NYSSMA 2025 89th Annual Winter Conference
12/04/2025 - 12/07/2025
In-Person Event
Joseph A. Floreano, Rochester Riverside Convention Center
123 E Main St
Rochester, NY 14604
Clinic Details
Friday, December 5
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm CST
Sightreading: The Band Director's Secret Weapon
Jason Varga
Sightreading isn’t just an exercise—it’s a powerful tool for building musicianship and confidence. This session explores practical techniques and daily habits to make sightreading a cornerstone of your program, leading to long-term musical success.
Thursday, January 1
– CST
Using Sight-Reading to Speed Up the Learning Process
David Pope
Teaching musicians to become independent musicians is vital to individual students and the ensemble’s success. In this session, I will share strategies and scaffolding techniques that develop the abilities of band and string musicians through skill isolation and multi-tasking by naturally integrating rote exercises, printed materials, and technology into rehearsals.
Clinician Details
David Pope
David Pope serves an Associate Professor of Music Education at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Performing Arts. He has presented string pedagogy clinics and his research at the European String Teachers Congress, the ASTA National Conference, The Midwest Clinic, and numerous regional/state conferences. He is the current String Research Journal editor and recently served as a co-author for Sound Orchestra and a co-editor for Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra (Vol. 4).
Jason Varga
Jason Varga holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Music Education from Ithaca College. He is currently an Instrumental Music Teacher at Draper Middle School, Marching Band Director, and Pit Orchestra Conductor within the Mohonasen Central School District (Schenectady, NY). A founding member and Past President of the Schenectady County Music Association, Mr. Varga has also significantly contributed to the New York State competitive marching band community as a director, instructor, and arranger. Mr. Varga has also served as a music adjudicator for US Bands. As Director of the Mohonasen Marching Band, he led the ensemble to become the 2023 NYS Champions and participate in the 2024 USBands National Championships. Mr. Varga will serve as President of the New York State Field Band Conference for the 2026-2027 term. Mr. Varga also performs on French Horn throughout the Capital Region of New York State, and has been a feature soloist and guest conductor for the Guilderland Town Band.