 90 minutes at the benches, then 30 minutes of dinner conversation.
Every attendee gets a certificate of attendance with the session agenda and 2 contact hours. PD credit approval is set by your district — most teachers submit the certificate to their principal or PD coordinator. Need supporting documentation? We'll provide it.
Drinks, hot appetizers, and a warm hello from Yaron and the team as you arrive from school.
Three 30-minute benches, in small groups of four.
A real meal, and one question over it, no wrong answers: what would actually make your job easier?
Tunepike Virtuoso Stephanie Tateiwa, on a horn from our own bench. Gift bags on the way out.
7:30 PM · Live closing setTunepike Virtuoso
A graduate adjunct instructor of woodwinds at NYU, where she is finishing a master's in multiple woodwinds, Stephanie also sits on the faculty at Jazz at Lincoln Center Academy. Eastman-trained, she has played with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra and Red Baraat, plus Broadway pit work.
She closes the night on a horn set up on the same benches you just visited — and shares her path from school band kid to the bandstand.
Meet the Tunepike Virtuosos →Our Berkeley Heights neighbors at Ami Sushi are catering a full spread — platters, cooked dishes and vegetarian options. Come hungry; you've earned it. Tell us about dietary needs on the RSVP.
An open conversation over dinner, and part of your PD hours, about what a music dealer can actually do for your program. Our techs step out so it stays candid. Every piece of feedback gets a written response.
Valve oil, swabs, reeds and cork grease — the mini repair kit every band room needs, assembled by our techs.
Use it on any school instrument in our shop. Bring us the one that's been sitting in the closet.
Agenda and 2 contact hours, emailed within 48 hours.
The five-instrument learning tool designed in this workshop: four mouthpieces and a flute headjoint. No more shared horns.
Everyone's three favorite teaching albums, compiled for the group.
Here's what we heard, and what we're doing about it — in writing.
This evening is for elementary and middle school instrumental music teachers — the people teaching first notes, managing beginner fleets and building programs. If that's you, you belong in this room.
We're keeping it to 12 seats on purpose: small enough that every bench is hands-on and every voice is heard over dinner.
