Raychel Taylor will present a clinic primarily for secondary educators on improving culture, egalitarian practices, and social/emotional dynamics in their own programs. Raychel is a freelance percussionist, educator, and arts entrepreneur who founded Girls March music and leadership camps to support women in the marching arts.

In many percussion programs across the country, girls face unique challenges in the classroom due to a lack of representation in the field and insufficient education about gender-specific issues. This clinic will give educators the tools to co-create classroom norms that explicitly value respect and shared leadership across genders, build awareness and culture to foster inclusivity, eliminate gender assumptions around abilities, emotions, leadership, and opportunity, and establish practices to increase student engagement, confidence, and sense of belonging.

The key educational objectives for attendees will be:
-Improving respect between both teachers and students, and peer to peer interactions.
-Navigating social dynamics and challenges within the percussion section and overcoming stereotypes.
-Providing safe spaces for all students to thrive, even in competitive, high- performing environments.
-Creating environments where students feel safe to express themselves and have room to work through challenges and struggles without fear of judgment.
-Highlighting contributions of women and underrepresented groups, including successful professionals and emerging talent.

There will be detailed strategies for educators to replicate provided on a handout for the attendees, and the session will end with time for questions.