Balanced Mind 2025
11/04/2025
In-Person Event
W. T. Clarke Middle/High School
739 Edgewood Dr
Westbury, NY 11590
Clinic Details
Tuesday, November 4
9:00 am – 10:10 am CST
Inspiring Hope in our Students...and Ourselves
Peggy Rakas
Join Peggy Rakas, positive psychology life coach and music educator, for a humor-filled session exploring practical ways to stay hopeful and grateful during challenging times. Drawing on research-backed tools from positive psychology—including the power of mini habits, gratitude practices, goal setting, and perspective building—you’ll discover strategies to create a brighter path forward for yourself and your students. We’ll also dive into inspiring music that can reignite optimism, motivate your students, and remind us all how fortunate we are to be music educators.
Tuesday, November 4
10:20 am – 11:40 am CST
MakeMusic Tips and Tricks
Peggy Rakas
Unlock the full potential of your MakeMusic Cloud subscription! Join us to explore fun and creative ways to use MakeMusic Cloud with your students, packed with handy assignment tips and tricks. Plus, get the scoop on the newest features—like truly ungraded assignments—and discover exciting music gems and world music resources that everyone can enjoy.
Clinician Details
Peggy Rakas
Peggy Rakas is a lifelong educator, currently an adjunct professor of music education at Hofstra University. She founded Teaching Positivity, an organization that offers positive psychology workshops to educators throughout Long Island. A certified Optimize Life Coach and a long-time fan of MakeMusic Cloud, she is passionate about sharing her love for the platform. She has been recognized with multiple awards, including the SCOPE Teacher Service Award and being twice named the Merrick Kiwanis Club - Teacher of the Year. An accomplished musician, she is the associate principal flutist of the Massapequa Philharmonic Orchestra and performs with several other groups.